An investigation regarding talkers

[joshzz]

I don't listen to national talk radio because the talkers only take calls from paid callers, most of them working for Premiere Radio Networks. These programs such as Rush Limbaugh etc., represent nothing more than commercials for specific political parties. My question is, "Why haven't groups representing Americans stood up and demanded that Congress initiate an investigation into which shows (most likely all of them) are fake and then require each talk show host to announce a disclaimer at the beginning of the program regarding the promotional nature of calls and that the callers are actual paid employees representing the talk show host?"

Here's more>>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/...lers-for-RW-radio-means-free-speech-is-a-joke

 

[davideduardo]

I don't listen to national talk radio because the talkers only take calls from paid callers, most of them working for Premiere Radio Networks. These programs such as Rush Limbaugh etc., represent nothing more than commercials for specific political parties. My question is, "Why haven't groups representing Americans stood up and demanded that Congress initiate an investigation into which shows (most likely all of them) are fake and then require each talk show host to announce a disclaimer at the beginning of the program regarding the promotional nature of calls and that the callers are actual paid employees representing the talk show host?"

While a talk show might seed an occasional call to kick start a topic, callers on talk shows, whether local or national are not paid.

"Premiere On Call" was set up primarily to get realistic sounding participants in "prank calls" for morning shows on music stations. Because prank calls are severely restricted by the "prior consent" rules and laws, most of them are staged comedy bits, and not real. That's why Premiere called the division "a service for entertainment radio stations" and not a service for talk radios stations.

Having programmed talk stations in some markets like New York, Chicago and LA, I can tell you that we never used paid callers. The only time we might have had a staff member call was to do the first "set up" call to get listeners actively calling in. And those cases were very rare, usually employed when a show was hosted by a non-radio person such as a lawyer or doctor who may have lacked the talk radio skills to get things rolling.

 

[joshzz]

With all due respect David, I do agree with you that local stations do use real callers but national talkers like Limbaugh and others do use staged callers. There is a big difference between local talk and syndicated talk. Unfortunately, the suits behind the national talkers don't want their "star personality" to have his/her feathers ruffled. So it's all paid staged. Sad but this is the reality they offer us.

 

[Avid Listener]

With all due respect David, I do agree with you that local stations do use real callers but national talkers like Limbaugh and others do use staged callers. There is a big difference between local talk and syndicated talk. Unfortunately, the suits behind the national talkers don't want their "star personality" to have his/her feathers ruffled. So it's all paid staged. Sad but this is the reality they offer us.

First, I don't believe it. I do believe that the major shows use really good call screeners, and therefore the chances of a "risky" caller getting on the air is very, very slim. Considering that they accept very few calls, and only allow them to remain on the air very briefly, I don't believe that the callers are paid. But more importantly, considering the shape that the nation is in, and all of the truly important things Congress needs to concern itself with, even if your ridiculous allegations were true, it's piss-poor waste of Congress' time to worry about such a trivial, picayune tempest in a teacup.

 

[davideduardo]

With all due respect David, I do agree with you that local stations do use real callers but national talkers like Limbaugh and others do use staged callers. There is a big difference between local talk and syndicated talk. Unfortunately, the suits behind the national talkers don't want their "star personality" to have his/her feathers ruffled. So it's all paid staged. Sad but this is the reality they offer us.

Avid Listener and I agree here. Programs like the ones mentioned have very good call screeners, and the hosts don't hesitate to hang up on off-topic or nutty callers. I've been in the studios of some of the Premiere talent, and never got the impression that anything was staged.

The "suits" have nothing to do with this. The show host and producer and screener decide what kinds of calls get on the air and there is a delay on everything in case anything rude or offensive is said.

 

[Ravens]

Are we going to do this again?

Premiere On Call provides comedy calls for morning shows. Prove your accusations (you can't) or stop posting this garbage.

 

[TGunn]

I don't listen to national talk radio because the talkers only take calls from paid callers, most of them working for Premiere Radio Networks. These programs such as Rush Limbaugh etc., represent nothing more than commercials for specific political parties. My question is, "Why haven't groups representing Americans stood up and demanded that Congress initiate an investigation into which shows (most likely all of them) are fake and then require each talk show host to announce a disclaimer at the beginning of the program regarding the promotional nature of calls and that the callers are actual paid employees representing the talk show host?"

Here's more>>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/...lers-for-RW-radio-means-free-speech-is-a-joke

Well I will tell you my experience with a syndicated conservative talk show in March of 2013..
Since I didn't feel like waiting the two hour minimum to talk to a host, I wrote an email about a topic. I questioned him on why he didn't bring something up that was related to the subject. He wrote back and just basically disagreed with me on the subject and I accepted that. The beginning of the show started with him reading my entire letter. WoW, I was excited something I wrote was heard on 150 stations.. Then he and his co host accused me of being liberal (which I am not), then said I had no sense of humor.. I wrote back and thanked him for reading my email and informed him I was a comedy writer and was not a liberal and voted for Mitt Romney. He never wrote back. My point is ...My email was not fake..so I think calls are probably real for the most part because most sound so awful to me sometimes.. Most agree with the host and belly ache about the government all time. Nothing changes.. These hosts do nothing to help the country. They are seeking debates with liberals and if per chance you disagree with them they pounce on you and brand you a liberal. I don't listen to them anymore...

