Mis-Use of Cliche'

[neumann sennheiser]

Heard on KIRO traffic yesterday (..and I'm para-phrasing): "Extreme winter conditions have closed parts of Steven's Pass so make sure the "coast is clear" before heading up there".

 

[WKomm]

NS -

While I'm with you on the the spirit of your post, your words expose the danger of calling attention to the deficiencies of the work of others. In your post, "paraphrase" does not contain a hypen nor does the word "misuse." And it's "Stevens Pass" - no apostrophe. So in your very brief post, you have three grammatical errors. No one likes cliches but every single full-time broadcaster trips over them from time to time. The spoken word is considered the most casual and imprecise way of communication so occasional slips can be forgiven. The written word is the most precise with no excuse for the errors you made.

Bottom line - when kicking anyone's butt, always make sure your own flank is covered.

 

[neumann sennheiser]

Bottom line - when kicking anyone's butt, always make sure your own flank is covered.

With barely more than a half dozen (hyphen or no hyphen?) posts, I'm still fresh meat here on the board, so I'm still testing the waters each time I dip in a toe (plenty o' metaphors so far) and actually initiating an entirely new subject could be construed as very presumptuous for a newbie. Of course, while there are many boards where full body armor would be necessary prior to engaging, here, it seems that even though someone will call you on it when you reveal your own slips, it so far appears that respect is maintained. That is appreciated.

 

[WKomm]

ns - I intended respect and, from your post, I think you got that.

Here's the thing -

Grammatical errors drive me nuts. Typos are one thing as we all do then (see?) but true errors should be corrected. I want to be set straight and I hope you and others will do just that. Don't get me started about the wave of "Her and her friend ... " or "she was speaking to my friend and I" type of junk that appears to sweeping the country. I work with a very sweet person who constantly uses stuff like "I was with her at her parents's house."

Have mercy.

Keep posting, man. It's anonymous. If someone takes a swipe at you, you'll live. I've survived quite a few.

 

[Shark]

Grammatical errors drive me nuts too, especially improper use of an apostrophe before an s - I see it all the time on business signs, restaurant menus etc.

Back to cliche's (that's intended as an accent, not an apostrophe), the local on-air king is Softy on KJR. Here's a sampling:

"When it's all said and done..." (I've heard this used several times in the same break)

"Let's face facts..."

"At the end of the day..." (several KJR personalities abuse this one)

"...and that's the bottom line."

I could go on. I know being a doofus is part of his schtick but it still makes me want to scream when I hear these repeated incessantly.

 

[neumann sennheiser]

During my first aircheck session at my first real format station many eons ago, I was corrected on a cliche I've made sure to avoid ever since; referring to the temperature as, for example, "62 degrees, on the outside".
As the PD at the time pointed out; "Where the #@$! else would the temperature be"?

 

[WKomm]

Here's how I've always looked at a 4-5 hr air shift ... and it wasn't always appreciated by PDs.

I'm in the control room alone. I don't have writers, producers or assistants. Every few minutes over those 4-5 hours I'm expected to provide info or entertainment and PDs want it flawless and top-notch.

It will never happen.

Guys like Leno/Letterman/Kimmel - they have who knows how many writers and assistants. They've done network level media for many years. And STILL you hear "uh" and "like ya know" type of stuff. We will all use cliches, most likely every shift. What I watch for is habits. Example:

There are only so many ways to billboard what's coming up. But if I'm saying "coming up" before every break, that needs to be pointed and varied. We also need to remember that by saying the same thing all DJs say but saying it differently is money.

 

[sloux]

During my first aircheck session at my first real format station many eons ago, I was corrected on a cliche I've made sure to avoid ever since; referring to the temperature as, for example, "62 degrees, on the outside".
As the PD at the time pointed out; "Where the #@$! else would the temperature be"?

Let's not forget another throw-away phrase heard from weathercasters: "It will be 62 degrees in and around the bay..." That in and around phrase is like nails on a chalkboard to me! Never mind the fact the air temperature will seldom match the water temperature of the "bay".

 

[sloux]

Grammatical errors drive me nuts.

