Pet peeves of a call screener

[Accuracy]

Callers are the bane of talk radio.

99% of callers are bad. I appreciate talk shows that realize callers are not interesting, not entertaining and not worth listening to...

I also don't like the fact that on all shows only a tiny portion of the listeners ever call, and if the show is small enough, this means you hear from the same three callers every other day.

I don't call to listen to some randoms who I don't care about talking from their cubicle or from their gun range.

All of the most successful shows, both nationally and locally, do not rely on callers for content. They throw them in as needed -the Ticket, Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, etc.

The worst I ever heard was this guy JT The Brick on Fox sports. One time he was doing the overnight show and he spent about five minutes yelling at the listeners that "this is a caller driven show. If you don't call in, don't complain about the show. Your calls drive the conversation, I'm not hear to talk to myself..." etc. What an idiot. Why doesn't the station just hire a switchboard operator to press the buttons on the phone and let anyone on the air? Obviously we are supposed to provide free content for you.

 

[almaniac27]

Callers are the bane of talk radio.

99% of callers are bad. I appreciate talk shows that realize callers are not interesting, not entertaining and not worth listening to...

I also don't like the fact that on all shows only a tiny portion of the listeners ever call, and if the show is small enough, this means you hear from the same three callers every other day.

I don't call to listen to some randoms who I don't care about talking from their cubicle or from their gun range.

All of the most successful shows, both nationally and locally, do not rely on callers for content. They throw them in as needed -the Ticket, Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, etc.

The worst I ever heard was this guy JT The Brick on Fox sports. One time he was doing the overnight show and he spent about five minutes yelling at the listeners that "this is a caller driven show. If you don't call in, don't complain about the show. Your calls drive the conversation, I'm not hear to talk to myself..." etc. What an idiot. Why doesn't the station just hire a switchboard operator to press the buttons on the phone and let anyone on the air? Obviously we are supposed to provide free content for you.

JT probably believes that because he used to be a caller himself, he got his start in radio because he was a popular caller to Jim Rome's show. This has happened a few times, I believe Lionel used to be a "chronic" to various Tampa radio shows.

Social networking has seemed to show that people do indeed enjoy hearing about what other people have to say, but it is a generational thing. I have older family members who have Facebook accounts but never use them because they don't understand what the point of it is. I'm not sure if or how that translates to radio, because the older people who listen to talk radio will probably talk about how when they were younger, neighbors would say hi and chat more than they do now. It seems my generation prefers to hear about what their friends are up to from their computer.

 

[nightfly61]

(cel phone breaking up)"Hello, uh, am I on?"
Oh, Hi, Art...is this really Art Bell? It doesn't sound like you! Anyway...can you hear me? Okay, thanks for takin' my call...I'm Dunce from Ann Arbor by the way & I've been listening to you for about 12 1/2 years...long time listener first time caller and I will tell you I'm on my cel phone right now driving down I-75. First I've got a comment & 2 questions( muffled & breaking up). First my comment, I really like your bumper music tonight and I wanted to make a suggestion for a song to add to your bumper music library. "One Fine Morning" by Lighthouse has always been an inspirational song to me, that's why you should put it in, oh, and could you play it going into the break? Thanks & now to my questions for your guest, by the way, what's his name again? Oh, alright my first question...uh...um...I forgot what I was gonna say" : ;D

 

[317C50KW]

I had never heard the phrase "I'll hang up and listen" until I moved to Dallas in the 1970's.

It was a staple of the old KRLD Sports Central if I remember correctly.

And can't we attribute "1st time long time" to Galloway during his tenure at WBAP?

 

[Richard Pryor]

For the record, I don't get into a long conversation with the callers. I ask what they want to talk about and what exactly they want to talk about. It's to weed out people who sound like this "uhh hey *host name* I don't uhhhh like the cowboys because uhhhh you know they uhhhh oh what was I going to say uhhhh". It's also to make sure the caller is fluent when they speak and that they don't sound like crap.

The people who get on the air sound really good compared to your average talk radio caller and I pride that in my screening. If you sound like crap or you can't get the words out of your mouth then I hang up on you.

Jeff, are you serious about The Fan making callers say "first time"?

 

[Prais]

Mr. Prior, with respect, I totally disagree with your arrogance! Do you want calls or don"t you? Sounds like you don't. Could be the reason you often may get the same 10 callers.

