- Phone in
In
broadcasting , a phone in, or call in, is a programme format in which viewers or listeners are invited to air their live comments bytelephone , usually in respect of a specific topic selected for discussion on the day of the broadcast. Onradio (especiallytalk radio ), it is common for an entire programme to be dedicated to a phone in session. Ontelevision , phone ins are often part of a wider discussion programme: a current example in the UK is "The Wright Stuff ".BBC Radio Nottingham is credited with having aired the first British phone-in on4 February 1968 , in a programme called "What Are They Up To Now?"Speech based Talk Radio UK was launched in
1995 , with much of its programming featuring phone-ins. It also introduced the notion of theshock jock to the UK, with presenters likeCaesar the Geezer andTommy Boyd constructing heated discussions.Ian Hutchby has researched power relations in phone ins, looking at arguments and confrontations. Using
conversation analysis , he describes how the host retains power through devices such as "The Second Position" — the concept of going second in a discussion, giving the host time to formulate a response.Similarly, the last word is always the broadcast word. The public can choose to end the conversation, but they are doing so by withdrawing from the interactional arena (Hutchby, 1996: 94-5; Talbot et.al.).
In 2007, the BBC suspended all phone-in competitions (but not voting) due to an internal inquiry into corruption in the production of these games in shows such as charity telethons after a nationwide inquiry into the whole process leading to the cancellation of ITV Play.2
References
*Crisell, A. (2002) "An Introductory History of British Broadcasting". 2nd ed. London Routledge.
*Hutchby, I. (1996) "Confrontation Talk: Arguments, Asymmetries and Power on Talk Radio". Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
*Talbot, M., Atkinson, K., and Atkinson, D. (2003) "Language and Power in the Modern World". Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.