Here's another language change gaining more momentum: the use of the word "amazing." It seems to be replacing "awesome" as the word of choice to signfy approval of anything. I think I must have heard it used about 100 times this weekend on TV, in all sorts of venues.
And - horrors - I did in fact hear a newsreader say "nucular" on Saturday morning. Granted, it was on this little cable station filler channel that gives local Brooklyn news (and boy, is that ever repetitive, since it's such a low budget station), but - really, didn't this girl ever watch any professional newscasts before she took the job? The station is made up of presenters who seem to have an average age of about 18-1/2, save for one rather battle-scarred looking middle-aged vet who is probably on his way down. He looks like a retired NYC cop. He's the only one who knows how to read news properly, with good diction and cadence. The young women, especially, don't bother to modulate their post-adolescent voices. The results can send you screaming into another room. I suspect these people aren't paid very much.
But that's an end to it: if viewers heard it said on TV, then they will be saying it, too. I actually heard a co-worker once say something to the effect that they wouldn't put these things on TV if they weren't true. I'm not sure exactly which things she was talking about, but it doesn't matter; the scary fact remains that a lot of people do really believe most of what they see and hear on TV.
A Propos of Nothing
Hey Brooklyn (love the name mel gave you!)
I would take "nucular" any day over the news reader on one of our local stations. She practically screams the news, everything is urgent, overpowering and overacted. Yup, she acts every item. I know, I know, all I have to do is change the station, but it's kind of like watching a crime unfold before your eyes...you just can't turn away. And now that I think of it, "nucular" is one of her favorite words.
Nancy (KC to you!)
I would take "nucular" any day over the news reader on one of our local stations. She practically screams the news, everything is urgent, overpowering and overacted. Yup, she acts every item. I know, I know, all I have to do is change the station, but it's kind of like watching a crime unfold before your eyes...you just can't turn away. And now that I think of it, "nucular" is one of her favorite words.
Nancy (KC to you!)
-
jdb1
Well KC, I know what you mean about the yelling - every presenter on TV seems to be doing it now, the worst offenders, IMO, the ones on those "entertainment" shows like Entertainment Tonight. Don't they realize they are wearing microphones?
Last night, a local newsreader (not the Brooklyn news, another local NYC program) said "A girl is suddenly found dead in her home." Sad news, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly what she meant by "suddenly" found dead. In their quest to sound important and of the moment, the news writers are making no sense at all.
I always laugh at those promos that say "Daring bank robbery in The Bronx - at 11." Does that mean the robbery will be taking place at 11? In that case, why don't they stop it before it happens? And does it make real sense for every news program in town to be claiming it has the "exclusive?" How many "exclusives" can there logically be at one time?
I've really given up on the regular watching of any TV news. They are all so very undignified. I don't want to hear stories of the momentous world news of the day from someone named "Katie." Not that many of these shows even give you world news any more. That's another thing I don't like about them - they are so "geocentric," you'd think there were no other countries on the planet but us. I'm happier watching the BBCWorld channel, EuroNews, and the foreign-language news we get in the evening in French, Italian, Spanish and German (with subtitles). At least they make an attempt to have the events of the day reported in an adult and businesslike manner. I much prefer the NY Times, although even that venerable institution is trying to get hipper, with mixed results.
Last night, a local newsreader (not the Brooklyn news, another local NYC program) said "A girl is suddenly found dead in her home." Sad news, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly what she meant by "suddenly" found dead. In their quest to sound important and of the moment, the news writers are making no sense at all.
I always laugh at those promos that say "Daring bank robbery in The Bronx - at 11." Does that mean the robbery will be taking place at 11? In that case, why don't they stop it before it happens? And does it make real sense for every news program in town to be claiming it has the "exclusive?" How many "exclusives" can there logically be at one time?