Unlike the old days when hosts had brains, lots of today's announcers have some speech problem of their own, and you need to cut off the listeners interested enough to call? Those are the stations customers.

WGN (as usual) has the best idea. They let lots of folk ON - then, the announcer says, "Richard is calling from his car." or :Felix is calling from Rensselaer."

After the caller makes a point, the host can cut the call audio and say, "Thanks" and transitions to the next call..or talk to the caller more. Very smooth.

In Chicago, there are quite a few immigrants, with broken English. Are you going to just eliminate them? It often adds to "how interesting" the station sounds. I know some callers get nervous, or cannot speak well, or are VERY opinionated, but that's the Vox populi...the voice of the people.We all can't be as articulate as those over-egoed radio screeners.

Ummmmm....Best aaah, w-wishes!

 

[radioaircheck]

Longtime reader-first time poster.. (Sorry.couln't resist). there is a lot more wrong with radio today than call screen edicate. What about all the FM Music stations that sound bad. that should be fixed first!

 

[FrontRowGreg]

Comments from a listener with no industry experience.

The one thing that drives me insane is the "the previous caller stole my thunder" opening. If everything you want to say has just been said, hang up. You don't have to go on the air. I do like the occasions when the host doesn't want to deal with it and says "thanks for calling" and promptly hangs up.

I am not big on lots of calls to a show. That's what I think is the biggest failing of the Fan. They put everybody on the air and I'm just not interested in random comments. I want to know what the host thinks and use the callers to enhance the show. I think the Ticket really does have that figured out.

 

[Lancer]

Host: Ted from Rockwall, hello.
Caller: No - actually this is Fred, F-R-E-D & I am closer to Fate than Rockwall. I work in Rockwall though.
Me: Who gives a crap?

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Back in the early days of Rush, one of the things he was fond of saying was: "Thinking is HARD WORK. And that's what I do so you don't have to." Some days he would wax poetic about some people think and some don't.

So, today I have done some THINKING about this thread. Point Number One: All talk show situations are not alike. A local origination of talk in Fort Payne, AL may need different policy than would be used for a local origination in Wausau, WI. The whole concept of doing talk in those two towns would be quite different than doing talk in Chicago or Houston. Doing talk in Kansas City would be quite different than doing talk on nationwide syndication being heard in multiple markets. If you are doing political talk you should WORK HARD and have a policy concept that is different than what you would use on a sports show.

I worked for an owner/manager who did a daily commentary/editorial presentation that ran from serious to whimsical. There was some event that big national news at the time and I asked him is he was going talk about that on his program. "No, people in this town after all these years know me, and they know that I don't know any more of world affairs and national affairs than they do. They would be offended if I tried to lay that kind of wisdom on them. On the other hand they know that I go to council meetings and that I play poker with some of people who are insiders in the power structure. They trust me to talk about LOCAL issues."

Translation: If I am doing a talk show in Peoria and have been doing it for several years, I may have a little bit of expertise on local issues. But my ability to get someone on the line at the White House or in the Senate and get the inside scoop is slim to none. I need to treat my callers as though they may have some useful thoughts they could share with us. If I am Rush or I am Hannity or one of the other big national names, I have pipeline connections and I must be pretty good or I would not be sitting the national host chair. Thus in support of what some of you have said: People like Rush who superior presentation skills and have superior connections to get "the back story" are justified in hogging to show and minimizing or cutting out phone callers.

If I'm doing talk on the local station in Huntsville, AL and I think what I have to say is so superior to what people on the phone have to say that I can treat them harshly, then my Grandma needs to take me out behind the woodshed and use a switch on my backside.

 

[bradgoehl]

The only part that bugged me about screening were the death threats when i wouldn't let some folks on, But hey if they are that pissed then I must be doing something right eh?

 

[DFW_Radio_2000]

LOL...My favorite irritating things from callers are:

1. "Hey Bill in Ft. Worth, you're on the air"......"Hi, This is Bill"
Umm...Yeah, I know, I just said it!

2. The people who call a talk station and request a song.

3. The caller who listens to his radio, even after you've told him to turn it off, then you bring him onair, say his name, and 8 seconds later he responds...

