“With whom do I have the pleasure?”: Callers’ categories in political talk radio programs

This paper discusses the caller types in political talk radio programs in Israel and the United States. The different caller types are: anonymous, regular, returning, first-time and the unmarked standard caller. The regular callers in Israel use recognitionals to be identified by the host. The returning callers in both countries state their return at the beginning of their talk. The first-time caller also starts his interaction by stating this identity, and some of them say they are regular listeners, to mitigate their novice identity. These types are relevant throughout the interactions: the interactions with regulars and returning callers are harsher or freer than other interactions, whereas interactions with first time callers are gentler. These types resemble similar types from non-media environments, such as the barroom. The various caller membership types contribute to the construction of a community around the programs.

► Political radio phone-in programs have different types of callers.
► The types are: anonymous, regulars, returning, first-time and standard callers.
► Regulars and returning callers are part of the programs’ community.
► First-time callers are preferred over regular callers.
► Similar category exist elsewhere both in the media and outside it.