I've really given up on the regular watching of any TV news. They are all so very undignified. I don't want to hear stories of the momentous world news of the day from someone named "Katie." Not that many of these shows even give you world news any more. That's another thing I don't like about them - they are so "geocentric," you'd think there were no other countries on the planet but us. I'm happier watching the BBCWorld channel, EuroNews, and the foreign-language news we get in the evening in French, Italian, Spanish and German (with subtitles). At least they make an attempt to have the events of the day reported in an adult and businesslike manner. I much prefer the NY Times, although even that venerable institution is trying to get hipper, with mixed results.
WORLD news? USA news? This station barely covers the entire state of Missouri, and Kansas?? forget it. The California wildfires were covered, but only in a generalized way. I get more information on world or national events from the internet. This channel wants to do undercover investigations more than anything else.
The more I think about this, the more foolish I feel for watching.
The more I think about this, the more foolish I feel for watching.
-
moira finnie
- Administrator
- Posts: 8024
- Joined: April 9th, 2007, 6:34 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
The hysteria that "Knitty" and "Brooklyn" describe seems to run under all the news reportage in the last few years on the tube. It even seems to have overtaken all sense of proportion and coherence on a local level. Having lived in large markets (Boston & NY areas) and small (appleknockerville here in upstate NY), in the last 10 years it seems that the lead story will be your typical "World ends at 10:30pm, we'll have film at 11, along with an exclusive interview with angel Gabriel about his horn technique". Then they will have some truly local story, especially a car wreck, followed inevitably and incongruously by some oddball story about someone's SUV falling into a sinkhole in Florida or a bus packed to the rafters with people careening off a mountain highway in Patagonia or someplace. Huh? I'm sure that these stories are quite relevant to the folks who live next to the sinkhole or anyone waiting for the bus in Patagonia, but in this community? Nah, maybe not.
Whatever happened to the "local" aspect in local news?
Whatever happened to the "local" aspect in local news?
Moira, you always make me laugh out loud. I can just see the people at the bus stop, scratching their heads and muttering "where's the bloody bus???"
Our intrepid undercover reporters not only want to investigate the sinkhole, but also:
A: WHO fell into the hole (film to follow)
B: WHAT government agency was the cause of the suffering fellow
who will never recover fully from his injuries
i. you can send your donations to the following address
ii. here is the web address set up to support the fellow
and most importantly,
C: How can we prevent further sinkholes from occurring
(send a letter to, or email your congressman)
Our intrepid undercover reporters not only want to investigate the sinkhole, but also:
A: WHO fell into the hole (film to follow)
B: WHAT government agency was the cause of the suffering fellow
who will never recover fully from his injuries
i. you can send your donations to the following address
ii. here is the web address set up to support the fellow
and most importantly,
C: How can we prevent further sinkholes from occurring
(send a letter to, or email your congressman)
-
movieman1957
- Administrator
- Posts: 5522
- Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
- Location: MD
-
jdb1
There's more to the story, KC.
We need to hear from the victim ("How did it feel to fall into that sinkhole?" "Are you angry?" "Who do you blame for this unfortunate incident?")
Then we need to hear the same questions asked of any bystanders, and if there aren't any bystanders, find some relative or neighbor, or someone who never actually met the guy, but lives nearby, or maybe some storekeeper half a mile away who once sold the victim a box of donuts, etc.)
Then we need a statement from the local councilman/alderman, who none of the constituents has ever seen before, about the gravity of the situation, while people standing behind him make faces and/or wave to their moms.
Then some "celebrities" (who can't remember the name of the victim) have to organize an event which is aimed at preventing the tragedy of sinkholes, about which they feel "passionately." Then comes the Lifetime/USA Network/Sci-Fi Channel movie, starring several Canadian actors, and possibly Jacklyn Smith.
We need to hear from the victim ("How did it feel to fall into that sinkhole?" "Are you angry?" "Who do you blame for this unfortunate incident?")
Then we need to hear the same questions asked of any bystanders, and if there aren't any bystanders, find some relative or neighbor, or someone who never actually met the guy, but lives nearby, or maybe some storekeeper half a mile away who once sold the victim a box of donuts, etc.)
