# Radio phone pranks/taps: How often do they backfire? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552 "2018-06-06T16:38:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/21 "2018-06-07T15:27:55Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > Anyone remember the Jerky Boys: > > [The Jerky Boys - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jerky_Boys) > > I don’t think those were fake. Did they have their own radio show where they called from the station? I believe the law covers what radio stations may do, not independent comedy acts. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/22 "2018-06-07T15:30:00Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I used to have a tape of some amazing calls to a terrible radio preacher–a cohort of people would tell him shaggy dog testimonials that ended hilariously. One guy told of his drug addiction that resulted in an accident in which he lost his leg, and how he joined a church and found the power of Jesus, “And last month, my leg grew back!” Another talked nervously about his church’s speaking in tongues, and how it had progressed into Manwich-eating contests. > > The preacher kept getting more and more frustrated and outraged at these people mocking Jesus. One caller called in to agree with him, supporting his mission: “I want you to know that Jesus will not be mocked, and I have your back one-hundred percent, and you keep preaching the good word no matter what they do! And I’m totally naked and covered in pancake syrup!” > > I suspect they didn’t get permission. > > (And if anyone has any idea how I could find these calls, you’d win a million Internet points for telling me how.) What I suspect is that he was in on it, otherwise he would have called the police about the harassment. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/23 "2018-06-07T15:48:03Z")
Faking it on the radio has a long history-check out [Kermit Schafer and his recreated/made up "Radio Bloopers.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_Schafer) ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/24 "2018-06-07T15:49:43Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > He nor the station made the calls. And most of them were made to over the air media and recorded from the feed. They guys making the calls work for the show. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/25 "2018-06-07T15:50:33Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What I suspect is that he was in on it, otherwise he would have called the police about the harassment. It’s been a couple of decades since I listened–this was definitely before cell phones were common. But I think he threatened with the police. He also threatened to use an on-air delay to keep people off of the show, which just resulted in the callers getting cleverer and more subtle (the “holy rollers” were a great example–by the time they were describing the competitive Manwich-eating ceremonies, it was such a convincing call that the preacher didn’t quite clue in to the bullshit factor in time). You may be right, but that’s definitely not the sense I got. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/26 "2018-06-07T15:51:18Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Did they have their own radio show where they called from the station? I believe the law covers what radio stations may do, not independent comedy acts. I think you are correct: They were not doing it from a radio station. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/27 "2018-06-07T15:55:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Faking it on the radio has a long history-check out [Kermit Schafer and his recreated/made up "Radio Bloopers.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_Schafer) I loved the book and record! I was so disappointed when I found out so many were fake, even completely made up. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/28 "2018-06-07T16:04:48Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I loved the book and record! I was so disappointed when I found out so many were fake, even completely made up. Even the most famous one involving “Hoobert Heever”. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/29 "2018-06-07T16:19:41Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > They guys making the calls work for the show. Not from what I remember. Neither Captain Janks nor the Wack Pack work for the show. Stuttering John worked for the show but he did face to face interviews. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/30 "2018-06-07T16:35:53Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Not from what I remember. Neither Captain Janks nor the Wack Pack work for the show. Stuttering John worked for the show but he did face to face interviews. Perhaps you should listen to the show? The current people who work for the show make prank phone calls and they play them on the show. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/31 "2018-06-07T16:39:51Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Perhaps you should listen to the show? The current people who work for the show make prank phone calls and they play them on the show. And you know that these aren’t fake prank calls because…? ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/32 "2018-06-07T16:43:21Z")
