A recent column in Toronto’s Globe and Mail reports that Canadian sports-talk stations have developed a serious bias against callers, with some shows banning them all together, and others limiting listener participation to special “hot-button topic” segments or post-game shows.

The most eyebrow-raising observation in the column comes from Bob McCown, host of an afternoon drive show on Toronto’s The Fan590. McCown, who recently reduced the number of calls in what used to be his only caller-driven hour, says he will use PPM data to determine whether or not to continue taking with his listeners.

While I’m not aware of any significant PPM research on caller segments, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they score poorly.  Too many bad calls still get on the air at talk stations — meandering, repetitive, boring, static-plagued calls that make listeners punch-out long before the call is over.  That said, it would be a big mistake for programmers or hosts to issue broad “no-caller” dictates.  When properly managed, callers are a powerful show element that can help a host shine and bring a program to life.  Here are some things to remember about calls:

Shows get the calls they deserve. An informed, entertaining host gets informed entertaining calls. And vice versa.

Call screeners are crucial. An assertive, well-trained call screener is like an offensive line for the host.  She opens holes to advance the show and keeps the host from getting sacked by a bad caller.  That’s why it’s a tragedy that so many stations have combined the board operator and call screener jobs.

Ignore your mother. Too many hosts treat callers with the telephone etiquette they learned as kids — exchanging pleasantries, listening without interrupting, and offering every caller a fond farewell.  Most of this is an unnecessary disservice to the listeners. Hit it and quit it.

An aside: Based on nothing but personal observation, I believe sports-talk gets better calls than news-talk.  I suspect this is because sports is the Toy Department of life; the callers are passionate, but they are ultimately talking about entertainment.  Conversely, too many news-talk callers seem to think their call makes them part of a life-and-death Battle for America’s Future.  Plus, sports-talk guys seem to get  more calls from listeners who disagree with them, which adds a new dimension to the conversation, especially when the host actually engages with the caller instead of blowing them off.

More on that later.