As ‘Big Brother’ Winds Down, Callers Gear Up

Only a small percentage of the audience watching CBS’ “Big Brother” has been phoning in to register a preference regarding whom to “banish” from the show and thus who will claim the $500,000 prize, though the volume appears to be building as the controversial “reality” program nears its conclusion.

Sources close to the show say more than 400,000 calls were received--more than any previous stage in the show’s 11 weeks on the air--during the most recent call-in process to “vote out” George Boswell, a father of three from Rockford, Ill., who left the “Big Brother” compound on Wednesday.

CBS research estimates more than 90 million people have watched “Big Brother” at least once this summer, and the show has been averaging 9.4 million viewers per night.

CBS and the production company, Endemol Entertainment, have declined to publicly discuss the number of calls received since the show premiered in July, but sources say it was initially less than 100,000 per week. Insiders project the program will generate nearly 2 million calls for the duration of its run, which will conclude next Friday.

Each call costs 99 cents, with the producers and network sharing revenue from the phone-in process after expenses. CBS places no restrictions on how many times an individual can call, and many people are registering multiple votes every week. That included a campaign staged with the participation of Boswell’s wife, Teresa, to oust another “house guest,” Brittany, perceived to be a favorite to win the money.

Grass-roots critics of the show--brought together via the Internet--have accused the producers of seeking to manipulate the voting and misleading viewers, both to favor certain contestants and heighten the volume of calls.

The producers have denied those charges, but suspicions persist among die-hard fans. Jeff Oswald--an organizer of MediaJammers, which has flown banners over the house as warnings to the contestants--continues to crusade against the show, saying he wants to see its producers “held accountable for the abuses and manipulations they’ve created” in their attempts to make “Big Brother” more interesting.

Sources inside CBS acknowledge the network has at times been frustrated with the producers for, as one source put it, “seeming to make up the rules as they go along.”

Still, ratings for “Big Brother” have been reasonably good--especially among the younger demographics CBS has trouble reaching--and the network has not ruled out a second edition. The network is keeping its options open, viewing such “reality” fare as a hedge against possible strikes next year by the guilds representing writers and actors.

Four contestants remain, with the final “Big Brother” to crown a winner next week. Facing the Olympics on Wednesday, viewing of the show dipped below tune-in for recent live episodes.