Then we need a statement from the local councilman/alderman, who none of the constituents has ever seen before, about the gravity of the situation, while people standing behind him make faces and/or wave to their moms.
Then some "celebrities" (who can't remember the name of the victim) have to organize an event which is aimed at preventing the tragedy of sinkholes, about which they feel "passionately." Then comes the Lifetime/USA Network/Sci-Fi Channel movie, starring several Canadian actors, and possibly Jacklyn Smith.
news on tv
Bkln....Nancy....Moira...Chris
I got a big kick from those very Witty posts. I know the comments were too true to be funny but I can't help laughing at the way they were said, World ends at 10:30pm, we'll have film at 11. Moira, you should write comedy. HONESTLY!. I agree with KC, you make me laugh too. I look forward to your comments, Like the fella said, 'Laughter is the best medicine....mel
I got a big kick from those very Witty posts. I know the comments were too true to be funny but I can't help laughing at the way they were said, World ends at 10:30pm, we'll have film at 11. Moira, you should write comedy. HONESTLY!. I agree with KC, you make me laugh too. I look forward to your comments, Like the fella said, 'Laughter is the best medicine....mel
I'm grateful for living in Canada. Everything is done in a very understated manner. Now there are some stories that get sensationalized (CITY TV in Toronto was the biggest culprit) but for the most part the anchors don't yell into their mics and stories are reported in a straightforward (and sometimes biased manner, CITY TV i'm looking at you!) manner.
The commercial stations are hopped up on speed compared to the CBC though. Holy Crap! talk about doing the news in a staid and straightforward manner. Since i'm speaking to a mainly American audience imagine Peter Jennings without what little charisma and charm he had and that's the CBC for you. Now the CBC has gotten kinda hip with a pretty good current affairs/entertainment show that's aimed for the 20-35 crowd but that's the exception that proves the rule.
The commercial stations are hopped up on speed compared to the CBC though. Holy Crap! talk about doing the news in a staid and straightforward manner. Since i'm speaking to a mainly American audience imagine Peter Jennings without what little charisma and charm he had and that's the CBC for you. Now the CBC has gotten kinda hip with a pretty good current affairs/entertainment show that's aimed for the 20-35 crowd but that's the exception that proves the rule.
Brooklyn, are you sure you don't live here in KC? I swear, this scenario is repeated on at least a weekly basis, if not daily. Maybe you have relatives here you visit? Reading your post is like turning on the news....painful, but funny. Is that painfully funny, or (according to the news anchor) funnily painful?
thanks for the laughs this afternoon, I needed them!!!!
thanks for the laughs this afternoon, I needed them!!!!
-
moira finnie
- Administrator
- Posts: 8024
- Joined: April 9th, 2007, 6:34 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
Hey Bogie,
Didn't you used to fight under the moniker SPTO?
I LOVE Canadian tv and Canada itself--just because it's all so understated. Living near the Canadian border, we pick up Canadian stations locally on the idiot box and on the radio. Their quiet, controlled manner of speaking is so refreshing when you live in an American media-saturated 24 hour crisis-mode market. Every town, even Toronto, seems to have at least one "blood on the sidewalk" channel that sensationalizes the news. I always thought that one of the more brilliant parodies of SCTV were the skits satirizing the American media, including news shows. Ah, Joe Flaherty and John Candy--what a duo.
I have noticed that some Canadian shows are geared toward the kiddie crowd as you've described, but mostly it seems much more laid back. I think that I was infected with Canadiaphilia via childhood exposure to Pierre Berton, who was a face from my childhood that I still miss. May your people cling proudly to the calmer aspects of their character!
Say Judith, Chris and Nancy,
Thanks for the comical rundowns of the moronic questions that those Investigative Reporters ask, or, as is usually described around here--"here's a word from our late breaking I-Team journalists' investigation"
Yeah, right, like these guys could spell "journalist" without a spell check on their computer. Hey, gotta go now, it's 6:30pm and the evening news is on and, according to my media-trained mind, it's time to see the world news (in all of 24 minutes)!
