Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Ben Wientzen

Aired September 28, 2003 - 10:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: We are now going to pick up on the discussion concerning the fight over the "Do Not Call" list for telemarketers. We just heard from FTC chairman Timothy Muris.
Now joining us from the other side, Ben Wientzen. He is the president and CEO of the Direct Marketing Association. He joins us today from New York.

And, Bob, it's kind of ironic that our discussion was interrupted. So I guess to a degree you know how maybe the 50 million people whose legions have swollen to that list feel at this point. How do you counter what you heard the FTC chairman say just a few minutes ago?

ROBERT WIENTZEN, DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION: Well, I think it is unfair, frankly, Sean, to characterize telemarketers as desiring to bother people. The reality is they don't.

We have had a "Do Not Call" list for over 18 years. We've honored the people who said they don't want to be called by putting them on that list for nothing. And paying very much and very clear attention to their interests in not having phone calls.

CALLEBS: OK. Then why not just honor them right now and end all this discussion and say, OK, all the 50 million people who signed up, we won't call you?

WIENTZEN: Well, indeed we have said that. We put out another press release yesterday saying we will do that come October 1st. All those individuals who are on our list, on the federal list, or on state lists, we're going to do our best not to call those people.

Look, the reality is we are not interested in calling people who don't want to hear from telemarketers or any other type of marketing. So we are absolute going to do our level best to do just that. And come Wednesday, we expect our members to honor the federal list.

We have discussed last night with the FTC our ability to distribute the list to those people who don't have it, the marketers who might not otherwise have it. We want to obey the wishes of the American public.

CALLEBS: Mr. Wientzen, you don't think that a number of the telemarketing companies are going to say, despite what the CEO says, we do want to call people, we want to have a chance to reach anybody that we theoretically think that we can sell something to someone? WIENTZEN: Well, indeed, there may well be those companies. And we'll be interested in finding out who they are and doing our best to talk them out of that pint of view. Yesterday, we had over 200 companies participate in a brief discussion of this subject. Not one objected to that point of view.

Look, the issue here is simply saying we don't think that the federal government has -- should have a role in this. We think this should be done by the private sector. It has been done by the private sector. And we hope to continue to do that.

CALLEBS: It is a hugely lucrative operation, billions and billions of dollars being sold. How do you counter arguments from people who say a lot of people simply don't know that they are being sold something, that they may be duped into doing something that they simply don't want to do?

WIENTZEN: Well, I think it is ridiculous to assume that a huge percentage of the American public doesn't know what they're doing when they buy on telephone. The reality is that not everyone objects to buying in this way, not everybody objects being told about offers this way.

Yes, some do. Yes, there are abuses. But this is a legitimate marketing tool that is accepted by millions and millions of American people.

Billions of dollars, hundreds of billions of dollars of trade take place this way. And hundreds of thousands of jobs are connected to it. I think the hype that we've managed to put on this and the political effort that's been put against it, frankly, is really not portraying it in an accurate way to the American public.

CALLEBS: OK. Coming to us from New York this morning, Robert Wientzen, the president and CEO of Direct Marketing Association. Thanks very much for taking the time and setting the record straight for your organization. We appreciate it.

WIENTZEN: You're welcome.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 28, 2003 - 10:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: We are now going to pick up on the discussion concerning the fight over the "Do Not Call" list for telemarketers. We just heard from FTC chairman Timothy Muris.
Now joining us from the other side, Ben Wientzen. He is the president and CEO of the Direct Marketing Association. He joins us today from New York.

And, Bob, it's kind of ironic that our discussion was interrupted. So I guess to a degree you know how maybe the 50 million people whose legions have swollen to that list feel at this point. How do you counter what you heard the FTC chairman say just a few minutes ago?

ROBERT WIENTZEN, DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION: Well, I think it is unfair, frankly, Sean, to characterize telemarketers as desiring to bother people. The reality is they don't.

We have had a "Do Not Call" list for over 18 years. We've honored the people who said they don't want to be called by putting them on that list for nothing. And paying very much and very clear attention to their interests in not having phone calls.

CALLEBS: OK. Then why not just honor them right now and end all this discussion and say, OK, all the 50 million people who signed up, we won't call you?

WIENTZEN: Well, indeed we have said that. We put out another press release yesterday saying we will do that come October 1st. All those individuals who are on our list, on the federal list, or on state lists, we're going to do our best not to call those people.

Look, the reality is we are not interested in calling people who don't want to hear from telemarketers or any other type of marketing. So we are absolute going to do our level best to do just that. And come Wednesday, we expect our members to honor the federal list.

We have discussed last night with the FTC our ability to distribute the list to those people who don't have it, the marketers who might not otherwise have it. We want to obey the wishes of the American public.

CALLEBS: Mr. Wientzen, you don't think that a number of the telemarketing companies are going to say, despite what the CEO says, we do want to call people, we want to have a chance to reach anybody that we theoretically think that we can sell something to someone? WIENTZEN: Well, indeed, there may well be those companies. And we'll be interested in finding out who they are and doing our best to talk them out of that pint of view. Yesterday, we had over 200 companies participate in a brief discussion of this subject. Not one objected to that point of view.

Look, the issue here is simply saying we don't think that the federal government has -- should have a role in this. We think this should be done by the private sector. It has been done by the private sector. And we hope to continue to do that.

CALLEBS: It is a hugely lucrative operation, billions and billions of dollars being sold. How do you counter arguments from people who say a lot of people simply don't know that they are being sold something, that they may be duped into doing something that they simply don't want to do?

WIENTZEN: Well, I think it is ridiculous to assume that a huge percentage of the American public doesn't know what they're doing when they buy on telephone. The reality is that not everyone objects to buying in this way, not everybody objects being told about offers this way.

Yes, some do. Yes, there are abuses. But this is a legitimate marketing tool that is accepted by millions and millions of American people.

Billions of dollars, hundreds of billions of dollars of trade take place this way. And hundreds of thousands of jobs are connected to it. I think the hype that we've managed to put on this and the political effort that's been put against it, frankly, is really not portraying it in an accurate way to the American public.

CALLEBS: OK. Coming to us from New York this morning, Robert Wientzen, the president and CEO of Direct Marketing Association. Thanks very much for taking the time and setting the record straight for your organization. We appreciate it.

WIENTZEN: You're welcome.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com