• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Tribune's Randy Michaels releases memo with the "Forbidden 119"

T

Tim the Impounder

Thank you, Randy Michaels! Here is another "At the end of the day". Brilliant! Michaels' list will certainly get on air folks to think a little more prior to uttering something worn out. This list should be posted in every TV and radio studio. Now, going forward, what do you think? We'll be right back.
 
This list isn't tremendously different in substance from what I learned in my days writing radio news at WBZ in Boston a couple of decades ago. No need for "bingo cards" then...if the anchor didn't like something in his/her copy, you (and the rest of the newsroom) heard about it as soon as the newscast was over. It was as good an education as a broadcast journalist could ask for...and that's not a statement that needs a "sources say" or "allegedly" in front of it, either! ;)
 
There's really not much here that they didn't teach in journalism.

But the bingo cards..might as well have a little fun here.

Let the board op have a microphone and bingo card too. If they hear one of the 119 forbidden words, they can just open up the mic and holler "bingo!" right over the air. It might make things more interesting for the listeners.

While you're at it, give bingo cards to the listeners. If they get a whole line across or whatever they can fire Randy and win WGN.

Sheesh.
 
"At the end of the day", "I don't disagree" that all journalists who uses news speak buzz words on TV and radio should either have and "apparent" heart attack. Or their cars should "overturn on an embankment" in a "fiery crash" and be "engulfed in black billowing smoke" "sources say" that officers at the scene believe "alcohol may be a factor". After all of that "we'll be right back after these messages" with a "little bit" of Led Zeppelin.
 
If they can't say "shower activity", how are they going to report on Rahm Emanuel? Really, though, thank God somebody in radio still gives a hoot about this stuff and offers guidance other than "Don't Cuss" and "Make sure the Premiere spots play as scheduled".

Next stop: Commercial copy..."Conveniently located", "When it comes to"...Take it from there, Mr. Michaels!
 
Corky Marlowe said:
If they can't say "shower activity", how are they going to report on Rahm Emanuel? Really, though, thank God somebody in radio still gives a hoot about this stuff and offers guidance other than "Don't Cuss" and "Make sure the Premiere spots play as scheduled".

Next stop: Commercial copy..."Conveniently located", "When it comes to"...Take it from there, Mr. Michaels!
Click to expand...
"Serving the community since 1959". Yes, agree 100% that somebody in radio still has a sense of quality control. It isn't only radio. Here in Tampa on the Noon news on November 4th the anchor leads with "It was one year ago today that Obama took office". Immediately sent an email to the anchor explaining that the president took office in January and was elected in Novemeber to which the anchor replied "that's splitting hairs"! Another reporter on a live at the scene report pointed to a swimming pool and said "you need not look any FURTHER" than that pool". Apparently doesn't know the difference between FURTHER (abstarct) and FARTHER (distance).
 
Agreed, some of these phrases are timeworn and should be eliminated. However, if I were working at that station, I think I would go crazy worrying about whether I might inadvertently use one of them.

For me, there are other practices that are embraced by the radio industry that I find far more annoying. Here are a few:

  • Endless repetition of the call letters and theme music (example: WBBM). Horrible!
  • Shouting at the listener; especially while repeating 800 numbers four or more times in a row (also WBBM, among others)
  • Spots with long disclaimers that have been digitally modified to play at 2 or 3 times the rate of normal speech (yes; WBBM)
  • Over-use of the same spots (I will NEVER donate a car to "Kars for Kids" for this very reason)
  • Angry-voiced liner guys! (If you're mad at me, why would I want to listen to your station)?
  • W___; DEPEND ON IT!
  • W___ ALL DAY TRAFFIC!

Get rid of those, and then we can worry about "pedestrians"!
 
Wow Audioguy,
Time for you to invest in an i-pod.

If you lived away from Chicago, you'd have a choice; hear LOTS of what both you and Randy don't want - or you'd blow up your radio.

WGN has been and continues to be the best of the best radio station. I appreciate Randy's concern - making the best better. Finally someone who cares about details.
 
Prais;

I do own an iPod! However, there ARE stations that don't engage in these annoying practices-- WFMT comes prominently to mind. Also, there are some "small town" stations out where you live that are much more listener-friendly! I know-- I live there part of the time myself.
 
WGN News Flash:

Randy Michaels is banning the letter L from the alphabet and vocabulary of all spoken words over WGN. Randy was heard uttering "That damn letter L. That's why the ratings keep falling".

Stay tuned for further advancements in broadcasting, from the desk of Randy Michaels.

In other news......Kevin Metheny was considering changing the WGN call letters to WIZZARD 100.
 
I'm surprised that there's so little discussion here of the real issue. Yeah, the list is generally sensible, and this is the kind of thing Randy Michaels used to do when he was PD of radio stations.

But he's NOT anymore, he's the CEO of the parent company. This is like the CEO of General Electric (or soon, Comcast) sending weekly SNL script revisions to Lorne Michaels. Actually, it's more like giving Lorne the revisions by publishing a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune. The content of the memo is irrelevant, it's an insult to the real PD of WGN and undercuts everything about his position there.

If that is indeed Randy Michaels' intention, then fine, maybe it was a smart move, if somewhat classless. But if he was really serious about it, it's amazingly bone-headed.
 
Michaels has as short fuse for people who don't "get it" and this is a clear sign that he has lost confidence in both the GM and PD of that radio station. Otherwise he wouldn't be turning his attention to the on-air product, away from the big picture troubles that plague Tribune.
 
I don't understand what is wrong with the following words or phrases.

???

* Aftermath
* Allegations
* Alleged
* As expected
* At risk
* At this point in time
* Authorities
* Auto accident
* Behind bars
* Behind closed doors
* Campaign trail
* Clash with police
* Death toll
* Eye Rack or Eye Ran
* False pretenses
* Fled on foot
* Gunman, especially lone gunman
* Icon
* In a surprise move
* In other news
* Incarcerated
* Legendary
* Lucky to be alive
* Manhunt
* Medical hospital
* Motorist
* Near miss
* Officials
* Over in
* Pedestrian
* Perished
* Perpetrator
* Really
* Reeling
* Reportedly
* Seek
* Senseless murder
* Shots rang out
* Some of you
* Sources say . . .
* Under fire
* Under siege
* Underwent surgery
* Undisclosed
* Unrest
* Untimely death
* Up in (location)
* Welcome back
* Went terribly wrong
* World class
 
Good job, Mr. Michaels. I love it.

People get lazy and fall back on the same worn out words and phrases all the time.
 
Randy has a good staff at WGN. But his long list of issues causes a continual need to remind everybody he's the smartest guy in the building.
Poor Kevin Metheny and all the staff who have to put up with his missing the point. But now that he's got that off his chest, maybe, as #1 dude, he can think about budgets and numbers and things #1 dudes are paid to worry about. Then again maybe he can save a ton of money for the company. He can fire all the execs since he knows it all.
 
I'm surprised adverbs, especially "clearly" and "certainly," are absent from the list. It appears many talk hosts and guests throw such words around if only to kill time.
 
DToTheJ said:
I'm surprised adverbs, especially "clearly" and "certainly," are absent from the list. It appears many talk hosts and guests throw such words around if only to kill time.
Click to expand...
Undoubtedly.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom