IT’S been almost 10 years since Ch. 11’s Howard Thompson first rode to the rescue of the little guy with his initial “Help Me Howard” segment.
Thompson tried taking a break from “Help Me Howard” for about eight months – but returned to shame, humiliate and embarrass unsavory business types last April.
“The demand just never stopped,” says Thompson. “On a typical day, we’ll get around 20 phone calls.”
Talk to Thompson long enough, and you get the distinct impression that he’s a guy who knows what he’s doing – that there’s a technique to his take-no-prisoners approach that’s turned “Help Me Howard” into one of the most popular news segments on Ch. 11’s 10 p.m. newscast.
“When I have someone in front of me, I assume a non-threatening physical position, with a relatively pleasant look on my face while I’m asking someone why they turned the heat off on the old lady,” he says.
“That’s one of the reasons I’ve never been [physically] attacked,” he says. “I’m not a very large person, but my photographer and myself, well, let’s just say we look capable.”
Thompson won’t say if he packs some sort of self-defense device, just in case – “I don’t want to answer that question,” he says cautiously – but makes it clear he’s prepared for any eventuality.
“I think the camera is my protection,” he says. “Admittedly, we have the element of surprise in our favor.
“Ninety-nine percent of the people we go after know they’ve done something unethical, so when we show up, they can only do so much talking,” he says.
“When I go into a situation like that, I always do a quick 360-degree look at the room behind me and in front of me, and I look at a person’s body language, trying to maintain eye contact while firing questions so they can’t divert my attention.
“Most people I deal with are small businessmen or con artists who have questionable acumen – and most of them aren’t violent.”
That may be, but why does it seem that these con artists and their ilk always seem much-too-willing to talk – instead of just slamming the door in Thompson’s face?
“The element of surprise has a lot to do with it,” he says. “But I always turn to my photographer afterward and say, ‘Why did they talk?’
“The con artists think they’re so smart – they’re so used to talking people into cons that they think they can talk their way out of it when I show up.
“But most people don’t have the composure to stand up and start defending themselves when a reporter comes in and starts making accusations,” he says.
“Unless they’re a professor, lawyer or a public relations person, they find themselves trying to defend their position – and they’re always making a big mistake.”
