[BC] Serving the community

[Barry Mishkind]

At 06:53 PM 2/20/2006, Dennis Switzer wrote
>Radio stations work hard to create good product that people listen to... we
>try to play the right music, the right jocks, the station van, the bumper
>stickers. We work hard to earn each listener. Then, when that listener calls
>the station with what they think is a legitimate question, we take that
>moment of personal contact, insult them, treat them like idiots, tell them
>to go buy a phone book and turn on their radio.
>
>In 26 years on the air, I've answered a lot of phone calls on snowy
>mornings. And I'm thankful for evey one of them.

         And you deserve a lot of applause for
         your attitude, Dennis. It is too bad that
         many in this business have little regard for
         the listeners who, essentially, determine
         their success/failure.

         Whether the "reason" is being busy, having an "off the
         wall call" or even a drunk on the line, broadcasters
         really need to look at that "bigger picture" than the
         momentary annoyance at being "interrupted."

         We have all seen stations that don't answer their
         request lines because the jock didn't want to
         be bothered.  Is that any smarter than "Please
         hold, your call is important to us."

         Worse are the guys who just "busy out" the lines.

         True, few of us here on the list would call a request
         line today... we know our chances of getting an
         answer is slim. (Heck, tonight I tried a CR Hot
         Line and couldn't get an answer in the last hour
         of the PM Drive show. My guess: it was all VT for
         the last hour.)

         I really find it interesting to read the posts from
         all those who "cry in joy" about skipping all
         the commercials with their tivo. Where does
         your paycheck come from? (If you feel that
         way, how do your listeners/viewes feel?)

         It was a long time ago, at one of my
         first jobs, when I got a woman who insisted
         on telling me (at a radio station) that there
         was "too much green in the picture."

         Later that year, I *was* at a TV station when
         the audio tx died ... in the middle of Spanish
         language programming. We didn't have to
         answer the phone in the CR, on the weekend,
         but looking at all the blinking lights we tried.

         Well, I tried with my rather limited Spanish ...
         until one call when I tried to tell the lady my Spanish
         was not too good - except I used the word feo instead
         the one for "poor."  After the abrupt termination of
         that call, our GM (who was in the CR answering the
         phone, too) taught me a lesson.  He said he always
         was kind on the phone, but not to try to tell them
         more than they needed.

         The next call, he was overheard telling the caller:
         "yes, ma'am, we know. We're sorry, apparently
         we split an ohm, and are working on it."

         Each caller was happy, and it didn't take all that long.