Radio call-in shows

I have an elaborate morning routine. Because I have an arts job, I am lucky to be able to work from 10-6 most days, unless I have an evening meeting. Because my husband leaves the house before 7 and I am a light sleeper, I usually have three hours in the morning all to myself.

While I occasionally take this time to be productive and clean the house or go to the gym, most often I read newspapers and blogs and listen to the radio.

Now, when I say "the radio" please understand that despite the availability of satellite and internet radio, I mean one thing only: WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio. I'm a member, are you?

My lovely morning routine (which includes only about 20 minutes of hygiene and beautification, the better to form strong opinions) used to end during 848, WBEZ's weekday morning show about Chicago. I had it timed just right so that if I left for the car during the third break I would miss only the tiniest bit of the show and get to work just after the 10am BBC World News Report. It's thanks to 848 that I know the names of many Aldermen and understand what the Cook County Board is supposed to do.

Recently, however, something terrible has happened. Whether it's because the new host (the venerable Richard Steele, who I otherwise adore) prefers it, or because of budget cuts, the show is now frequently that most horrifying of things, a call-in show.

I listen to WBEZ because it is chock-full of people who are even more well-informed than I (despite the aformentioned three hours of newspaper and blog reading). I'm a member because it gives what I consider neutral coverage to important issues. (Side note: a conservative friend of mine almost had a heart attack recently when I complained that NPR and WBEZ weren't liberal enough for me. He confessed that any time he turns it on, he wants to call in and yell at them for being lefties. And yet, we are friends).

If I want to know what my friends think about an issue, I ask. If I care about my neighbor's feelings, I shout across the fence. If I want to know what the "average American" feels, or how a certain segment reacted to something, I want survey/poll data. I want a smart person on the radio to analyze it for me. I don't want to hear interviews with people on the street for more than 2 minutes (and only then if heavily edited) and I never want just anyone to call in.

You know why? Because people whom I have to assume are perfectly intelligent and articulate in regular life turn into inarticulate monsters when they call in. They add in extraneous "ums" and "you knows". They ramble away from their point (if they even had one). They self-importantly agree along with the response or interject inappropriately. Too often they are mouth breathers. Furthermore, because of the delay between picking up a phone to call and when actually going on air (assuming these calls are screened first), the callers almost always have a question or comment about something from minutes earlier in the conversation, or that responds to a generic question as opposed to the ongoing conversation between host, guest, and audience.

848's new format has ruined my morning routine. I feel very strongly about this. No more call-in shows, please. Or if you must have people call in, please instruct them to ask a succint question and then take their answer off the air. If you really want audience interaction, if you think that is the future of radio, have people email in their questions, but for the love of god, do not let them talk into the airwaves.

Obviously this does not even begin to address conservative talk radio. That is a different subject entirely, and there is not enough time for me to describe the strength of my feelings on that issue.