Do ya use fake or dated phone calls?

From Randall Bloomquist:

Mike McConnell’s debut earlier this month on WGN/Chicago was met with thundering silence. The new mid-morning host was starved for good phone calls. WGN PD Kevin Metheny fixed that problem by arranging for some of his more clever Tribune Media colleagues to call-in and spar with McConnell. Metheny's solution drew fire from critics, including Chicago media observer Robert Feder.

But here's the deal. Talk shows are supposed to attract and hold an audience with entertaining programming. They are not newscasts or documentaries. They are amusements, diversions -- SHOWS. Wouldn't listeners rather hear a funny or insightful call from a "phony" caller than sit through a ramble from a "real" caller? Or listen to the host tap dance? Example: Early in my programming career, my Saturday sports talk host was struggling. It was a holiday weekend and he was battling a migraine. I called him off-air and told him to introduce the topic “What’s the worst experience you’ve ever had at a sporting event?” I immediately called in and told the very entertaining story of my expulsion from a Chicago Cubs’ game. By the time I finished, the phones were filling up with calls. Another hour of radio made great. Anything wrong with that?

I offer these important caveats on planted calls.

1. A chronic shortage of listener calls might be a sign of trouble. A well-done talk show should prompt healthy response from the audience. Pre-arranged calls are a tool, not a crutch.

2. Hosts should be told when the pump has been primed. Failure to let them in on the bit could lead to outcomes ranging from awkward to embarrassing.

3. Personalities who engage in serious political argument in an effort to change minds and votes should be held to a higher standard. Faking calls (especially ones that make provocative claims or allegations) in this environment is like flicking matches in the barn where the host's credibility is stored.

Read Feder's piece here. It includes Metheny's very candid memo asking his colleagues to call McConnell's show.

Mike says:  Imagine me, back in the old days when I did talk radio, never ever considering the use of old phone calls to further a show.  The callers called and that was the end of the tune.