Your friend,
Pavlov's Dog
P.S. I confess that I have entire weeks when I don't watch any news anywhere but simply read the paper. Ignorance may not be bliss, but I wonder if my blood pressure is better then?
Didn't you used to fight under the moniker SPTO?
I LOVE Canadian tv and Canada itself--just because it's all so understated. Living near the Canadian border, we pick up Canadian stations locally on the idiot box and on the radio. Their quiet, controlled manner of speaking is so refreshing when you live in an American media-saturated 24 hour crisis-mode market. Every town, even Toronto, seems to have at least one "blood on the sidewalk" channel that sensationalizes the news. I always thought that one of the more brilliant parodies of SCTV were the skits satirizing the American media, including news shows. Ah, Joe Flaherty and John Candy--what a duo.
I have noticed that some Canadian shows are geared toward the kiddie crowd as you've described, but mostly it seems much more laid back. I think that I was infected with Canadiaphilia via childhood exposure to Pierre Berton, who was a face from my childhood that I still miss. May your people cling proudly to the calmer aspects of their character!
Say Judith, Chris and Nancy,
Thanks for the comical rundowns of the moronic questions that those Investigative Reporters ask, or, as is usually described around here--"here's a word from our late breaking I-Team journalists' investigation"
Yeah, right, like these guys could spell "journalist" without a spell check on their computer. Hey, gotta go now, it's 6:30pm and the evening news is on and, according to my media-trained mind, it's time to see the world news (in all of 24 minutes)!
Your friend,
Pavlov's Dog
P.S. I confess that I have entire weeks when I don't watch any news anywhere but simply read the paper. Ignorance may not be bliss, but I wonder if my blood pressure is better then?
The one that gets me is:
Saturday afternoon teaser-
"Ten things in your children's room that could kill them instantly. Join us Monday night at 11 for the info."
How about telling me now, OK?
Saturday afternoon teaser-
"Ten things in your children's room that could kill them instantly. Join us Monday night at 11 for the info."
How about telling me now, OK?
"I'm at my most serious when I'm joking." - Dudley
Don't sweat the petty things - don't pet the sweaty things.
Don't sweat the petty things - don't pet the sweaty things.
-
movieman1957
- Administrator
- Posts: 5522
- Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
- Location: MD
Charlie:
You are so right.
My other pet peeve is when the anchors get ready for a "live" report. The reporter is on screen. They bite their lip an start nodding their head. Whatever they are reporting on is the most serious thing. It could be some diner giving away free meals to anyone on their birthday and you'd think the swat team was on the way.
Judith:
With those "man on the street" interviews I'm praying for the day when someone is asked one of those questions and the person answers back "What kind of stupid questions is that?"
You are so right.
My other pet peeve is when the anchors get ready for a "live" report. The reporter is on screen. They bite their lip an start nodding their head. Whatever they are reporting on is the most serious thing. It could be some diner giving away free meals to anyone on their birthday and you'd think the swat team was on the way.
Judith:
With those "man on the street" interviews I'm praying for the day when someone is asked one of those questions and the person answers back "What kind of stupid questions is that?"
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
-
jdb1
I am reminded of a sketch done by Carol Burnette where she was a grieving victim or relative of a victim and she was to be interviewed by a TV reporter. Do you know the one I mean? She had to do the same little weeping bit over and over for the camera, and in between takes she fussed about how her hair looked, which was her best side, etc. Then when the camera rolled, she wept and moaned. How true.
I well remember the mother of one of the victims of Son of Sam, who made an embarrassing and ridiculous spectacle of herself on TV for months "grieving" for her daughter. The woman was always dressed up to her teeth, monopolized every interview, and looked about as grieved as a million-dollar lottery winner.
I well remember the mother of one of the victims of Son of Sam, who made an embarrassing and ridiculous spectacle of herself on TV for months "grieving" for her daughter. The woman was always dressed up to her teeth, monopolized every interview, and looked about as grieved as a million-dollar lottery winner.