Every week for nearly a decade, Yellowstone Public Radio aired “Your Opinion, Please!”, a 30-45 minute open call for listeners across Montana to pick up the phone and express their views live on-air, without pre-screening or prompt. Calls would range from the war in Iraq, disputes over public land access, local school board meetings or outrage at the idea of an indoor smoking ban (the show ran from 1997-2007.) In the spirit of civil discourse and debate, callers follow-up with their own opinions, while co-hosts Marvin Granger and Ken Siebert play referee.
Over 15 minutes, the film YOUR OPINION, PLEASE allows voices from across hundreds of episodes to flow in conversation with one another, set against the imagery of present-day Montana—a state deep in identity crisis when it comes to community, cost-of-living, and the right to free expression. With the voices of the past held up as a mirror, Your Opinion, Please acts as a vessel for which Montana can examine itself. YOUR OPINION, PLEASE is not only about expression and voicing one’s convictions, but also about listening.