Here’s a [relevant article from 2011](http://gawker.com/5779701/your-favorite-wacky-morning-radio-show-is-a-festival-of-lies) that makes the claim that almost all of the people you hear as callers on the morning shows are actors working through one or more services that recruit them… > [@Your Favorite Wacky Morning Radio Show Is a Festival of Lies](#): > > And then we heard from a few folks in the business, and it turns out this is a thing! All of wacky morning drive-time radio, apparently, is populated by voice actors pretending to be jilted lovers—or in at least one instance, an aviation expert talking about a local plane crash. Ryan Seacrest is a major practitioner, and Dick Clark as a major supplier. We talked to some fake radio callers, and here are their stories. > > “Any time you hear something surreal on a morning radio show, it’s bullshit,” one veteran independent radio producer told me. “The great prank phone calls—they’re all fake. If it’s top 40, and if it has a morning show, then it uses actors.” ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/33 "2018-06-07T17:09:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > And you know that these aren’t fake prank calls because…? I don’t. That’s why I asked. Before being sidetracked with incorrect information from other posters who somehow don’t believe that the person I heard making a prank phone call two days ago is an actual employee of the show. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/34 "2018-06-07T17:18:30Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > It’s been a couple of decades since I listened–this was definitely before cell phones were common. But I think he threatened with the police. He also threatened to use an on-air delay to keep people off of the show, which just resulted in the callers getting cleverer and more subtle (the “holy rollers” were a great example–by the time they were describing the competitive Manwich-eating ceremonies, it was such a convincing call that the preacher didn’t quite clue in to the bullshit factor in time). You may be right, but that’s definitely not the sense I got. Back in the '90s I had some friends who did this kind of thing. They would record the calls and post them to their website. One would call a local talk-radio show, play it totally serious, then say something outrageous. Then another would call in, condemn the first caller, and say something even wilder. And so on. The radio stations were going pretty much live with this, just a short delay like on live TV. I witnessed them once get the word “buttfucking” out over the air before the DJ caught it. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/35 "2018-06-07T17:20:43Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > It’s been a couple of decades since I listened–this was definitely before cell phones were common. But I think he threatened with the police. He also threatened to use an on-air delay to keep people off of the show, which just resulted in the callers getting cleverer and more subtle (the “holy rollers” were a great example–by the time they were describing the competitive Manwich-eating ceremonies, it was such a convincing call that the preacher didn’t quite clue in to the bullshit factor in time). You may be right, but that’s definitely not the sense I got. I think the difference between this scenario and the one in the OP is that it sounds like the preacher was inviting the public to call in live to the show. The folks calling in know and want to be on the air. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/36 "2018-06-07T17:20:43Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I don’t. That’s why I asked. Before being sidetracked with incorrect information from other posters who somehow don’t believe that the person I heard making a prank phone call two days ago is an actual employee of the show. Which employee on what show made the call? ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/37 "2018-06-07T18:06:25Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > They have to be careful about contests, though. Back in the 90s, a friend was promoted from DJ to Programing Director. While she was a DJ, she would occasionally make me the winner of concert tickets, CDs, tshirts, etc. I’d get something in the mail maybe every other month over a three year period. In reality, I never even listened to the station. > > A few months after her promotion she called me, frantic. The station was being audited (I forget what govt entity was involved) and all my contest wins was a big concern. She was afraid she might be fired and the station prosecuted. She asked that if interviewed, I claim that I used a different pseudonym each time I called/entered a contest, then when contacted about winning, I’d give her producer my real name. Luckily, nothing ever happened. What your friend did has been illegal since 1960. You can’t rig a radio or TV contest like that. She could have been fined or gone to jail. > **[47 U.S. Code § 509 - Prohibited practices in contests of knowledge, skill,...](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/509)** ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/38 "2018-06-07T18:11:03Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Which employee on what show made the call? Thomas Richard Christy Jr. from The Howard Stern Show made the call. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/39 "2018-06-07T18:15:29Z")
The Howard Stern show doesn’t go out over the airwaves any more. It is a Sirius/XM show, and I’m not sure what FCC rules apply in that situation. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552/40 "2018-06-07T18:22:30Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I know a comedian who was cast for one of those calls (I think it was the Send Flowers to Someone prank), so at least that particular call was fake. I think they all are, but I don’t have any proof of that. Not this one, I hope. > **[He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/he-loves-me-not/)** > > Legend: A woman shockingly finds out on a radio call-in program that her boyfriend is married. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-phone-pranks-taps-how-often-do-they-backfire/815552.md?page=3)