What is the purpose of the answering machine...

Today I set out on a freelance peice of writing with a fellow journalism student. we had the idea, the drive, and the tools to complete our task at hand... A simple article surrounding a community group that is in dire need of attention. We started out the ordeal of writing this article by calling our contacts we wishedx to interview... Sadly I got an answering machine. I was as professional as possible in leaving my message, left my name, the purpose of my call and a return phone number... all in correct and professional form. the call was left at approximately noon today. The time is now 6:00 pm... far past any time a person at a normal job would have returned home, to return my call. Now I understand I have left a message with their technologically placed secretary... But am I not allowed to call back, understand the article is of great importance but it is bad taste to call back after a person has left a message. I do suppose I will wait until tomorrow before making another move, it is just frustrating to be in this sense of telephone tag, a limbo I do not enjoy. Damn the answering machine, damn caller ID, I would rather make continuous calls every hour on the hour without seeming over eager... that is a right i would like to reserve