What does a talk show phone answering guy do, really?

Theoretically, their purpose is to (a) answer the phone, and (b) get the name or nickname of the caller and the topic they'd like to discuss to post to the screen in front of the show host.

But they're also a call screener, and that part of the job is often forgotten.  Too many phone guys, male or female, just get by with functions (a) and (b) above and skip the screening.

On an entertainment-based show, screening can (and should) be loose.  Talk about Charlie Sheen's latest idiocy or a new movie or whatever. But if you get to work a topic-based show, the screener needs to drill a little deeper into the caller, get their creds, ask what they think about one or two key issues, find out how they lean politically.  That way, the screener can find out if they're a troll or a real caller who truly wants to discuss issues.

Some callers just want to make hard line comments on their side of the issues when a real discussion is warranted.  Careful screening can help clean the baddies out, on both sides of the political spectrum.