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[Literacy advocate] Be The Star You Are

BruceJ

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I was contacted by these folks to promo my book. They want a donation to their charity to appear on their program. Sounds iffy, but don't want to dismiss it out of hand.

Anybody ever heard of them?

Thanks in advance.
 

alleycat

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I'd never heard of it. I looked up their website. It looks dubious at best.

It seems odd that when you Google it, you primarily get their own webpages. If they were well-known at all there would be a few detractors; the "Oprah of the Airwaves" is not even on the radar apparently.
 
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BruceJ

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That was my initial take, alley. I watched their video on YouTube, which appeared to be a TV interview by a third party, until you got to the credits and the lady being inteviewed, one of the co-hosts, turned out to be the executive producer.

Still, thought I'd give them a chance.

Thanks for the quick reply.
 

JulieB

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Yog's Law, Bruce.

I know the Internet has changed the landscape, but you should never pay for access to a journalist.
 

BruceJ

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LOL, Terie, it sure does!

Thanks, Julie, that was my first reaction when I hit the 'donation' thing. I just didn't want to discard it out of hand until I got a reading from AW on it. (How goes the radio theater? :)) I just did a segment on the local CBS affiliate on my novel and, golly, they didn't ask me for money... (If you're interested, it's below)

http://www.kens5.com/great-day-sa/Berlin-Wall-21-years-later-106965338.html

It sure is, Cao. Almost all the Google hits were either their sites or spots sponsored by them. One review site had all five-stars, but nearly all the respondents are/were affiliated with them. One objective forum was still waiting for someone to write a review. Seems odd, if they've been around for ten years there wouldn't be more press on them.

Thanks, everyone, for the responses.
 
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James D. Macdonald

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Do you regularly listen to their programming?

Does anyone you know listen to their programming?

Had you ever heard of them in any context before they contacted you? (Was this, possibly, spam?)
 

CobraMisfit

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Recalculating....
I'm still new to all this, but I'm a gut-feel person. Unless I am 100% comfortable about an organization (and where the cash is going), I won't part with my money. It's not a perfect system, but I guarantee the avoided issues have far outweighed the one or two missed opportunities.

Just my two Lincolns.

 

BruceJ

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Good points, Cobra. It's too easy to say money goes to 'charity' and bury what causes it's actually going to (if, indeed, any). I've already deleted their email.

Thanks again to all for replying. No surprises, just confirmation.
 

alleycat

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Good points, Cobra. It's too easy to say money goes to 'charity' and bury what causes it's actually going to (if, indeed, any). I've already deleted their email.
I didn't look that closely, but it looked like they primarily donated books and tapes to various other charities. I'm guessing that most of what they donate is their very own books and tapes. You pay to be on their radio problem, they then purchase their own books with the money, then donate the books to whatever charity is handy.
 

seaaircarol

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I entered their writing contest a couple of years ago and received an honorable mention (they spelled my name wrong in the announcement, though, and never corrected it. I see that the announcement is in the archives, and my name is still spelled wrong).

FWIW.

ETA: Just looked at the email that told me I'd won an honorable mention. I see they offered me a discount on a radio interview. Needless to say, I didn't take them up on it.

I'm getting annoyed all over again about them misspelling my name and not correcting it (even though they said they would). Since all you get from an honorable mention is the *mention*, they could spell your name right. LOL.
 
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Starstyle-Be the Star You Are! Radio

Has any one ever heard of this group? A friend of mine received this email to pay to be a guest. Seems a bit expensive for a donation.

"Congratulations on the publication of your book. I'm the guest coordinator for a radio program called StarStyle - Be the Star You Are! I would like to invite you to be a guest on the show to talk about your book and powerful, personal story. Our previous show guests have included Dr. Phil, Deepak Chopra, Neale Donald Walsch, Elizabeth-Kubler Ross, Ken Blanchard and T. Harv Eker, just to name a few. We read every book cover to cover to make sure that you receive a premiere interview promoting your book.


Our host is Cynthia Brian and she is the co-author of the New York Times #1 best seller, Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul and a contributor to numerous books, magazines, and on-line sites. Her bestselling books include Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul, Be the Star You Are! for Teens, Be the Star You Are!-99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference, The Business of Show Business, and Miracle Moments®.

Our program, Starstyle®-Be the Star You Are! broadcasts on World Talk Radio every Thursday from 3-4pm PST/6-7pm EST, part of the world's largest radio network of Voice America with over 5.5 million listeners . Each interview is 18-20 minutes long and we are currently booking for 2011.

The telephone interview requires a $396 tax-deductible donation to an all volunteer 501 c3 charity Be the Star You Are! For an additional $45, your short bio (750 characters including spaces) with photo and link will be displayed on your own page of our World Talk Radio web site along with your interview. This boosts your Search Engine Optimization and allows listeners to find you by name on any search. All donations are utilized by the charity to provide positive media and literacy outreach services. We operate solely through donations and generous contributions of supporters and guests and do not receive any government funding.
Total $441.00

Please let me know if this interview is of interest to you and I will be happy to forward additional information.

All the best,
Angela Siekman
Guest Coordinator
Starstyle-Be the Star You Are! Radio
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.bethestaryouareradio.com
Charity: www.bethestaryouare.org

You can listen to live and archived shows and download programs from
http://www.voiceamerica.com/worldtalkradio/vshow.aspx?sid=764
to get a feel for the type of upbeat interview we provide.

Our program gets RAVE reviews from our guests and many ask to rebook several times. You can read the comments at www.starstyleradio.com. Click on PRAISE!

Visit the charity site for more info at http://www.bethestaryouare.org.

You can see a list of past guest, plus read comments and find our syndicated networks at http://www.star-style.com/radio/index.htm.


IMPORTANT NOTE ON BOOKINGS: All bookings are NONREFUNDABLE. In fairness to all guests and to the amount of preparation and promotion we provide, once a guest has been confirmed, there are no cancellations or refunds for any reason. All interviews that need to be rescheduled will incur an additional donation fee. Please make certain that the date and time work for you. Thank you for your booking on Be the Star You Are!®

This message is confidential, intended only for the named recipient (s) and may contain privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you may not disclose, print, copy or disseminate this information.

We reserve the right to terminate any on air interview for inappropriate language, conduct, content or unintelligible communication. In the event that a guest is deemed inappropriate, the segment will not be broadcast, publicity will be removed, and a refund will not be issued. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the above, please discuss it with us prior to booking. Once the program is book, no refunds or rescheduling for any reason."
 

DreamWeaver

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Anyone know how to check a 501 (c) 3 non-profit's financial statements? That might be interesting.
 

JulieB

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The IRS shows them as a 501(c)(3). You can find out more info at guidestar.org, but you need to register.