I thought it is the other way round. The caller pays for the premium call and the TV channel which is receiving the premium-line call makes money on each call (along with the telephone line operator). I heard this is the main source of revenue for the channels; this is the reason for so many live call-in programs, live istikharas, khwabon ki tabeer etc. Without these premium line call-ins the channels won't survive.
i've got my calculator out. i have heard it costs about £60k a month to run a sky tv channel here in the uk - it may vary from channel to channel. in a 30 day month, this is £1.39 a minute. now, it's mostly sunni channels who take live phone-ins even when there are 4 scholars on the panel. some of these calls can last 3-4 minutes, maybe longer. so a 4 min call costs the channel over £5. i know they would pay this irrespective of whether people call in or not but i think our channels need to put an end to live calls for the financial reason mentioned and: 1. you get wahabis and rafidis and sometimes qadiyanis calling in and we give them a chance to get their proofs across 2. sometimes, the panel is not made up of good scholars and they don't always answer these people adequately. if they must allow live calls, then a capable scholar, e.g. sayyid irfan mash'hadi, should be answering. 3. if you've invited 4 scholars, some/all of whom have travelled a long way, it's only fair they get ample time, not some jahil innovator who's just sitting in his living room making a call 4. again, if live calls are a must, then filter the calls. let someone backstage speak to the caller first to gauge them. --- for me, live call-ins are a chance for wahabis and rafidis to use our channels, our money, to get their putrid aqida across. also, our anchors or backstage team, need to cut off calls quicker. the anchor should force the caller to get to the point straight away and not waste time. for me, the madani channel method of recording calls is best. this then gives our scholars a chance to prepare an answer and ensures no fitna mongering heretic can waste our time. the owners of these channels need to look at the greater good of ahlu's sunnah and not what will get the audience up even if it's harmful to ahlu's sunnah. --- if anyone has links to sunni tv channels and think these points are valid, maybe you can put them across.