4. The caller who calls, gives his name, city and complains about what the host is taking about/gives you a lengthy opinion that is actually air worthy, then follows it up with, "Oh, I don't want to be on the radio."
If you don't want to be onair, then why call? The screener or producer don't give a F*@& about your personal opinion, they're running a radio program.

5. The AE who calls the hotline to ask the board op/screener/producer a question about the spots that hour, then asks if you can do anything extra to help them out with one of their clients spots.
Depends, are you going to do anything to help me out when I get yelled at for bumping a $300 spot for your new client who is a low or no charge? Likely not.

6. When the PD calls the request line because he doesn't know the hotline number (Steve Nichols).
Why is that guy a PD at a talk station in Dallas? He's horrible, KLIF's sound reflects his skills.

And my all time ultimate favorite is when a caller tells the host, "Well, listen, it's been fun talking to you, but I gotta go."
I know way too many shows that keep callers on too long, and when the caller has to hang up on himself, it's time to reevaluate your skills as a host.

Some may not be on topic, but those are my faves

 

[donicus]

LOL...My favorite irritating things from callers are:

1. "Hey Bill in Ft. Worth, you're on the air"......"Hi, This is Bill"
Umm...Yeah, I know, I just said it!

2. The people who call a talk station and request a song.

3. The caller who listens to his radio, even after you've told him to turn it off, then you bring him onair, say his name, and 8 seconds later he responds...

4. The caller who calls, gives his name, city and complains about what the host is taking about/gives you a lengthy opinion that is actually air worthy, then follows it up with, "Oh, I don't want to be on the radio."
If you don't want to be onair, then why call? The screener or producer don't give a F*@& about your personal opinion, they're running a radio program.

5. The AE who calls the hotline to ask the board op/screener/producer a question about the spots that hour, then asks if you can do anything extra to help them out with one of their clients spots.
Depends, are you going to do anything to help me out when I get yelled at for bumping a $300 spot for your new client who is a low or no charge? Likely not.

6. When the PD calls the request line because he doesn't know the hotline number (Steve Nichols).
Why is that guy a PD at a talk station in Dallas? He's horrible, KLIF's sound reflects his skills.

And my all time ultimate favorite is when a caller tells the host, "Well, listen, it's been fun talking to you, but I gotta go."
I know way too many shows that keep callers on too long, and when the caller has to hang up on himself, it's time to reevaluate your skills as a host.

Some may not be on topic, but those are my faves

Good post. Funny thing is your first example was a Russ Martin bit from a long time ago. I got a good laugh out of that.

 

[DFW_Radio_2000]

LOL...My favorite irritating things from callers are:

1. "Hey Bill in Ft. Worth, you're on the air"......"Hi, This is Bill"
Umm...Yeah, I know, I just said it!

2. The people who call a talk station and request a song.

3. The caller who listens to his radio, even after you've told him to turn it off, then you bring him onair, say his name, and 8 seconds later he responds...

4. The caller who calls, gives his name, city and complains about what the host is taking about/gives you a lengthy opinion that is actually air worthy, then follows it up with, "Oh, I don't want to be on the radio."
If you don't want to be onair, then why call? The screener or producer don't give a F*@& about your personal opinion, they're running a radio program.

5. The AE who calls the hotline to ask the board op/screener/producer a question about the spots that hour, then asks if you can do anything extra to help them out with one of their clients spots.
Depends, are you going to do anything to help me out when I get yelled at for bumping a $300 spot for your new client who is a low or no charge? Likely not.

6. When the PD calls the request line because he doesn't know the hotline number (Steve Nichols).
Why is that guy a PD at a talk station in Dallas? He's horrible, KLIF's sound reflects his skills.

And my all time ultimate favorite is when a caller tells the host, "Well, listen, it's been fun talking to you, but I gotta go."
I know way too many shows that keep callers on too long, and when the caller has to hang up on himself, it's time to reevaluate your skills as a host.

Some may not be on topic, but those are my faves

Good post. Funny thing is your first example was a Russ Martin bit from a long time ago. I got a good laugh out of that.

I starting writing that line with the intentions of being serious...I think it's funny when people say their own name once you've introduced them (or get nervous and call the host the wrong name), but when I was thinking of a name to use, "Hey, this is BILL FROM FT. WORTH" was all that came to mind. I has to stop typing for a minute and find the audio online to listen to it. Fun stuff. Glad someone else picked up on it.