I wouldn't listen to PAVE's show either.  That's a lazy approach to a show that has no meaningful content.   Because if there was meaningful content, people would call to react.  

It's a one way conversation, and we all know how enjoyable one way conversations are!

Of course, it's (Radio) a one-way conversation! And the calls that make it to air are chosen among much chaff and are edited. Plus, the ones which are picked to go to air pass any number of other criteria before they get on and are only illusions of one-way conversations.

It really helps a lot to be likeable.  If you're showing contempt for a good chunk of your audience by saying you don't want to talk to them, you're getting off on the wrong foot.  Very few people want to listen to a socially awkward jerk or, worse, someone who attempts to show how clever they are.  We  all have people like that in our lives, what's the point in inviting another one along with you in the car ride to work?

I can't believe anyone would suggest that having callers on the air is a waste of time.   Sorry Pave, but just reading your posts makes my eyes glaze over.  I can't imagine what your show must be like.

I've worked with a number of drive time shows, and the number 1 thing programmers and consultants love to hear, is the calls coming in from people who have different opinions or comments on an interesting subject...and this is not just talk stations, but music stations too.  

To suggest that listeners have nothing to offer only means YOUR listeners have nothing to offer...which would suggest perhaps, that your show is BORING!

I absolutely agree.  The interaction is infectious on the air.  It instantly takes a jock from talking head to a real person interacting with the audience.  Calls are often what you make them.  Making a statement and doing the "what do you think" on the air can be a tough go.  Try asking people who call to request songs something specific and then build a topic on that.  Get get what you want out of callers off the air and then work it into a piece.  Make the caller work for their request to hear "4 Minutes" for the 800th time.

I've had jocks fall on the crutch of "no one calls" then 2 days later complain about how annoying the requests that come in are because he/she is not allowed to play requests.  Hello?  Those are CALLS.  Try and make something out of them.  And ask something leading and specific..."So where were you when Canada won the gold last night"?  You won't get anything from "Watch the game last night"?

Now, it isn't easy...It might take you a whole show to build one bit from calls...however, the impact you make with that one bit is way better than just spitting out the latest from TMZ.  Don't be scared of a little work.  Gives you something to do while the system is in auto.  

One of my favourite jocks was Rick Everett, afternoons at the Q!   He never solicted calls...he just ran REALLY good calls.  He always made them the star, and made himself the fool.  

To me, a radio show without some kind of audience participation...is, well, voice-tracking.

examples of GREAT use of listeners on the phone:

1) Mike McCoy's "Lovelines" (circa late 70's on LG73)
2) John "Records" Landecker's nightly Boogiecheck on WLS (he'd basically spend 2-3 minutes seeing what was on the minds of his listener and engage in some pretty comical 2 way banter, kept the calls short n snappy), again circa mid 70s.
3) Don Stevens (circa 70s LG73) would do some short and sweet drop ins on his show (lost dog, charity car wash) that worked as well.  

BIGGEST example of BORINGGGGG use of listeners on the phone:

1) all these "Battle of the Sexes" games many morning teams do...they go on waaay too long and they often get the dopiest, most un-interactive contestants. the moment i hear the theme music for the stooopid bit, click, i'm gone.

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BIGGEST example of BORINGGGGG use of listeners on the phone[/u]:

1) all these "Battle of the Sexes" games many morning teams do...they go on waaay too long and they often get the dopiest, most un-interactive contestants. the moment i hear the theme music for the stooopid bit, click, i'm gone.

I agree with you CRS .. I have heard too many of these gags .. and that's exactly what I feel like doing when they come on ....
... but your account of some of the best banter with listeners brings back more than just a few memories ....

I find these smug postings so typical of the ME mentality that is so prevalent out there. How about treating the caller as a valued customer? So what if they irritate you? Would you ignore a customer or treat them with distain if they approached you at a department store counter and asked for something unusual or diffrent from what your store supplied?  How arrogant we become after those early days when we were once THRILLED to know someone was listening!  The true pros win their listeners by relating to them, serving them, and giving them a reason to listen again. It doesn't matter if a caller represents only a small fraction of an audience. That's what an audience is; individual people with quirks like all of us. But they CHOSE to listen to YOU and desrve the simple respect we all do. They don't deserve to be ignored, belittled, lied to, and scoffed at.
Who knows? That phone call could actually be worth enough word of mouth to garner you several more listeners. It adds up.