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What Words Or Phrases Would You Ban From Newscasts?
- Thread starter Joey1986
- Start date
"Coming up next"!
KentBrockman said:
Dude, I LOVE this!! Graphics used to be compelling and add to the story, but now they're so over used that they do take away from the program. News outlets try to be "first" with so much stuff, it's overkill and they destroy the stories. They need to take a page from chefs: A little bit of salt makes the meal tasty, a ton of salt makes the meal yucky. Okay, it's not a real saying, but it still fits.
You are also on point with "Breaking News". Again, it's been so over used that it means nothing. Haven't the news producers ever learned from "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"? Evidently not.
Here's my contribution: "A XXXX Exclusive" Is there really a such thing as exclusivity? I'm sure if you turn to station "A" with the "exclusive" story, then turn to station "B", station "B" will have pretty much the same story.
I can't stand it when the anchor or reporter is telling us the story about something that happened much earlier in the day but is using the present tense to explain it:
On the late news, we are told "A man from Boston jumps to safety when his apartment building goes up in flames. He breaks his leg and dislocates his shoulder."
Then we see the video and we are told that this fire (as evidenced by the dark sky) happened at 2am...or even 1130pm the previous evening after that previous night's news had ended.
Our local Fox Boston affliliate, WXFT, Fox 25, does their news this way and others are starting to follow. WCVB, Channel 5 (ABC affiliate), has been doing that too.
And, do we REALLY need to see a reporter standing in front of the burned out building that we can hardly see anyway because it's dark out now??
On the late news, we are told "A man from Boston jumps to safety when his apartment building goes up in flames. He breaks his leg and dislocates his shoulder."
Then we see the video and we are told that this fire (as evidenced by the dark sky) happened at 2am...or even 1130pm the previous evening after that previous night's news had ended.
Our local Fox Boston affliliate, WXFT, Fox 25, does their news this way and others are starting to follow. WCVB, Channel 5 (ABC affiliate), has been doing that too.
And, do we REALLY need to see a reporter standing in front of the burned out building that we can hardly see anyway because it's dark out now??
(1) "Bundle up." Thank you - I'm a complete idiot and need someone to tell me that when it's 20 degrees out.
(2) "Holiday" tree or shopping, as though Christmas was a banned word. I understand today's oversensitivity, but I wonder what other holidays they're talking about when they say there's 15 days left to get your holiday shopping done, when Hanukkah started 4 days ago, the Asian New Year is usually sometime in February, and I honestly don't know if people "shop" for Kwaanza or Ramadan.
(2) "Holiday" tree or shopping, as though Christmas was a banned word. I understand today's oversensitivity, but I wonder what other holidays they're talking about when they say there's 15 days left to get your holiday shopping done, when Hanukkah started 4 days ago, the Asian New Year is usually sometime in February, and I honestly don't know if people "shop" for Kwaanza or Ramadan.
Good one - this reminds me of one station we have where the weather forecasters stand outside holding an umbrella to let you know it's raining.WMC2006 said:
BlueHen said:
And with bad road conditions "Be careful out there". DUH! Never thought of being careful on black ice,, gee, thanks for that amazing insight, you should be expecting a call from the Nobel Prize comittee for such a brilliant concept.
Its all part of the dumbing down of TV. Pretty soon TV will be at the IQ of a carrot.
ixnay said:Don't know if this has been mentioned on this thread yet, but stop showing anchors with the camera lens two inches from the nose.
I started a thread on freerepublic.com one time on the aforementioned subtopic and it was pulled post haste. Wonder who I offended there? ???
ixnay
Doesn't seem like a very free republic at that site.
Two quickies:
1) An offshoot of the horrendous [size=10pt]"BREAKING NEWS"[/size] moniker is the shortened version: [size=10pt]"BREAKING"[/size] or [size=10pt]"BREAKING NOW!"[/size] As if they think the idiots watching TV will holler into the kitchen: Martha, come quick!! Somethin's breaking - NOW!!!!!! Hurry - and bring the broom!
How ridiculous! 7News in Boston always liked to say "....when big news breaks!..." and I'd love to interject: "they pick up the pieces!" For heaven's sake, can the word "breaking." Who came up with that phrase anyhow? Certainly not Edward R. Murrow.
2) The live shot in front of the closed, dark building or street corner. Is the reporter really on the beat at 11 pm on a cold night at a courthouse that's been closed for 6 hours? Or a burned out building? How dumb is that?
Or, the equally dumb, "live from the newsroom!" Yeah, how exciting. And, we get to see the actual working schleps talking about their weekend or picking their noses in the background. Nice.
Just do like "Weekend Update" on SNL and bring 'em on the set. It's more entertaining that way anyhow.
1) An offshoot of the horrendous [size=10pt]"BREAKING NEWS"[/size] moniker is the shortened version: [size=10pt]"BREAKING"[/size] or [size=10pt]"BREAKING NOW!"[/size] As if they think the idiots watching TV will holler into the kitchen: Martha, come quick!! Somethin's breaking - NOW!!!!!! Hurry - and bring the broom!
How ridiculous! 7News in Boston always liked to say "....when big news breaks!..." and I'd love to interject: "they pick up the pieces!" For heaven's sake, can the word "breaking." Who came up with that phrase anyhow? Certainly not Edward R. Murrow.
2) The live shot in front of the closed, dark building or street corner. Is the reporter really on the beat at 11 pm on a cold night at a courthouse that's been closed for 6 hours? Or a burned out building? How dumb is that?
Or, the equally dumb, "live from the newsroom!" Yeah, how exciting. And, we get to see the actual working schleps talking about their weekend or picking their noses in the background. Nice.
