MAGAZINES - Most specialty magazines have relaxed deadlines. Often times a reporter's interview with a subject won't appear in print from four to six months of the interview. Stories are longer than in newspapers, sometimes running 2,000-3,000 words. Some magazines employ fact-checkers who will call upon persons interviewed weeks after the interview to ascertain the accuracy of the facts and quotes given. Reporters often "free lance" their services, meaning interviews may appear in both publications.

RADIO - The most wide-ranging of all of the media, they range from sound bites taken from a news conference or interview to the long-form interview on talk radio. The longest sound bites used during news/sports reporters are 15-20 seconds. On talk radio, interviewees often are asked to answer call ins. These are screened by a producer who will ask the caller the subject of the question. However, the decision to use the caller is strictly up to the host who will usually inform the interviewee how much time they have to respond to the caller. Talk shows are down on what is called "delay," meaning what you hear actually occurs seven seconds earlier. This is done as a protection from callers who use disparaging language, giving the host the chance to eliminate the call without it being heard by the public.

TELEVSION - Unlike print and broadcast, focus also includes how you say what you say in addition to what you say. Most television news reports employ the same short sound bite parameters that radio uses. Fifteen-to-20 second maximum length for quotes and sound bites although many television stations will use even shorter sound bites of less than 10 seconds. TV interviews can be done live and the interviewer will usually inform their subject the piece will be done live. In most cases, however, the interviews are taped which allows for both the interviewer and interviewee to ask and/or answer the question a second time. Most television news/sports pieces are less than 90 seconds long meaning they may only use one or two sound bites from the person that they interview.

NEWSPAPER - The print interview relies heavily on what is said. Answers can be longer but interviewees should realize the longer their responses the more control you are yielding to the interviewer. Modern reporters will often rely on a tape recorder to get quotes accurate as a backup to taking notes but responding more slowly to the newspaper reporter is an excellent tool. Stories can range from a couple of paragraphs to up to more in depth pieces that can be around 1,500 words. However, like broadcast interviews, quotes usually only are about 15 seconds long in length. Daily newspapers in the US are predominantly "morning" newspapers, meaning their deadlines are often in the early to late evening. Interviews for feature pieces are on a more relaxed deadline as they will appear days - or weeks-after the interview.

INTERNET - From chat rooms to web pages to Internet versions of newspapers, the fastest growing medium in the world. Because of the technology, any one can claim to be an "interviewer" without journalistic experience. Web page editors have been less concerned with fact checking and accuracy although the more professional ones are changing more to adopt better standards like the other media. Quotes and/or sound bites are usually short again in the 10-15 second range. Internet versions of newspapers are edited, tailored versions of stories that appear in the newspapers. They are usually less than 500 words and can often use less - or no quotes - from subjects that may appear in the regular newspaper version. Unlike newspapers, the stories can be changed or updated on a moment's notice.