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What Words Or Phrases Would You Ban From Newscasts?

Anchor 1: "The good news is _____"
Anchor 2: "The bad news is ____. Here's News 5's Maria Cossick."

Heard that one last night and went bugeyed.
 
The thing I think newscasts should stop doing is when they go to a story from somewhere else outside the local area they'll say "HERE'S NEWS 11'S JIM JONES WITH A REPORT, when in reality Jim Jones is either a pool reporter, or a reporter for the local station where the story is taking place and he doesn't even work for your local station. I think it is totally misleading and confusing to the audience and the reporter especially when he tries to send it back to the studio to the local anchor and call them by the wrong name. Very unprofessional. If they use reporters from other stations, which they do have to because of the location, then at least intro the story by saying "HERE'S JIM JONES FROM WTOL IN TOLEDO, OHIO WITH A REPORT.
That is much more professional in my book.
 
I hate during weather reports when they talk about rain and say "Get out your goulashes".
Seriously, do they even make goulashes anymore?
 
Julius Leonard Marx said:
genius said:
I'm glad there is a thread which is allowing people to finally express their nitpickiness! ;)
Click to expand...

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.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't dismiss them all, because some are viable complaints, like dhett's complaint about 911 calls or complaints about cliched phrases used during newscasts. I don't like when stations try to make their weather radar whether it be Doppler or Nexrad sound big and bad either. However I trust most news writers know what they are writing, and I suggest if anyone on this board who has a shred of originality to provide to hightail it to journalism school.
 
The fabulous thirty minute CBS Evening News
Click to expand...
:D ;D :D ;D definitely the laugh of the day...

We can't forget

LIVE - LOCAL - LATE-BREAKING

Makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it...the local NBC station used to (maybe still does, haven't watched them in a while) cram that one down our throats every newscast.

And, *ugh*

Caring. Committed. Proud.

The east TX ABC station never lets viewers forget it, either. It smacks of WFAA/8's

Working. In the Spirit of Texas.

My mute button needs a replacement right about now....

And the weatherologists here all talk about "low lying areas" or "low water crossings" when we're getting rain or it's in the forecast, referring to those parts of a street or highway that will flood easily. They think if they waste hot air about it, everyone will automatically listen. Still, many try to drive through them anyway.

An interesting (if not way over-used) phrase I've heard here before:

We sent (reporter's name) out to (someplace) to/for ____________...

Umm, duh! They've gone to cover a story, not to pick up take out for the newsroom or staff!
 
As an aside,
Remember WKRP? In one episode, I think it was the first, PD Andy Travis asks Newsman Les Nessman "What is eyewittnes weather" Les answers, "I look out the window and tell people the weather". Or the traffic reports where Les would beat on his chest to give the impression of being in a traffic helicopter.

Somehow that says everything that we have said here,,, unfortunately that was a comedy show and not "seriouis" news on tv, now its like the news is imitating WKRP.
 
formeraa said:
With the notable exception of Philly, I thought "Action News" had almost disappeared! ;D
Click to expand...
WSB Atlanta still calls itself Channel 2 Action News, and I believe
WFTS/28 Tampa/St. Petersburg has Action News as well. But yes,
they are in a minority; today you're more likely to get something
like News 8 (WFAA Dallas/Ft. Worth), WHAS11 News (Louisville),
or (fill in the network affiliation and channel number, like FOX5 News).
 
MarcB said:
Not words or phrases, but how about sending 3 reporters to cover the same story? i.e. Wednesday Morning when there was this massive fire in downtown New Haven.
Click to expand...

You mean "team coverage."
Or "continuing team coverage."
 
bpatrick said:
formeraa said:
With the notable exception of Philly, I thought "Action News" had almost disappeared! ;D
Click to expand...
WSB Atlanta still calls itself Channel 2 Action News, and I believe
WFTS/28 Tampa/St. Petersburg has Action News as well. But yes,
they are in a minority; today you're more likely to get something
like News 8 (WFAA Dallas/Ft. Worth), WHAS11 News (Louisville),
or (fill in the network affiliation and channel number, like FOX5 News).
Click to expand...

There's also WXYZ in Detroit, with 7 Action News.
 
Julius Leonard Marx said:
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?
Click to expand...
They try to pass this off as 'human interest ' but I would like to here someone say how the F-- would you feel? I think I would punch them in the face if a reporter asked me such an insensitive question in the event of a tragedy. Of course this would never make it to air except perhaps to portray me as a villain.
Though trivial it bugs me when the anchor sings off with see you at 11. Even if I am watching no you won't see anyone in the audience, so why do they all say that?
 
donnyg said:
The thing I think newscasts should stop doing is when they go to a story from somewhere else outside the local area they'll say "HERE'S NEWS 11'S JIM JONES WITH A REPORT, when in reality Jim Jones is either a pool reporter, or a reporter for the local station where the story is taking place and he doesn't even work for your local station. I think it is totally misleading and confusing to the audience and the reporter especially when he tries to send it back to the studio to the local anchor and call them by the wrong name. Very unprofessional. If they use reporters from other stations, which they do have to because of the location, then at least intro the story by saying "HERE'S JIM JONES FROM WTOL IN TOLEDO, OHIO WITH A REPORT.
That is much more professional in my book.
Click to expand...

It's usually not a "local" reporter from one of the local stations providing the report, but a freelancer or the network affiliate-service (ie: NBC NewsChannel or CBS Newspath) or CNN. They provide a "live" stand-up for a fee which can be dropped in to the newscast and the producer must meet the timing exactly.

Some of the bigger station groups (Belo and Hearst-Argyle are two I know off the top of my head, but Fox may fit into this as well) also have a reporter on stand-by to report for their owned-stations exclusively.
 
The use of the term "live coverage," or "Here's Action News reporterJoe Schmo live from the scene..."...especially when used on the late news.

Nine times out of ten, the story is no longer breaking news - especially at 11:00 - all they're doing is sending the reporter back out to the scene of a story that happened 6 or 8 hours previously to talk for a few seconds to introduce his videotape that was edited hours before. Yes, technically speaking, it's not a lie, because the reporter is standing there "live," but the story is OVER.

If it's still a breaking story, for example - if a fire is still burning, FINE - the reporter can update the progress of the fire-fight, and show a good visual behind him. Otherwise, I think it's a waste of resources to send a truck and crew back out. The reporter and the crew could be home with their families. It's no wonder that many of these local reporters burn out after awhile and change jobs. It seems unfair somehow, but that's now the nature of "live" television news.
 
MHVRadiofan said:
Julius Leonard Marx said:
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?
Click to expand...
They try to pass this off as 'human interest ' but I would like to here someone say how the F-- would you feel? I think I would punch them in the face if a reporter asked me such an insensitive question in the event of a tragedy. Of course this would never make it to air except perhaps to portray me as a villain.
Though trivial it bugs me when the anchor sings off with see you at 11. Even if I am watching no you won't see anyone in the audience, so why do they all say that?
Click to expand...

I agree about "how do you feel" questions. How do you think
a person who's just lost everything (including possibly a spouse
or loved one) in a fire feels? I might not punch out the reporter
but I might have a few of George Carlin's seven dirty words for
him or her.

I think the "see you at 11" shouldn't be taken literally; it's just
a gimmick phrase to establish a rapport with viewers; local stations
love to make viewers think the anchors are their friends.
 
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