Just do like "Weekend Update" on SNL and bring 'em on the set. It's more entertaining that way anyhow.
Here in Phoenix, I read the news headlines at the bottom of the screen since the stuff the anchors are reading is usually written so that five year olds can understand it, or something pretty stupid.
Oh, how many of those dvd players in cars can receive over the air TV signals? Then, why does the 6pm newscast do a traffic report that keeps saying, "you guys out there (on the jammed up freeway) have no place to go for awhile so just be patient." Or, words to that effect. As far as I know the drivers cannot hear you!
Some of the other stations have news readers that appear to be condescending.
All stations suffer from the before mentioned asides (that's so cute, that's terrible, etc.)
And then there's "check this out," as if you weren't paying attention.
And then one station really dissects some video with lines and circles, you know the "telestrator."
"The road is back open."
"The cold front is movin' on in."
"The rain is falling down."
I could go on and on....and if I think of more later, I will.
This is a great topic.
Mike
Oh, how many of those dvd players in cars can receive over the air TV signals? Then, why does the 6pm newscast do a traffic report that keeps saying, "you guys out there (on the jammed up freeway) have no place to go for awhile so just be patient." Or, words to that effect. As far as I know the drivers cannot hear you!
Some of the other stations have news readers that appear to be condescending.
All stations suffer from the before mentioned asides (that's so cute, that's terrible, etc.)
And then there's "check this out," as if you weren't paying attention.
And then one station really dissects some video with lines and circles, you know the "telestrator."
"The road is back open."
"The cold front is movin' on in."
"The rain is falling down."
I could go on and on....and if I think of more later, I will.
This is a great topic.
Mike
"We're keeping an eye on it for you...."
Just once, I love to see a weather caster walk over to the map and place his/her eye on it. Better yet, pluck one out and put it on the map.
"Listen up...." So, what happens when I listen down or am I supposed to look up while listening?
Just once, I love to see a weather caster walk over to the map and place his/her eye on it. Better yet, pluck one out and put it on the map.
"Listen up...." So, what happens when I listen down or am I supposed to look up while listening?
J
Julius Leonard Marx
Guest
Everytime there is an accident, fire, natural disaster or other public death not from natural causes people who seemingly never knew the deceased show up to cry on cue, get on TV and have their 15 seconds of sound-bite fame. TV encourages this and it has even trained people to rush out and leave piles of flowers on the sidewalk. It's tasteless, exploitive and cheapens the grieving process for those who actually suffered a loss.
J
Julius Leonard Marx
Guest
genius said:I'm glad there is a thread which is allowing people to finally express their nitpickiness!
This sounds like a TV news consultant has just dismissed every comment and observation made so far.
Maybe any one of these as an isolated instance would be nit. But TV news broadcasts, which copy each other slavishly, will use any number of these words or phrases that should be banned in any given broadcast, sometimes one after the other to the point they seem computer-generated.
Oh, reading this made me think of another thing that we've so overlooked: Not a word or a phrase, but sounders.
They all started with the NBC affiliates doing the three-bell chimes when the five/six/seven/ten year forcast would pop up during weather. Then, from there, it went with the "Breaking News" opener, to the "live" opener, to now I was watching the Today show and they used a "Star Trek open door" sounder during an effect from one video to another! It woke me up from my nap! Yes, sound effects can enhance the TV watching experience, especially since that's about the only thing in 5.1 surround during news, but the ones news outlets use are just dull, stupid and annoying. STOP IT!
They all started with the NBC affiliates doing the three-bell chimes when the five/six/seven/ten year forcast would pop up during weather. Then, from there, it went with the "Breaking News" opener, to the "live" opener, to now I was watching the Today show and they used a "Star Trek open door" sounder during an effect from one video to another! It woke me up from my nap! Yes, sound effects can enhance the TV watching experience, especially since that's about the only thing in 5.1 surround during news, but the ones news outlets use are just dull, stupid and annoying. STOP IT!
whitfm said:Vandelay said:
WVTM in Birmingham, AL used "Dopper One Million" for a while. That's gotta take the cake for the worst radar name ever. They even got Al Roker to cut promotional spots for the radar. :
Didn't CBS 2 New York call their doppler "Doppler 2 Million" for a little while?
Not a word or phrase, but something I'd like to see disappear is playing recordings of 911 telephone calls on TV (and radio). Maybe I'm alone on this, but it just seems voyeuristic to me. Hearing a person's desperate cry for help doesn't add anything to the news story for me; on the contrary, it detracts and sends me scrambling for the mute button.
Just my 2 cents...
Just my 2 cents...
Well, for most viewers, playing back the recorded 911 call 1) makes it more real, giving proof instead of just taking the station's word for it, and 2) dramatizes the story. Since it has become real, you can relate to the person or, subconscienciously, feel what the victim is going through. The real issue you might have is what I've got. Since it's a phone call, and a emotionally-charged phone call, the voices are somewhat hard to understand. Since they always use the "tape player" slow-mo graphic, why not transcript the call on air as well?
J
Julius Leonard Marx
Guest
Any question that begins with "How did you feel when ...."
How did you feel when your house burned down?
How did you feel when your kid got run over?
How did you feel when your house was washed away in the flood?
Sooner or later, after the emergency call center releases the tape of a call, they will get sued for invasion of privacy. At least, I hope so.
How did you feel when your house burned down?
How did you feel when your kid got run over?
How did you feel when your house was washed away in the flood?
Sooner or later, after the emergency call center releases the tape of a call, they will get sued for invasion of privacy. At least, I hope so.
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