We are talk radio. It is kind of our thing. Yet, I hear lots of poorly screened calls getting on the air.
Here are my rules to getting good calls and screening them effectively:
If you are asking people to call, you better be getting to the calls quickly. There is a good reason to do it. Calls allow you to say your name and the station call letters often. “Hi John, you are on the Bob Smith show on WXXX.” The longer a call is on hold, the more likely it can go sideways. Some hosts are fantastic with wacky callers and some hosts come across as jerks. So, if you are giving the number out and people are calling into the show, put them on the air ASAP.
There is another reason for this: It allows real people to know that this is not some long and arduous process. Quick to the calls also respects your listeners. I was talking to a host recently who was hell-bent on giving a long monologue before getting to calls. I asked him a simple question: Are you asking for their calls? He said, “Yes.”
If you asked someone over to your home for dinner, would you make them wait outside until dinner is ready? Why not? You would invite them in and finish the meal preparation.
Good callers can add a great deal to your show. Callers can allow you to expand on your point in an unanticipated way. It allows you to sound smarter.
We have all had or heard bad calls get on the air. There are a couple of reasons why this happens:
- Poor Screening
- Caller thinks of different things to discuss.
- Long hold times.
If the producer thinks that the caller sucks, they should never be put on hold. The producer should thank the caller for his question and tell him that another caller has a similar opinion. Ok, it’s a lie. The producer can also coach the caller. “Hey John, can I help you make your point even better?” Tell the caller what they are saying.
Also, if the callers are on hold during the break, give each caller an estimated time to being a star on the show. “Hey John, you are five minutes away.” You are telling the host this.
Keep the caller on point. Tell the host to bang thru the calls. Taking three calls back-to-back makes your show sound bigger. Another thing, once the caller makes their point, move on to the next call. When a caller is on the air too long, they will repeat their point. If a caller starts to do that, they have been on the air for too long. Every call is different, but this is more typical than not.
Also, tell the caller to turn off their radio. Telling the caller to turn the radio down creates the idea that they can listen on the radio as they go about their basic tasks. You want that caller totally focused on show business.
Good callers can go off the rails. Keep them on point. Make sure that the host knows the basic point of the call. Some hosts do better with more or less information on the phone system software. Once that call gets on the air, the host needs to manage it.
Long hold times are the worst for many reasons. The good callers won’t wait. They have jobs, families, and errands to complete. The crappy callers will wait all day. These people are not typical listeners.
Be careful of the dominant regular caller. These people wish that they were talk show hosts and will figure out ways to steer the conversation away from the host’s goals with the topic. Callers are there to make the host look good. That is it. Regulars who are bad callers are the bane of our format. I generally like the once-a-week rule. Keep it fresh. If listeners are more interested in things that a regular caller says, you are in trouble.
Take the best call first. If you have three people on hold and one is a star, get that caller on the show first. It can make the show.
Callers are important for many reasons. It allows the impression that your show is really popular. That you really value your listeners. Imagine making your show sound big. You are discussing a proposal to raise property taxes and the audience is more pissed about it than you are. It creates the impression that you are listening to them and that their opinions are important. Callers can also come up with things that you have not considered. This can help you expound on your point and reference the great point from John in Brooklyn Park.
Allowing listeners on the air does provide a certain risk. It can even be dangerous, exciting, and fun. Your show is an entertainment option for your listeners. Don’t ever forget that this is show business. Callers allow you to make your show a listener-focused experience.
Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He recently served as program director for WHO/KXNO in Des Moines, IA. Prior to that role he held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
