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CNN Live At Daybreak

Minding Your Business: Telemarketers With Heart of Gold

Aired September 29, 2003 - 07:48   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: On to Andy Serwer now. And could it be that telemarketers aren't so bad after all? I mean, there are some of these companies that are saying if you were on that do-not-call list, we're not going to call you no matter what the courts say.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, that's right. I mean, there are a lot of moving parts here.

You know, I actually don't mind the telemarketers. I've been defending them from a jobs perspective. We'll get to that in a second.

How did we get to this mess? More people signed up on this do- not-call list than voted for President Bush in the last election.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Wow!

SERWER: Check that fact, OK? It's true -- 50.5 versus 50.6 million people.

Anyway, here's what's going on, the latest. The president plans to sign a bill today authorizing this do-not-call list, new legislation. That's No. 1.

No. 2, though, of course, the courts are still blocking it. And it looks like it probably will end up in the Supreme Court. It may move from the Federal Trade Commission to the Federal Communications Commission.

Meanwhile, as Heidi pointed out, it looks like the largest telemarketing group, the Direct Marketing Association, is saying today that it will honor the list, voluntarily. Isn't that nice? That's about 80 percent of the companies that do this. This is according to "The Washington Post."

However, the No. 2 group, that's the American Teleservices Association, says maybe. You know, they're kind of holding out a little bit.

So, all kinds of stuff.

So, who are the telemarketers, right? A lot of people out there who need these jobs. Let's take a look at who works here. Minorities. Jack, in case you're checking the math here, yes it does total up to be more than 100 percent, because there's some overlap. Lacks high school diploma.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Oh.

SERWER: Welfare-to-work, single mothers. So you can see here...

CAFFERTY: What kind of numbers are those?

SERWER: They're serious numbers. There are a lot of people who belong to several categories. That's why.

CAFFERTY: Oh, OK, I see.

SERWER: But the point is these are jobs, millions of people are working in there.

HEMMER: How many?

SERWER: How many people? Do we have a number on that? We'll get a number for you on that next time. There are millions of people.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: I mean, I understand, but safe cracking is a job. That doesn't mean it's a good idea...

SERWER: Yes, but safe cracking is illegal.

CAFFERTY: ... to go around opening safes.

SERWER: Safe cracking is illegal.

CAFFERTY: I mean, I have nothing against these people who have a job, but I don't want them calling my house in the middle -- I just don't.

SERWER: But you have an unlisted phone number. I can't even reach you.

CAFFERTY: It doesn't matter. The computer is dialing. No, you can't reach me, and that's a good thing.

HEMMER: If you call, he wouldn't answer anyway, OK, Andy?

SERWER: Hey, I've got a bridge for you, Jack. That's what happens when I call him up.

COLLINS: All right, Andy, thanks so much.

SERWER: OK.

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 29, 2003 - 07:48   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: On to Andy Serwer now. And could it be that telemarketers aren't so bad after all? I mean, there are some of these companies that are saying if you were on that do-not-call list, we're not going to call you no matter what the courts say.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, that's right. I mean, there are a lot of moving parts here.

You know, I actually don't mind the telemarketers. I've been defending them from a jobs perspective. We'll get to that in a second.

How did we get to this mess? More people signed up on this do- not-call list than voted for President Bush in the last election.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Wow!

SERWER: Check that fact, OK? It's true -- 50.5 versus 50.6 million people.

Anyway, here's what's going on, the latest. The president plans to sign a bill today authorizing this do-not-call list, new legislation. That's No. 1.

No. 2, though, of course, the courts are still blocking it. And it looks like it probably will end up in the Supreme Court. It may move from the Federal Trade Commission to the Federal Communications Commission.

Meanwhile, as Heidi pointed out, it looks like the largest telemarketing group, the Direct Marketing Association, is saying today that it will honor the list, voluntarily. Isn't that nice? That's about 80 percent of the companies that do this. This is according to "The Washington Post."

However, the No. 2 group, that's the American Teleservices Association, says maybe. You know, they're kind of holding out a little bit.

So, all kinds of stuff.

So, who are the telemarketers, right? A lot of people out there who need these jobs. Let's take a look at who works here. Minorities. Jack, in case you're checking the math here, yes it does total up to be more than 100 percent, because there's some overlap. Lacks high school diploma.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Oh.

SERWER: Welfare-to-work, single mothers. So you can see here...

CAFFERTY: What kind of numbers are those?

SERWER: They're serious numbers. There are a lot of people who belong to several categories. That's why.

CAFFERTY: Oh, OK, I see.

SERWER: But the point is these are jobs, millions of people are working in there.

HEMMER: How many?

SERWER: How many people? Do we have a number on that? We'll get a number for you on that next time. There are millions of people.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: I mean, I understand, but safe cracking is a job. That doesn't mean it's a good idea...

SERWER: Yes, but safe cracking is illegal.

CAFFERTY: ... to go around opening safes.

SERWER: Safe cracking is illegal.

CAFFERTY: I mean, I have nothing against these people who have a job, but I don't want them calling my house in the middle -- I just don't.

SERWER: But you have an unlisted phone number. I can't even reach you.

CAFFERTY: It doesn't matter. The computer is dialing. No, you can't reach me, and that's a good thing.

HEMMER: If you call, he wouldn't answer anyway, OK, Andy?

SERWER: Hey, I've got a bridge for you, Jack. That's what happens when I call him up.

COLLINS: All right, Andy, thanks so much.

SERWER: OK.

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