University of Massachusetts alum David Pakman's mother was the only one he could say for sure listened to his radio show when he got started at Valley Free Radio, in Northampton, in 2005.
And even she couldn't muster much enthusiasm when he asked her how he liked it.
Pakman didn't blame her.
"All I was doing was reading the news -- and not very well," he told two dozen or so Introduction to Journalism students at his alma mater this week. He was too nervous to even add any political commentary of his own, at first.
Now, The David Pakman Show, formerly known as Midweek Politics with David Pakman, airs on over 100 radio and TV stations nationwide; he's got over 2,500 subscribers to his Internet podcasts and some of his recent YouTube videos have gotten 20,000 or more hits within several days of him posting them.
In September, Pakman, 26; his producer and childhood friend Louis Motamedi and Pakman's brother and film producer Natan Pakman moved into their own studio in Northampton, underwritten by Greenfield Savings Bank.
Pakman, who graduated in 2006 with a degree in economics and communications and then got his MBA at Bentley, is also a consultant who helps other media personalities, includingThom Hartman, the country's Number 1 progressive radio show host, expand their audiences.
Pakman said he would be happy to give the students advice for free. He's also looking for for-credit interns and is registered with the UMass Office of Career Services.
The easiest place to start your own radio show is at a community radio station, Pakman said.
"Not many people will listen at first, but you'll get practice."
He recommends posting videos on YouTube, even if it's just an audio radio show with still photographs.
And then promote your show relentlessly.
Pakman has found that email is his best form of contact and he is constantly soliciting guests for his show.
Some of the people he thinks are least likely to respond to him have been the most enthusiastic about being on the show, Ohio Congressman and former Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, for example. He's also interviewed U.S. Sen. John Kerry, Congressman Barney Frank and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.
Others have not been as responsive, for example Michael Moore.
Pakman doesn't sweat it when he doesn't hear back from someone, he just keeps trying to get in touch with them. He sends out a regular newsletter, using the email marketing service Constant Contact, which allows him to see who opens his emails and who ignores them.
Some of his best guests have been the ones whose points of view he agrees with the least -- anti-Semites, white supremacists, anti-gay rights activists, and the like.
"Anytime I can argue with someone, I will," Pakman said.
Likewise, some of his most loyal listeners claim to hate the show.
"The people who don't like what I'm doing are more responsible for the success of the show than the people like me," Pakman said. Someone named Butch, for example, has been emailing him for years, expressing how much he can't stand it.
Pakman doesn't engage with detractors like Butch, he just thanks them.
After all, Pakman said, "He listens to the show more than my mom."
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