I was driving from Wisconsin to Chicago, dying to hear a Chicago station. The only one that came in was a sports talk station with a program that I cannot stand (Bohrs and Bernstein). They are holier than thou and continually attack their own listeners...their customers! Anyway, some poor soul called in and told them maybe they should listen to their viewers more comprehensively. Well, their response was to ridicule their own customer by saying that the audience members are not viewers, but listeners because it was radio.

My question...is there any way that a listener could be considered a viewer? I so want to find them wrong. The first definition for "viewer" on WordNet (via Dictionary.com) is "a close observer." Can't you observe with your ears? Aren't Bohrs and Bernstein wrong this time?

Well, the viewers of a play are called an audience (from Latin audio 'to hear'). And many people look at the radio while listening. I wouldn't worry about Bilbo and Bungo and their all-talk radio if I were you.

Sorry, but I probably would have ridiculed that caller, too. Besides, if it's their MO to ridicule callers, that person probably knew the risk, or should have.

I wouldn't have ridiculed the caller. After all, they certainly knew what he meant. It's rather like the prescriptivist talk we've had here.

His response was good, though. He said something like, "Okay, I made a mistake. I call in here maybe once a year. Your jobs are to talk here daily. Big difference!"

Shu agrees with the hosts that "viewer" is inappropriate for a radio listener. I don't. I think, in a general way, you are "viewing" the program.

I like your "audience" analogy, Zmj. You're right, though; I shouldn't worry about those them. My reaction to the hosts' rudeness will be to not listen to them anymore. Ever!

And folks in the cinema used to be called movie-goers. A music professor friend of mine used to get quite hot under the collar when his students said they had to go see a symphany. Verbs of sensation, like all words, are interesting in their own right: e.g., English wit and German wissen are related directly to Latin video 'to see'. Sasnkrit veda 'knowledge', and Greek histor 'learned, wise' and idea 'idea', and eidolon 'phantom, idol': all from PIE *weid- 'to see', q.v.

There's a motivational speaker friend of mine who is totally blind but whenever I meet him he always says, "It's good to see you again, Richard"

quote:

Originally posted by zmjezhd: Well, the viewers of a play are called an audience (from Latin audio 'to hear').

Yeah - but ... what about possible connection with the etymology of person/persona? A separate thread, do you think, z?