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Call-back phantom
By MARCUS CASEY Media Writer
June 29, 2004
MEET Bryan Wiseman, the man behind the women who've put radio's Stan Zemanek in hot water over fake calls.
By day 34-year-old Wiseman records radio and TV ads, capitalising on an amazing skill for creating dozens of voices both male and female.
But on many nights over the past six years he's been Barbara, Tanya or Grace – all regular callers to Zemanek's 2UE and 2GB programs.
They sound completely different, but have a similar effect: they clog the lines with responses.
The trio regularly appeared on Zemanek's current 2UE 9pm to midnight show – until angered boss Bob Miller told Zemanek to end the fraud when he returned from holidays yesterday.
Mr Miller said: "I'll be speaking very firmly to Stan before he goes on air because this does not do anything for the credibility of the station.
"And I've also told Mr Wiseman to invoice Stan and not 2UE for any outstanding fees."
Mr Wiseman admitted he and Zemanek never let on to listeners.
"I was paid to do it as comic entertainment, and never discussed the ethics," he said yesterday.
"The program director authorised the payments and I was just doing the job I was employed to do."
The characters began calling Zemanek in 1998, but became so infamous and popular that Wiseman was in too deep to admit the truth.
"It became true theatre of the mind and it would have ruined the magic for listeners because the characters had so many followers," he said.
"Tanya often received fan mail from men wanting to date her, while Barbara got hate mail because she was such a snob."
Wiseman received $50 per call for his – in hindsight – very funny ad-libbed contributions.
While he had sympathy for Zemanek, the irony of Wiseman's reverse route to fame was not lost either.
"The problem was people believed the characters existed and I wasn't being credited as the person behind the voices," Wiseman said.
"It was a shame. The characters became famous, while I did not, so perhaps it's time I was credited."
He began calling radio hosts as a joke in the early 1990s, at one point receiving a case of wine and a watch from John Laws after charming him as caller "housewife Carol".
He also "bombed" Zemanek's show – but was eventually worked out by staff, and Zemanek offered him the secret mission.
Last night Zemanek said the whole thing was being taken too seriously.
"This is all so silly and people should get a sense of humour," he said.
He said there was no rule requiring him to identify a fake caller.
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Him leaving 3AW was almost as good as Steve Price leaving.
By MARCUS CASEY Media Writer
June 29, 2004
MEET Bryan Wiseman, the man behind the women who've put radio's Stan Zemanek in hot water over fake calls.
By day 34-year-old Wiseman records radio and TV ads, capitalising on an amazing skill for creating dozens of voices both male and female.
But on many nights over the past six years he's been Barbara, Tanya or Grace – all regular callers to Zemanek's 2UE and 2GB programs.
They sound completely different, but have a similar effect: they clog the lines with responses.
The trio regularly appeared on Zemanek's current 2UE 9pm to midnight show – until angered boss Bob Miller told Zemanek to end the fraud when he returned from holidays yesterday.
Mr Miller said: "I'll be speaking very firmly to Stan before he goes on air because this does not do anything for the credibility of the station.
"And I've also told Mr Wiseman to invoice Stan and not 2UE for any outstanding fees."
Mr Wiseman admitted he and Zemanek never let on to listeners.
"I was paid to do it as comic entertainment, and never discussed the ethics," he said yesterday.
"The program director authorised the payments and I was just doing the job I was employed to do."
The characters began calling Zemanek in 1998, but became so infamous and popular that Wiseman was in too deep to admit the truth.
"It became true theatre of the mind and it would have ruined the magic for listeners because the characters had so many followers," he said.
"Tanya often received fan mail from men wanting to date her, while Barbara got hate mail because she was such a snob."
Wiseman received $50 per call for his – in hindsight – very funny ad-libbed contributions.
While he had sympathy for Zemanek, the irony of Wiseman's reverse route to fame was not lost either.
"The problem was people believed the characters existed and I wasn't being credited as the person behind the voices," Wiseman said.
"It was a shame. The characters became famous, while I did not, so perhaps it's time I was credited."
He began calling radio hosts as a joke in the early 1990s, at one point receiving a case of wine and a watch from John Laws after charming him as caller "housewife Carol".
He also "bombed" Zemanek's show – but was eventually worked out by staff, and Zemanek offered him the secret mission.
Last night Zemanek said the whole thing was being taken too seriously.
"This is all so silly and people should get a sense of humour," he said.
He said there was no rule requiring him to identify a fake caller.
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Him leaving 3AW was almost as good as Steve Price leaving.
