KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran radio announcers Kudsia Kahar and Linda Onn have advised their fellow announcers to always be their listeners' "shoulder to cry on".
Kudsia and Linda, on Linda's talk show The Onns Show, highlighted a recent incident where a listener spoke to a radio announcer about being abandoned by his mother, and having to look after his young siblings.
Linda said: "This caller sounded very sad, and the announcer responded by saying 'forgive your mother, she is still your mother'."
She added that other callers were not happy with the announcer's response, and Kudsia said that the announcer ought to have been more empathic towards the caller's plight.
"If I were with that announcer, I would ask the person what makes you an expert on the caller's family. We are never the expert in our listeners' lives, they are the expert of their own lives.
"If the caller wants to tell his story, we should be there to listen and give support," said Kudsia.
Kudsia also said that no listener expected the announcer to resolve his or her problems.
"They already know that announcers are not counsellors, psychiatrists or psychologists," she said.
"They just need a shoulder to cry on. The announcer should just say, 'so sorry to hear this, I understand what you are going through'."
Linda said that if she were approached by a similar caller she would say, "Thank you for sharing with me, may you be strong in facing this problem and do what you think is best for your loved ones."