MAURY POVICH: All candidates have to be tested and they have to be tested by the media. And quite frankly, I think it's a public service because that's the way it's going to be if they win the election. They're going to be the president all the time.
BRIAN STELTER (HOST): Do you think there wasn't enough of it in the summer and the fall? There's two arguments here. One argument is, there was always aggressive questioning and it didn't matter. The other argument is it's gotten a lot tougher lately.
POVICH: Well, I'll give you one, for instance which should have never happened and finally, I think the media has overcome it, and it's the phone interview.
STELTER: Oh, the call-ins.
POVICH: The call-ins.
STELTER: Why do you have a problem with the call-ins?
POVICH: Well I have a problem with the call-ins, first of all, you're not face to face. Secondly, you're sitting [[in your]] at home or in your office, you might be in your bathrobe. OK, how do I get free media today?
STELTER: Oh come on, you don't think Donald Trump's in his bathrobe, do you?
POVICH: Well, whatever. And you know, how do I get free TV today? Oh, I'll make a call, because if I'm on the phone, all the ratings will pop.
[...]
STELTER: Let me ask you one more thing, though, about the phone-ins, because this has been something that's been debated for months now in newsrooms like this one. What do you think the difference is between a TV call-in and a radio interview? Why is it any different? And why is it wrong for the networks to have Trump or Hillary Clinton, or others, call in? That's what they would do on radio.
POVICH: It's a good point. If I had a radio interview, I want to be there. I want to be able to see the face, I want to be able to see the expressions. I want to, we all take a look at people and say as they're answering a question, is he really telling the truth here or not. We all make that decision as to whether we believe somebody and we want to be able to see them in person to make that judgment.
