OK - I just got F**ked by Randi Rhodes - I was on hold for 3 hours trying

[stop the bleeding]

to make a point about this thread/topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x348823

I called her show at 4pm EST and was told several times that she will be right with you and then right at 7pm they came back on and said thanks for playing we'll smell you later(my words not theirs)

My point is a good point and thought that people should know about it.

I don't know if I am gonna listen to her show again, I know they are busy and have a limited schedule, but you don't make your fans hang on hold for 3 hours just so you can tell them bye.

Let me know what you all think about this and what you would do.

Also check out the thread/topic it is very interesting work done over at thinkprogess.org.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x348823

I'm going home and chilling out :smoke:

[SoCalDem]

1. Don;t waste your time calling her show.. She takes very few calls

and your time is more valuable than that :hug:

[Cassandra]

2. Was it good for you?

Did the Earth move?

[Justice Is Comin]

3. She's not interested in hearing anybody's

voice but hers.

[Rick Myers]

12. That's right... It's Randi, Randi Randi...

I can't stand her voice anymore...

[trekbiker]

14. totally agree..

she's an egocentric big mouth. I can listen to her sometimes but when she starts taking calls the way she talks over people is just too much. Ed Shultz is on opposite her on another station here in Sacto so I quit Randi awhile back.

[demosincebirth]

23. I never could stand her by the way she talks...never shuts up!

[PretzelWarrior]

31. I did it ONCE. Never again, bitch

the handler did the same thing as I waited for about an hour. "okay. hang on. she's about to go to you." "XXX, you still there? She'll take your call after this next break."

then......"thankyouforcallingintotherandirhodeshow.she'snottakinganycallersnow.BUHBYE"

[EFerrari]

4. I'm so sorry. That's as rude as possible. n/t

[Justice Is Comin]

15. Sorry you feel that way.

On almost all the calls she takes, and that's not very many, she waits until one minute before commercial so she they have almost no time to talk.

I've heard many people say they tuned out because of her shrill oratories. She is a well versed advocate for information but I can't listen to her, and good luck if you think you're going to be heard on her "call in" show. You think three hours is long enough to wait?

It's rude and it's insensitive.

[Sydnie]

5. send her producer an email.

they can't adjust the show if they don't realize there is a problem. Ok, maybe they realize there is an issue, but sometimes you need to remind them that without listeners they wouldn't have a job.

[LynneSin]

6. Oh come on, that's just rude! Randi Rhodes is a great gal

If anything, it's a good sign that she's got more callers than she can handle.

Anyhow, how are we going to compete with hate radio with attitudes like this!

[ronnykmarshall]

10. No shit.

I've been on hold for her show and didn't get on. I was on hold for a long time too and you didn't see me come in here crying about it.

[smartvoter]

7. That sucks! nt

[jazzjunkysue]

8. Randi's brilliant, and a great analyst, but cruel to callers.

Sorry, Randi, but you don't listen. I don't call because I know you won't listen.

[LittleClarkie]

28. I love her, but yeah, she shouldn't even pretend to take calls

Didn't someone say once that she's got some kind of issue with manic/depressive or ADD or something?

Of the people I've heard, I'd say I like her the best, Ed Schultz second, Malloy third. Randi backs up what she says with evidence upon evidence, Eddie takes callers all show long, and well, Malloy's okay, but I've caught him on autopilot, stuck in his misconceptions here and there. Revisit dude, revisit.

I also rather like Al Franken, but he's a more mellow listen, a bit more intellectual.

[benburch]

9. Thems the talk radio rules.

No point in being bitter, there were probably 15 other people in the queue within first five minutes of the show starting.

If she doesn't take 15 calls, some people don't get on!

Just understand this and let it pass.

[KyndCulture]

21. Yep! Randi gets too many calls...

and bout 50% of the time the phones at AAR don't work right.. which ain't her fault.

I've been on with Randi a couple of times... she wasn't rude, she didn't cut me off... these sweeping statements are kinda mean.

Randi is one of us... and she fights for us, so lighten up folk....

Be Chill!

[benburch]

25. Sometimes people believe they have something to say...

and it is just busting out of them to say it.

But they have to remember that this isn't their radio show!

I've been cut off at the end of the show too! Both by Malloy and by Randi. And though disappointed, I wasn't angry.

'cuz you know, it's not all about ME.

[RamboLiberal]

11. I love Randi - but I'd never call her show for this reason

and that many times she's just rude to callers who are on her side. She's not very good with callers except when she can take on some idiot wingnut that wants to fight with her. I think she makes her callers nervous not knowing if she'll be rude or even go off on them.

I know she's got a popular show and gets lots of callers, but IMHO it's plain rude to keep callers hanging on for hours.

IMHO her show would be far better if she just dropped the callers or just set aside an hour of her show for callers.

Randi also drive me nuts many times with her interviews when she just won't shut up and let the person she's interviewing talk.

[0007]

22. Me too! I like Randi, but she has one hell of a superior complex

and most callers are way beneath her intellect.

[leveymg]

13. Not surprised. She's been known to talk at length about her thong.

Guess you just didn't catch her in the mood, today. :* :+

[Catrina]

16. I've read your posts and Randi missed a super caller imo ~

I would write to her producer. They should value people's time more than that ~ if it looks like they can't put someone on they should tell them so ~

[Misunderestimator]

17. I'd say you hung on too long.

:wow: 3 hours... and you didn't give up? It really is up to you if you decide to hold for that long.

