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Local Place Names And Mispronounciations

Bongwater

Bongwater

I wonder if any radio station publishes a little pamphlet of local/regional place names and their correct pronounciations. They should.

Tonight, I was listening to Jennifer Harriman on KOMO and she mispronounced "Ephrata". Instead of E-FRAY-TUH, she pronounced it E-FROT-UH.

Not a big thing, she sounds great otherwise and even though this revelation might get her 40 lashes (or even worse - a visit to Epratha), I still think a little pamphlet of local place names and pronounciations should be mandatory at a station like KOMO......
 
One of my faves = Peter Noone (lead for Herman's Hermits) doing part of a show @ Puyallup Fair and he intentionally made fun of the name by calling it "Pile-it-all-up". That reference shortly before he introduced a song by saying "and here's another one you'll never hear on KBSG...."
 
I know that when I moved here, and was on the air in PM Drive, I didn't pretend to know how to pronounce the names of towns or pretend that "I was a local".

I made good use of the fact that I was a new resident and made it part of my show for the first month or so. I asked callers how to pronounce the names of towns, where I could get a good burger and where I should take my Jeep off road... It was a great way for the listeners to get to know me and for me to connect with listeners that were proud of their communities.

I've used this tactic in several markets and found it always works. Listeners LOVE to call the hitline and tell you about their town. Obviously, this shtick only works when you (and the station) are new. :)

Of course, YMMV.

On the other hand, IMHO, hearing a mispronunciation on a News Talk is inexcusable.
 
You may remember when KOMO-TV had brough in Denise Whittaker that was their intro promo...that they had been trying to teach her how to pronounce all the local communities. Ends with her stepping thru flash cards and getting all but one right...
 
With respect to news stories - part of the problem is that the editors/DJs either don't or won't put in pronunciators or spell hard-to-pronounce words phonetically. Ultimately, however it's up to the last line of defense - the on-air anchor.
 
Puyallup -- pew al up

variations, peww yahh lupp, pew yah loop, pew all up, pwallup...

Seems like all traffic reporters should have a book doesn't it? How about the Muckleteo Ferry, get it twisted around and cost $ by way of FCC.

-Ty
 
When I worked at a DC CHR, I quickly learned one of the all time school cheers:

"We don't smoke nor drink - NORFOLK!"
 
Norfolk, NE = NO-FORK. Nice town...if you don't eat steak....
 
Hey Semoochie, all I can think of is Scappose, am I close?? As for the pronunciation of NAW-fuk, the TM jingle singers had a field day with that one in the 70's.....I've gt an mp3 of it somewhere.

Oh here's one more that always befuddles new anchors, the Oregon coast town of Yachats.
 
ty said:
Puyallup -- pew al up

variations, peww yahh lupp, pew yah loop, pew all up, pwallup...

Seems like all traffic reporters should have a book doesn't it? How about the Muckleteo Ferry, get it twisted around and cost $ by way of FCC.

-Ty
Click to expand...

I'll never forget a number of years back then CBS, now ABC sportscaster Brent Musburger mangle Puyallup. It came out something like Pu-ee--alley-up. Thing is he should have known better, he was born in Portland and grew up in Montana!
 
My all time favs actually heard over the years on the airwaves on WA radio and/or TV:

TACK-uh-muh
Sno-KWAL-uh-mee
Yuh-KEE-muh
SEE-kwim
Spo-CANE
Wuh-PA-toe
 
Scappoose is absolutely right! In Portland, there's a Couch Street, pronounced "kooch". The trouble is that descendants of the Couch family swear up and down that it's pronounced, "cowch"!
 
radioguybroadcasting said:
Bongwater said:
Norfolk, NE = NO-FORK. Nice town...if you don't eat steak....
Click to expand...

Nope.

It's NOR-FORK

In VA, it's Nor-fawk

In CT its Nor----- (yes, there really is a Norfolk, CT!)
Click to expand...

When I was driving through the Midwest last year, I stopped to spend a night at a motel in Norfork, NE. It sounded like everybody there called it "NO-FORK". So I ate at burger joints....My bad if I got it wrong.....
 
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