NPR Call In Policy - Not "ON POINT" With Tom Ashbrook?

[Casablanca]

Anyone know the screening policy on NPR's "On Point" with Tom Ashbrook?

Was on hold today during the news break to get in first to talk to Ashbrook's guest, Chris Mathews. In fact, I was told I was first in line.
My question was simple, " why aren't there any Eugene McCarthy's in this year's presidential campaign?"

After I was placed on hold and heard the click that placed me on key to be potted up a few moments later the girl call screener came on to tell me that they had so many calls they could not take mine.

Huh? Why screen a caller, approve the question, key the caller on line and then later come back and say, "Sorry, we can't fit you in."

The show can direct the show whatever way they want by why have the caller go through the entire process and then knock them out.

Next time if I call I will tell them I am from Iowa one of NPR's syndicated locations. I think they want to hear from middle America in stead of the East.

 

[NewsNow]

Having worked as a program director at both mid west stations and east coast stations, I have to say NPR has a strong coastal bias. It used to be east coast, but now they're going after west coast with their new California studios.

A typical example, I worked for a station in Kansas, and one of our listeners was on the Weekend Edition puzzler with Liane Hansen. She asked what station he listens to, he said our calls, and she congratulated him.

Next week, a listener from Vermont was on, same question, she follows up with "our gooooood friends at Vermont Public Radio".

When I attended public radio conferences while working in the mid west, people ignored me, talked over me, a dismissed me as not worth their time. Within a couple of years of starting at an east coast station, the VP of programming visited my station.

Ashbrook's program is out of WBUR in Boston and grew out of a regional program, so they may weight calls as they add affiliates. Our station was the first outside of New England to add WBUR's Here and Now and for a good while, they read alot of listener mail and did stories from our region.

 

[Casablanca]

Asbrook a Boob in Matthews Interview

Beyond not getting on, after I listened to the interview it was obvious that Ashbrook was unable to handle the interview with Chris Matthews. Ashbrook wasted nearly a third of his interview on the fact that Matthews started as a Capitol security guard. Who cares !

In addition, he was as bad a Matthews in not letting his guest answer the question he asked. He constantly interrupted Matthews and had some of his basic facts wrong.

Guess, Ashbrook better stay with the "Bow-Tie" WASP types in the future because Matthews made Ashbrook look like a boob.

 

[Julius Leonard Marx]

Producers and hosts cherry-pick their calls. The mistake the screener made was telling you that you were first in line. Producers typically build up an inventory of calls on hold so they have a better selection to pick from. Often they decide in advance which questions they want asked and then put on a caller who calls with the pre-determined question. Yes, they do try for a mix based on geography, gender, age and a callers' speaking style. This is show business. Calling a talk show is like being picked from the audience to play The Price Is Right (and just because you are first in the ticket holders' line doesn't mean you get to "come on down".

 

[ret vet]

If it were me screening calls I'd have dumped you. What kind of dumb question is "Why aren't there any Eugene McCarthys?"? Gene McCarthy was unique in a myriad of ways, we are unlikely ever to see another Gene McCarthy in our lifetimes.

He was one of my political heroes but let's face facts, no one under 50 or so can remember him.