 

[Ravens]

I think calls are probably real for the most part

I can tell you for a fact they are.

As has been pointed out, Premiere On Call is a comedy service. Period. End of discussion. This guy posts these threads every once in a while when he reads an attack story on a blog somewhere.

 

[Ravens]

All I can think of now is how much the secretary at this guy's local Congressman's office must hate him. Calling every day to DEMAND talk show investigations.

 

[TheBigA]

You guys realize the linked article in the OP is four years old. Four years. It's been discussed and debunked here many times in the past four years.

 

[davideduardo]

You guys realize the linked article in the OP is four years old. Four years. It's been discussed and debunked here many times in the past four years.

And the OP seems to pop up regularly to try to propagate this lie which was disproved four years ago.

 

[Ravens]

You guys realize the linked article in the OP is four years old. Four years. It's been discussed and debunked here many times in the past four years.

Oh, we know. But when someone keeps posting falsehoods, you keep debunking them. If only to make sure people doing a Google search for this nonsense see the truth.

 

[Ravens]

I'm going to take it this guy doesn't even bother to check to see that his BS has been debunked yet again. I guess we'll do this again in a few months.

 

[joshzz]

Anyone with any amount of reasonable intelligence can bypass a screener. In all fairness to the program we should hear a reasonable amount of people being cut-off each day because they disagree with Limbaugh - I would expect callers to prepare a statement which agrees with Rush and then mount an intelligent attack. Instead all we ever hear "mega dittos," etc. It also proves the program is really an infomercial as no one ever seems to disagree with Limbaugh. I'm a conservative and disagree with him on most issues as he is basically an elite populist rather than being a real conservative but that's another topic for another day.

 

[wadio]

It also proves the program is really an infomercial as no one ever seems to disagree with Limbaugh. I'm a conservative and disagree with him on most issues as he is basically an elite populist rather than being a real conservative but that's another topic for another day.

I'm curious to know why you seem to listen so frequently and so intensely. I agree with your second point so I just avoid the show.

 

[Ravens]

Anyone with any amount of reasonable intelligence can bypass a screener. In all fairness to the program we should hear a reasonable amount of people being cut-off each day because they disagree with Limbaugh - I would expect callers to prepare a statement which agrees with Rush and then mount an intelligent attack. Instead all we ever hear "mega dittos," etc. It also proves the program is really an infomercial as no one ever seems to disagree with Limbaugh. I'm a conservative and disagree with him on most issues as he is basically an elite populist rather than being a real conservative but that's another topic for another day.

He has 15-20 million listeners. He's on 600 stations. He takes about 5 calls a day. At any one moment there are hundreds of people trying to call the show. There are plenty of calls to choose from and it's not hard for him to weed out anyone who disagrees with him. You can make the argument that it gets old and boring, and most people here would agree with you. But he's not paying people to make fake calls. That's an outright falsehood that has been disproven over and over again.

I'm curious to know why you seem to listen so frequently and so intensely. I agree with your second point so I just avoid the show.

He doesn't. All he is doing is reposting false articles from liberal attack sites. And I don't believe for a second that he's "conservative". No conservative would use Kos as a source for anything.

 

[davideduardo]

Anyone with any amount of reasonable intelligence can bypass a screener. In all fairness to the program we should hear a reasonable amount of people being cut-off each day because they disagree with Limbaugh - I would expect callers to prepare a statement which agrees with Rush and then mount an intelligent attack. Instead all we ever hear "mega dittos," etc. It also proves the program is really an infomercial as no one ever seems to disagree with Limbaugh. I'm a conservative and disagree with him on most issues as he is basically an elite populist rather than being a real conservative but that's another topic for another day.

I am guessing that you have never been a call screener or watched the screening process. We judge callers as much on their "expressiveness" as on content. They not only have to have a point of view, but also need to be engaging and able to express themselves. And we don't look for only people who agree with the host... We look for different perspectives.

Major shows have no trouble getting hundreds of times the needed number of callers, so screening can pick only the most interesting. There is no need for fake calls.

 

[wadio]

David, would you say the quality of the caller depends on the screener or the host or both.

I thought Neal Boortz had some of the best callers of any radio talk show -- intelligent, funny, had unique views to express. Hannity, OTOH, tends to get brainless callers who do little more than parrot back what he said the day before -- or the hour before. If his screeners are picking "only the most interesting" callers, perhaps that says something about the quality of callers the host attracts.

 

[Ravens]

Hannity, OTOH, tends to get brainless callers who do little more than parrot back what he said the day before -- or the hour before. If his screeners are picking "only the most interesting" callers, perhaps that says something about the quality of callers the host attracts.

Some of Hannity's most known regular callers are guys who call to disagree with him. And he has fun with them. It's really the only bearable part of the show. If anything, he takes MORE calls that disagree than most similar hosts.

 

[wadio]

Some of Hannity's most known regular callers are guys who call to disagree with him. And he has fun with them. It's really the only bearable part of the show. If anything, he takes MORE calls that disagree than most similar hosts.

You may be right. To be honest I haven't listened to Hannity for awhile. My recollection was based on the Midwest-housewife-type callers who fawn all over him. Boortz's best callers often agreed with him, and those exchanges were fun. Talk radio doesn't always have to be combative.