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Radio Daze - Limbaugh, Beck use actors to call-in
Tablet Magazine ^ | 11 Feb 2011 | Liel Leibovitz

Posted on 03/07/2011 9:23:56 AM PST by Erik Latranyi

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.

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.

(Excerpt) Read more at tabletmag.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Conspiracy
KEYWORDS: actors; beck; limbaugh
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To: Renderofveils

The pot calling the kettle black....


21 posted on 03/07/2011 9:59:24 AM PST by momtothree
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To: West Texas Chuck

He responded in first couple segments complete with who is hired for what shows and why.


22 posted on 03/07/2011 10:01:10 AM PST by jimfree (In 2012 Sarah Palin will continue to have more relevant quality executive experience than B. Obama.)
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To: Erik Latranyi
Most of what is today called “reality programming” is staged. The talkies of the 80's created this wave.

Reality is a high speed car wreck caught on a traffic camera, not some nitwit that happens to get caught on high definition camera by a crew with lighting and audio swinging a bat at a bounty hunter or repo agent or logger.

Nothing today can be what it appears to be.

23 posted on 03/07/2011 10:03:11 AM PST by mmercier (been going on for a long time)
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To: de.rm
Wow...so you value entertainment from a 9-11 truther/conspiracy nut more than relevant insight into legitimate current events? Why are you here on FReep?

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

24 posted on 03/07/2011 10:06:39 AM PST by wku man (Still holding my breath, but exhaling a bit after Nov. 2...)
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To: Erik Latranyi

As a woman I want to know though, how was that fellow supposed to treat his clueless pal who brought a girl to a bachelor party?

Really, I am curious, what happens when that happens?


25 posted on 03/07/2011 10:07:05 AM PST by marychesnutfan
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To: Erik Latranyi

Heard this an hour ago on Rush. Goes to show Rush enjoys reading from FR.


26 posted on 03/07/2011 10:12:00 AM PST by Biggirl ("The Best Of Times, The Worse Of Times", Charles Dickens)
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To: jimfree

There is absolutely nothing I took from the article that said that either Beck or Limbaugh participated in this. Just that their syndicator did it.

What did Rush say?


27 posted on 03/07/2011 10:13:53 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (Sulzberger Family Motto: Trois generations d'imbeciles, assez)
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To: Erik Latranyi
From radio-info.com, emphasis mine:

>>The Columbia Journalism Review picks up a story from Tablet Magazine about a little-known Premiere service that says “We supply voice talent to take/make your on-air calls, improvise your scenes or deliver your scripts.” Some folks (not Tablet) are jumping to the conclusion that On Call is being plugged into Premiere politically-oriented shows such as Sean Hannity. But in the comments section of the Columbia Journalism Review site, “CCProgrammer” posts something that sounds more likely - “The truth is, this service is used almost exclusively by music morning shows and syndicated shows when they need a ‘caller’ to set up a pre-planned bit. Trust me, I’ve been that caller.” Premiere, meanwhile, says it “provides a wide variety of audio services for radio stations across the country, one of which is connecting local stations in major markets with great voice talent to supplement their programming needs. Voice actors know this service as Premiere On Call.

28 posted on 03/07/2011 10:15:37 AM PST by raccoonradio (..)
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To: jimfree

I missed that. I heard him refute it and say that if it had happened the hired actor would have made it public by now.


29 posted on 03/07/2011 10:16:49 AM PST by West Texas Chuck ("Do right, and risk the consequences." - Sam Houston)
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To: darkangel82

Seminar callers. Also, after a debate: “I heard it and I think Candidate X clearly won...”

Some political campaigns will give a list of shows and phone numbers and instructions on how to talk to the call screener.


