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Professional Callers

  • Thread starter Laurence Glavin
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Laurence Glavin

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The Columbia Journalism Review has an article about people paid by Premiere Networks to call in to their talk shows that may not (ahem) be drawing a sufficient critical mass of listeners:

http://www.cjr.org/the_kicker/premiere_plants.php

Gee, here's an opportunity to pick up a few dollars...Oh wait, the Premiere site may no longer be available.
 
Leaving the standard ideological war aside, perhaps the saddest aspect of this is that 20+ years ago, there were plenty of people putting on an act who were NOT set up by the stations and called in for FREE!!! Not to mention many other callers who were unintentionally entertaining.
 
It's the perfect corollary to Fox "news", whose real tag line should be "where we just make S*&^ up". Now we know that Limbaugh, Hannity et al, now just make people up.
 
If true, this is clearly the most pathological, idiotic program management decision ever perpetrated on Radio's much-abused listening audience.

A practice like this is clearly as bad, or more likely worse than the Left-Stream Media's manipulation of News to fraudulently further their agenda.

If you want an expert opinion, get an expert. If you can't handle "Frank in Ft. Worth['s]" imperfect On-Air delivery of his part in the Talk Radio paradigm...Perhaps Premier Radio needs more capable hosts. Again, if true, they already need more capable programmers and producers.

Jon-David Wells
The Wells Report
NewsTalk 660 KSKY
Dallas, Ft. Worth, TX
 
Talk radio is not alone in its use of "professional" callers, e-mailers who claim to be from other states (and might even be the jock sending self-mail), etc. If they are going down the toilet they need to do something to save their own sorry butts.
 
Laurence Glavin said:
The Columbia Journalism Review has an article about people paid by Premiere Networks to call in to their talk shows that may not (ahem) be drawing a sufficient critical mass of listeners:

http://www.cjr.org/the_kicker/premiere_plants.php

Gee, here's an opportunity to pick up a few dollars...Oh wait, the Premiere site may no longer be available.
Click to expand...

Big deal. Phil Hendrie has voiced his own call-in "guests" for over 20 years. ;D
 
Laurence Glavin said:
The Columbia Journalism Review has an article about people paid by Premiere Networks to call in to their talk shows that may not (ahem) be drawing a sufficient critical mass of listeners:
Click to expand...

I don't know if the problem isn't a "sufficient critical mass of listeners." I think most talk shows attract like-thinking listeners. Rush's ditto heads. They all think alike, thus they have similar opinions, say kind of the same things, and it all makes for boring radio. You're not going to get some lefty call in to a righty talk show unless he's a masochist or an idiot. So the talk show is preaching to the choir, and when the choir calls in, they all say the same damned thing. So what's the point? I like Phil Hendrie's approach. He's not the only one who does that. The goal here is to be entertaining, and there's nothing entertaining about everyone saying the same damned thing.
 
Michael Medved's syndicated talk show is full of callers who disagree with him. He actively encourages them to call. He'll say things like... "If you don't agree with me on (topic"), give me a call at..." In fact he has "Disagreement Days", where callers can call up on any subject that they disagree with Medved on. And yes, they are entertaining shows.

Dennis Prager also takes calls from those who disagree with him. He will often mention that he likes being challenged. Dennis' problem is that he pontificates so much, he often runs out of time for the callers who I think would liven up his show. That being said, since he treats all callers with respect, people shouldn't be "afraid" to call his show. I don't believe that Prager has or even needs professional callers. The same for Medved, although his more high-energy show is more likely to have some to get things going or keep things up.
 
johnbasalla said:
Michael Medved's syndicated talk show is full of callers who disagree with him. He actively encourages them to call. He'll say things like... "If you don't agree with me on (topic"), give me a call at..." In fact he has "Disagreement Days", where callers can call up on any subject that they disagree with Medved on. And yes, they are entertaining shows.
Click to expand...

Years ago, Limbaugh did the same thing, but I don't think it was ever for a full show. Maybe one hour every couple of weeks (part of Open Line Fridays, IIRC), and that was it.
 
Or throw all of the names of the professional callers in a hat and switch up Chinese Auction style with topics.
 
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