[oasis]

18. If it's worth it, keep trying. (eom)

[BlueEyedSon]

19. Yeah, she probably gets a few THOUSAND calls. 87 broadcast stations

plus satellite, plus 5 million listeners streamed over the 'net.

We're sorry, but thanks for playing!

:nopity:

[phylny]

20. This happened to me, too, about the time of Terri Schiavo.

I had very good information to share, and they kept me on hold forever, and 7 p.m. came and I hung up.

[stop the bleeding]

24. Thank you DU - I knew I could count on you for a wide array of opinions

I got the whole gamut, from harsh/honest to the other end of the spectrum when reading down the thread. I learned a little something today, next time if I call a show I will do what I have done in the past, and that is just tell the phone answerer my message and then move on.

I appreciate you all being honest - I had no idea I was so green about this. But hey some days peanuts some days shells - Today was a bit of both.:toast:

[lonestarnot]

26. way bummer!

[GemMom]

27. Did anybody come on during that time to ask you to keep holding?

Even if this call is on a tollfree, you're still tying up your own line. I run my own in-home business and can't afford to tie up the line(s) around here for too long.

[Greyhound]

29. That's just the biz.

just filler for the host to make a point. It's all about ratings and conventional wisdom states that its' the host that the audience tunes into, not the callers. They will leave you on hold for as long as you want to hold in case they need to fill a couple of minutes before a break. If the host wants to talk about your subject they'll take your call, otherwise you get to listen to the show a few seconds before anybody else on your phone.
IOW, it's nothing personal, it's just show biz.

[derby378]

30. Here's an indispensible tip from a frequent Randi caller...

Keep in mind that this is coming from personal experience. If you're interested in getting on the air with Randi, you have to call the show at 3:06 PM Eastern to have any hope of getting air time with Randi. That's what I did every time I got on the show with Randi, whether we were talking about Camp Casey or Tom DeLay or abortion rights.

I feel for you, but that's the nature of the radio business. Sometimes I had to wait for as much as 90 minutes before getting on the air. You deserve massive kudos for sticking it out for three hours, but next time you've got to get in before the opening joke segment fades out.

[Obamarama]

32. You're the one who hung on for THREE HOURS.

If they didn't get back to me in say, 20 minutes, I would have hung up. You should be pissed at yourself for staying on hold that long.

[stop the bleeding]

35. Please read whole post before commenting

from my OP

I called her show at 4pm EST and was told several times that she will be right with you and then right at 7pm they came back on and said thanks for playing we'll smell you later(my words not theirs)


and you response:

If they didn't get back to me in say, 20 minutes, I would have hung up. You should be pissed at yourself for staying on hold that long.

I don't mind being bashed but bash me for something that isn't already been disclaimed in the original post.

I'll admit I am "green" when it comes to this type of thing - but by no means am I pissed at myself - I am pissed at them for dragging me along so long and that was my point of the OP.

Thanks for the support.

[Obamarama]

36. Hey, I'm on your side...I'm not bashing you...

I agree with you, it was sort of shitty of the producers. No argument there. I'm just saying I think most other people would have hung up way BEFORE three hours had passed, no matter how many times they said "We'll be right with you."

All I'm saying is you chose to stay on hold that long and perhaps you should be miffed at yourself as much as you are miffed at the producers, that's all.

[Emit]

38. I was listening to Mike Malloy the other night

while I was painting my kids' room. A caller called in, he introduced her, and then put her on hold for a commercial break. When the lengthy commercial was over, he went on with discussion and then read some excerpts from Orwell's 1984. I swear, over an hour later, he finally got back to that poor woman who had been on hold that whole time. My very first thought when I heard her name again, was, "Oh my gosh, they kept that woman on hold all that time!?"

As far as your situation is concerned, that's disappointing that you didn't get on and that the producers kept you thinking you would. But, I wouldn't let that keep you from listening to Randi if you like her (I tuned in hoping to hear you because I had caught your thread here earlier today--just thought I had missed you). Anyway, likely, the onus is more on the producers than on Randi herself. She's probably got a schedule she has to follow, guests, clips, commercials, etc. and a planned topic list. Maybe not. But, perhaps you should send her a snail mail letter, explaining what happened and letting her know how disappointed you are that you got dissed like that. And include the topic/comments you had planned to make. Kill her with kindness, but let her know as a loyal listener that you didn't like the treatment you got...who knows, maybe she'll actually get the letter and invite you back.

BTW, did the producers ask you what your comments were going to be about? Did they screen you like that? Just curious--I've never called in to a radio show before, so I'm wondering if they do that.

After you fume, move on and be done with it. You've got a lot of energy and good ideas that can be put to better use and wasting your anger and energy on this is only gonna eat you up inside. Just MHO. Cheers man!

[Crazy Guggenheim]

33. I don't listen to AAR anymore. I think some of the Host's

egos have gotten out of control. They cut off people too much and talk down to their callers even when one has a good point to make.

[Malikshah]

34. Suck it up and deal.

Or just throw more chum in the shark infested "Randi's a cow" waters and watch them come slavering...

[kentuck]

37. I like Randi....

But I could never see myself hanging on the line for more than 20-30 minutes for anyone??