30 posted on 03/07/2011 10:17:41 AM PST by raccoonradio (..)
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To: Erik Latranyi
From radio-info.com, emphasis mine:

>>The Columbia Journalism Review picks up a story from Tablet Magazine about a little-known Premiere service that says “We supply voice talent to take/make your on-air calls, improvise your scenes or deliver your scripts.” Some folks (not Tablet) are jumping to the conclusion that On Call is being plugged into Premiere politically-oriented shows such as Sean Hannity. But in the comments section of the Columbia Journalism Review site, “CCProgrammer” posts something that sounds more likely - “The truth is, this service is used almost exclusively by music morning shows and syndicated shows when they need a ‘caller’ to set up a pre-planned bit. Trust me, I’ve been that caller.” Premiere, meanwhile, says it “provides a wide variety of audio services for radio stations across the country, one of which is connecting local stations in major markets with great voice talent to supplement their programming needs. Voice actors know this service as Premiere On Call.

31 posted on 03/07/2011 10:24:58 AM PST by raccoonradio (..)
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To: Renderofveils

Liberal hype!

Nope. Liberal projection.

I laughed my butt off when I first saw that listing on Backstage Online...

My how the Mighty have fallen!!!


32 posted on 03/07/2011 10:27:37 AM PST by gwilhelm56 (To anger a Christian, Lie to them. To anger a muslim, tell them the TRUTH!)
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To: DigitalVideoDude
The link on Premier is about two thirds down this page: http://www.premiereradio.com/category/view/prep_and_research.html

I don't see any problem at all with "seeding" a few callers to help make a program lively, interesting and entertaining. This is merely a manufactured "issue".

The mission of Premiere is not ideological but is to reach as many ears as possible in a desirable demographic to acquaint listeners with the products and services offered by advertisers.

"We're not in the business of providing news and information. We're not in the business of providing well-researched music. We're simply in the business of selling our customers products."

That brutally honest statement from Lowry Mays, founder of Clear Channel Communications (which owns Premiere, the syndicator of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity) aptly summarizes the purpose of broadcasting and cablecasting in a consumer-driven, free market system. It's been that way since the first commercial aired on radio in the 1920's.

I well recall Rush Limbaugh in his days as a very good, polished top 40 disk jockey known as Jeff Christie. Then and today, he knows how to attract and hold an audience. And that is what makes advertisers happy and produces profits for Premiere.

33 posted on 03/07/2011 10:31:19 AM PST by re_nortex (DP...that's what I like about Texas.)
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To: raccoonradio

bttt


34 posted on 03/07/2011 10:33:21 AM PST by ConservativeMan55
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To: Erik Latranyi

1. This is guilt by association. The article shows know connection between Beck & Limbaugh and these paid callers...other than the claim that they are both products of “Premiere Networks” and it is thin.

2. Anyone who doesn’t know that the calls made on those “Morning Zoo” type of shows are fake needs a head adjustment.


35 posted on 03/07/2011 10:33:55 AM PST by Mr.Unique (Global Emergency!)
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To: Mr.Unique
Anyone who doesn’t know that the calls made on those “Morning Zoo” type of shows are fake needs a head adjustment.

Golly gee...do you mean Spatula City might also be fake? /S

36 posted on 03/07/2011 10:40:28 AM PST by re_nortex (DP...that's what I like about Texas.)
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To: Erik Latranyi

First given the size of their radio audience it would hardly be necessary to “gin up” callers. Second such astro turfing is widely practiced by the administration ...remember those letters to the editors produced in the White House and sent by the same factious writer to newspapers around the country?


37 posted on 03/07/2011 10:42:45 AM PST by The Great RJ (The Bill of Rights: Another bill members of Congress haven't read.)
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To: re_nortex

I’m with you... I was just pointing out the actual web page that may be the source of the controversy.


38 posted on 03/07/2011 10:43:54 AM PST by DigitalVideoDude (It's amazing what you can accomplish when you don't care who gets the credit. -Ronald Reagan)
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To: Erik Latranyi
If you read the article carefully you'll discover there's not a single fact in it that backs up the headline. Yes, Clear Channel hosts the conservative talkers mentioned. But there's absolutely no documentation that links Limbaugh, Beck, etc. as users of the service in question.

This is classic Leftist propaganda by misdirection. Only the stupid will be taken in.

39 posted on 03/07/2011 10:49:09 AM PST by Bernard Marx
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To: Erik Latranyi

Meg dittos, this is Charlie Sheen..


40 posted on 03/07/2011 10:50:55 AM PST by AU72
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