Thursday, April 7, 2011

"I mean, you know..."

Live television  news.

I mean, you know, like live TV news. You know?

Goodness, you know, I mean, how many times in a live phone report can a reporter say "you know", a report that lasted less than 90 seconds. You know?

Well, in case you don't know, the young reporter said it NINE times. I mean, you know, that's a lot of "you knows". And, it was mixed it with a lot of "I means", you know? I mean, really, that's the truth. You know?

It's not totally her fault, you know. Consultants, some years back, started telling television journalists to be conversational. "Deliver your stories as, you know, you would if you were talking to your friends". I mean, you know, it's all a matter of communicating on, you know, your friends' level. You know?

Live TV news, take it from me, is not as easy as you might believe. It does require concentration, and it requires a comfortable knowledge of the details of the topic of the report. A basic working knowledge of the English language, mixed with an ability to actually tell a story, is important. You know?

I will not point out which reporter on which station did this story. It, however, is on the station's web site. At least, you know, I mean, it was when I started writing. A hint: it's about, you know, a fire in an eastern North Carolina communtiy.

(Bet I know one news director who will pass this around his newsroom...know what I mean, Verne, err, Scott? )

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