Tim Conway Jr.'s fill-ins tonight were awful!

[henry]

I recall that Wayne used to take calls more frequently than he does now.

There's a fad among talk radio programmers right now to avoid calls.  Some stations like KTAR in Phoenix completely ban hosts from taking calls. 

I personally think it's a step in the wrong direction, but I'm coming at it from the angle of a talk producer who is working to add more calls to the show I work on.

In smaller markers, I can understand not taking calls.  But in markets the size of Los Angeles, it should be easy to find a string of compelling, chatty listeners.  An FM talk station in London, UK survives off taking calls 24/7.

[SimiRadioListener26]

My recollection is that Wayne used to have an evening weekly show beginning at 7PM on KFI a number of years ago.  I think it may have been for a few years.

Yes, Wayne was a full timer for a year or so during the David G. Hall regime...

Going slightly off-topic, I have a question that's been gnawing at me. I recall that Wayne used to take calls more frequently than he does now. I have a distinct memory of him arguing with a female listener waaaay back in 2000. He had composed a ditty mocking Jenna Bush over her then-recent alcohol scandal (ancient history, huh?), and some shrew accused him of being sexist. Nowadays he almost never takes any calls, and I wonder why that is. Does he just not like dealing with idiot callers?

What host of KFI weekdays takes calls regularly? I guess that is the reason they are called talk hosts since that is all they do.

I believe the only other weekend host who doesn't take calls regularly is Bryan Suits, so the weekend hosts are the opposite in this regard.

[karldotcom]

Isn't Bryan Suits doing the show his bathroom in the Seattle area?

[ArtyBoy]

I'm gong purely off of what I've read on the Atlanta Radio-Info board and not firsthand knowledge, but it's been said that Neal Boortz' PPM drops when he takes a call. I can believe this is true. The host is there because they're articulate and pithy. The vast majority of the public, while they may be perfectly intelligent, are not eloquent and engaging speakers.

[SimiRadioListener26]

I'm gong purely off of what I've read on the Atlanta Radio-Info board and not firsthand knowledge, but it's been said that Neal Boortz' PPM drops when he takes a call. I can believe this is true. The host is there because they're articulate and pithy. The vast majority of the public, while they may be perfectly intelligent, are not eloquent and engaging speakers.

Actually, if the host is intelligent enough, listening to them rip into idiot callers can be quite entertaining. It was the only redeeming value of Leykis's show.

[norman881]

Isn't Bryan Suits doing the show his bathroom in the Seattle area?

The station that hired him (KVI) changed to music format a few months after he started.

[westfield60]

I'm gong purely off of what I've read on the Atlanta Radio-Info board and not firsthand knowledge, but it's been said that Neal Boortz' PPM drops when he takes a call. I can believe this is true. The host is there because they're articulate and pithy. The vast majority of the public, while they may be perfectly intelligent, are not eloquent and engaging speakers.

Actually, if the host is intelligent enough, listening to them rip into idiot callers can be quite entertaining. It was the only redeeming value of Leykis's show.

All good points. Somehow along the ages the concept of talk radio changed and most hosts today think they are preachers and basically use the microphone as their bully pulpit, espousing their agendas, selling their tinklets or praising themselves for 3 hours  (ala Larry Elder). Allowing a dialog with callers seems to be lost amongst the egos that populate talk radio today. Most of them also forgot that ultimately this is supposed to be an entertainment medium and they are supposed to entertain.

That is why I find Handel so fun to listen to since he rags on himself so much that you know that entertaining the audience is priority number one for him. He understands it and the success he has had proves it. Similarly a smart host like Leykis really knew which callers to use as fodder for his show. All the rest (primarily the KABC'ers) basically stroke their egos and think they are god.

[youngsag]

What?  Who would espouse a talk station not taking calls?  Talk programming means TALK.  Take calls!  Do something new (that is really old).  A talk station not taking phone calls?  C'mon.  A talk station making outgoing newsmaker calls (and I don't mean calls to John Rocker) is vital.  Step 1.

Someone with a good ear, a good sense of programming talk radio, a good sense of building community even in Los Angeles (which is a benefit, radio-wise, not a detriment), ownership with dollars and patience, a group of on-air and off-air people with a sense of the demo and the government and of pacing (new word: pacing), can make it here. 

I am not one who can be sold on the idea that a talk station should not take calls and that ratings fall when the few stations that do take calls do so.  If taking calls is an aberration, well, I can understand a ratings decline.  But if a station takes calls all the time, seven days a week, live and local, well, that is a formula for winning. 

I shall take the needle off now....

[SimiRadioListener26]

Getting back to the subject of TCJ's fill-ins, last night was comedian Greg Proops, who will be on again tonight. He seems to have been a good choice, if a bit of an odd one. Thursday is Kennedy, nothing unusual there, and Friday is Petros and Money...Well, that last one is kind of odd too, but probably will be good. But here's the choice for Wednesday that made me go "WHAAAAA???": Heather DuBrow from Real Housewives of Orange County. Oh, Robin.

[henry]

What ever happened to letting Aron Bender fill in?  I thought he was pretty good!