...and it's frankly upsetting that at this point in broadcast history so many tasked with writing good copy cannot. How can our universities churn out future journalists headed into the electronic media that have no grammatical filter whatsoever? I feel like screaming at my TV/radio when I hear newscasters talking about "less jobs". Is everyone a slob now when it comes to writing?

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

I see many issues involving moving broadcast style to the web. Web, since it's basically a print piece, is more like newspaper style -- but folks either seem unable or unwilling to preview content with those glasses on.

Speaking of context ... not sure why we're insisting on "all things perfect" when people express themselves here? If the expectation is that someone wants to modify every program Dori does or every post people make ... you are going to be facing a LOT of frustration in your life. That or the urge to make everything else on the planet conform to your standards could be the foundation that you want to be a lifelong Conservative Republican!!

 

[notalent]

I saw one of our local news babes say the following during the snow event:

"continuous storm coverage continues after this..."

 

[70radio]

Clichés are part of radio. No excuse for verbal, in
particular, nor written grammatical errors in our business.
Any doubts?:
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html#errors

 

[WKomm]

LittleBoyBlue - I smiled a bit at your post. Me? A conservative? Hardly. But be that as it may...

One of my favorite recent films was (IMO) an overlooked gem called "Idiocracy." It actually bothered me (in between laughs) because it seems this country is actually headed down the path lampooned in the film. I would not be surprised if someday it's seen as a 21st century version of "1984." Basically, it show an America of the future so stupid as to forget how plants grow and they're in danger of starving.

With the growth of the net/IM'ing/texting, goofy stuff like "OMG" and "ROTFL" becomes standard. Everyone become an immediate communications pro. The language becomes adulterated and watered-down with stupidity becoming almost a civil right - at least in the minds of many who somehow think their little slice of the cyberworld is sacrosanct. For the record, I just looked up "sacrosanct" to make sure I spelled it correctly.

Anytime you point out a grammatical error to someone on line, God help you. Rather than "thanks" you will have your lineage challenged.

And I have no desire to change Dori. I just want him g-o-n-e. Nothing bad wished on him or his precious girls - just go away. He most likely won't and I'm not doing anything about it so - no foul, no harm.

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

And I have no desire to change Dori. I just want him g-o-n-e. Nothing bad wished on him or his precious girls - just go away. He most likely won't and I'm not doing anything about it so - no foul, no harm.

My point is just easier to sometimes roll eyes than to take on all these issues. I'm not a fan of Munson either...in fact one day I was in their conf. room and had to change seats to avoid the one I had originally taken which faced a personality pic of him on the wall. That show, like many other talk shows, bothers me not because the point of view significantly conflicts with my own (I often enjoy HEARING the otherside...); but because it seems to teach listeners that "it's okay to set the intelligence bar very very low".

While I only listened a couple of times, and I apologize for forgetting his name, the local host on Salem's 820 seemed to be well-informed and well spoken. When they let him go I thought it was a shame he was out of work and should be in that midday slot of KIRO.

And while I don't agree with all the decisions Bonneville has made, it's pretty clear they are class operators and care about their product. If I were in their shoes right now the specific lineup wouldn't be that high on the "hit list" while the focus is probably more on getting the big piucture strategy rolled out. Fine-tuning can happen later. Don't give up hope!

 

[WKomm]

LBL - Good post. Quite a few years back I actually did about a year as afternoon talker in a major market. It was maybe the only gig I ever had where I was embarrassed. First, I didn't know what I was doing. I could do a better job now. Secondly, I either wanted to have fun or be serious but not stupid. I grew to really hate it during one show meeting when someone suggested finding a real adult virgin to put on the air and kind of mock to stir up listeners and get them to call in.

I didn't do it but I detested that process - what will get the Great Unwashed riled up?

Unfortunately, the instances of commercial talk radio actually being informative as well as entertaining is pretty much gone. Ross tries but even that nasal Charles Oswalt imitation gets grating. I generally listen to at least an hour of Steve Scher/KUOW every morning. I hear promos there for other stuff I'd like to check out but never do - I kind of have a life of my own. But when I'm at the Retired DJ Home in Orlando, NPR will #1 on my radio. You know, the one with the BIG numbers on the tuner?