Being paid to call into Right-wing talk radio (via KOS)

[DainBramaged]

Radio Daze

Last year, a young man called in to a radio station with a problem. He’d recently attended a bachelor party, he said, and a friend of the groom-to-be, clueless of the unwritten etiquette of maledom, brought his girlfriend along, derailing what was supposed to be a weekend of gambling, girls, and general debauchery. The caller told his story with passion and verve, and then asked the station’s listeners for their advice on how to treat his clueless pal.

Or at least he would have, had this been a real conversation. The young man—who asked to remain nameless in order to protect his chances for future employment—was an actor, and the staged call an audition. A short while later, he received the following email: “Thank you for auditioning for Premiere On Call,” it said. “Your audition was great! We’d like to invite you to join our official roster of ‘ready-to-work’ actors.” The job, the email indicated, paid $40 an hour, with one hour guaranteed per day.

But what exactly was the work? The question popped up during the audition and was explained, the actor said, clearly and simply: If he passed the audition, he would be invited periodically to call in to various talk shows and recite various scenarios that made for interesting radio. He would never be identified as an actor, and his scenarios would never be identified as fabricated—which they always were.


“I was surprised that it seemed so open,” the actor told me in an interview. “There was really no pretense of covering it up.”

Curious, the actor did some snooping and learned that Premiere On Call was a service offered by Premiere Radio Networks, the largest syndication company in the United States and a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, the entertainment and advertising giant. Premiere syndicates some of the more sterling names in radio, including Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity. But a great radio show depends as much on great callers as it does on great hosts: Enter Premiere On Call.

http://www.tabletmag.com/life-and-religion/58759/radio-daze/


http://b4.caspio.com/dp.asp?AppKey=1f602000b35609042341464f8895/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/05/952830/-Paid-callers-for-RW-radio-means-free-speech-is-a-joke


How much do Limbaugh and Hannity depend on paid callers to reinforce, worship, prompt a talking point, start a buzz, inject a rumor, attack a political enemy, distort, divert blame, or make an excuse. Or cheer on the teabaggers screaming 2+2=3 in town hall meetings. Or teach a nation of teabaggers 2+2=3.

[Tunkamerica]

1. Or all the hundreds of left wing hosts...

just kidding. Do you think the hosts know? Or is this a producer thing?

[DainBramaged]

2. With all of the sneaky shit they do, is this suprising?

[starroute]

3. A little surprising how professional it all is

You expect some plants -- but you don't expect them to be actors who are auditioned and paid by the hour. This is a whole new level of shit.

[DainBramaged]

6. Maybe I expected a better response here, but I am surprised at how little has been said about this

on the DU. Are we descending into all Charlie Sheen all the time?

[Kingofalldems]

4. Listen to Hannity at about 8 min to 4 EST

[DainBramaged]

5. I have not listened to him since 2004 and don't intend to

I had a huge on the air battle with him years ago how WE should respect the office of the President even though we disrespected Booshe, and now that piece of shit pisses on the Office and the President.

He is a fuck, a thieving fuck.

[KharmaTrain]

7. It's An Old Trick...

It's been going on as long as they've been putting phone calls on the radio.

A couple of reasons people do it. Most commonly it's because they're not getting any phone calls and management have no problem with this as it "focuses" the program and makes it sound like the show is busy and popular. Another trick is the fake guest...have a buddy call up and say he's an "authority" or just make up someone elses' name (just make sure that person hasn't died) and you can do all sorts of astroturfing...always to make the host look "smart" and "connected".

These games are played all the time...especially since so many shows are "time shifted" so you never know when it's live or memorex to be able to call in. Expect more as the number of listeners to radio...especially AM radio vanish. Unethical, sure...illegal...nope. It's all "entertainment".

[Paladin]

8. How Can ANYBODY Be Surprised By This?

The first time I subjected myself to Limbaugh's broadcast years ago, it was immediately obvious that supportive "Ditto Head" callers were well-spoken and organized, while the few liberals who got through seemed to have the communicative skills of your average cocker spaniel. A put-up job, from the get-go.......

[economic_liberal]

9. Start fighting back! This is how Republicans win

I agree that it shouldn't come as a surprise, but the fact of the matter is that radio is being used to get Republicans elected. People who vote listen to these radio programs and whether they vote democrat or republican is influenced by what people say on these programs. That's the whole point of controlling the media - to get your people elected. Having proof that the Republican controlled media is a fabrication is very useful for convincing voters that Republicans are the bad guys and don't deserve to be in office. People who come in with responses like, "this isn't a surprise" are missing the point here: this is ammunition to be used against the Republican party and can help to get non-Republicans elected. I'm sick and tired of the corporate shills that make up the Republican party getting away with scandal after scandal while blaming us commonfolk for the nation's problems. It's time to fight back. I say to take this information and run with it. Use it over and over again. Be relentless against Republicans with it! Don't surrender! Never surrender to these crooks and frauds!

Raw Story has an update on the situation (from yesterday):
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/07/exclusive-limbaughs-parent-company-still-using-actors-to-fake-radio-call-ins-exec-tells-raw/
These crooks and frauds are STILL doing it. They have no plan to stop. Why would they kill their golden goose? It's up to us, the commonfolk, to slay this goose!

[certainot]

10. yes! we need investigations at all levels, and before next election

and the devastating effects of citizens united.

the repub congress won't take it anywhere and would cover it up if they did. but the relevant fed agencies need to get after it immediately.

businesses or individuals were sold ad time and given the impression that those stations were offering entertainment- not a coordinated one party propaganda machine. they sell limbaugh and hannity as entertainers.

and ANY local sponsors of those stations need to be shamed. they need to be called and asked WTF? no matter when their ads are on.

some of the big stations in blue areas may be located in public parts of town where it might be good to picket. these are the power centers of the obstruction.

students and faculty and community of universities that broadcast sports on those stations need to get those unis to find alternatives because they give the lies credibility.

[joeunderdog]

11. Dr Ruth got busted doing this.

Unfortunately, nobody listens to RW radio for authenticity.