Re: My Call to WTKK

[Chris Adams <chris@crystalair.com>]

Welcome to talk radio!

I spent some years in talk radio, from small local stations to network
shows. Here's what I learned:

Talk radio serves three purposes:

(1) To entertain
(2) To entertain
(3) To entertain

Any listener who thinks otherwise is mistaken. In terms of how callers are
chosen, it does vary from station to station. But one PD of mine put it
best when he compared callers on a talk station to records on a music
station. It's the producer's (call screener's) job to choose which callers
help push the show forward best. If a caller doesn't do that, then that
caller isn't used - just like a song the DJ // producer // PD doesn't
believe listeners want to hear. It's no different.

Chris

At 04:16 PM 9/15/2001 -0400, Joseph Pappalardo wrote:
>From: "Laurence Glavin" <lglavin@lycos.com>
>
>> The call screener merely wanted my first name
>> and the town from which I was calling.  No third degree, no effort to make
>me
>> "preview" the call before I got through as sometimes happens with Brudnoy.
>> I don't know about other talk shows in Boston, but WTKK seems to be open
>to
>> anybody.
>
>From what I can see....the only stations that 'cherry pick' the callers are
>the national shows...where they pretty much line up the calls to make the
>point they want.  (i.e....Like Rush says..."The purpose of the call...is to
>make the host look good!)
>
>I've been told by some who do get thru to a nat'l show...they were told by
>the screener.."I'm sorry, we can't use your question today"....which puts in
>perspective that they do not see what they are doing as a personal
>service...you are only a pawn in their efforts.  (I wish Dr. Laura callers
>would recognize this...and stop calling!)
>
>I think the local shows...(which at times seem like they need all the calls
>they can get!)...don't give ya the third degree.
>As long as you can convey your thought somewhat articulately...you get on.
>
>However, I think they DO manipulate the order of calls...in order to build
>some sense of 'drama'....in the show...
>
>JP
>
>
>
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