Surfing around the blogs this evening, I have noticed my friend Tim Lones has posted a clip from the very first "Tonight" show, which was broadcast in 1954. In it, Steve Allen talks about the show, and it following the success of the Today Show. I suggest you go take a look over at Cleveland Classic Media at the clip. And while you're there take a look around at other posts. Tim puts a lot of research in his blog.
I had heard a blooper on the radio this morning. About 7:30am(EST), on WMJI/105.7, newsman Chip Kullick had read a report that Ted Kennedy was going to endorse Barack Obama for president, and that he was the second member of the clan to do so. I guess he realized what he had said and quickly added, "the Kennedy clan." I thought it was quite funny and shot off some emails. One of the folks who I had emailed was Struke(of Media Matters fame). Struke, a former radio and television news reporter is a self proclaimed "news geek," and being such is a quality inspector as far as news is concerned. Struke emailed me back and told me that that was a great example of bad writing, since radio and television reporting had to appeal to the ears and since the words "klan" and "clan" sound the same, that was a poor choice of words. I was paraphrasing as I was too lazy to open up my email. And Struke, you are more than welcome to use my comment section if you want to expand on this. And if newsnomore, who is a Cleveland broadcast hall of famer, is reading this, the invitation goes for you, too.
Both of these gentlemen take their news seriously and would never read a line like "Two teenage punks robbed a liquor store yesterday," or "The scumbag should be given the maximum sentence." Was a time when broadcasters not only went to college, but they sounded like it.
I had heard a blooper on the radio this morning. About 7:30am(EST), on WMJI/105.7, newsman Chip Kullick had read a report that Ted Kennedy was going to endorse Barack Obama for president, and that he was the second member of the clan to do so. I guess he realized what he had said and quickly added, "the Kennedy clan." I thought it was quite funny and shot off some emails. One of the folks who I had emailed was Struke(of Media Matters fame). Struke, a former radio and television news reporter is a self proclaimed "news geek," and being such is a quality inspector as far as news is concerned. Struke emailed me back and told me that that was a great example of bad writing, since radio and television reporting had to appeal to the ears and since the words "klan" and "clan" sound the same, that was a poor choice of words. I was paraphrasing as I was too lazy to open up my email. And Struke, you are more than welcome to use my comment section if you want to expand on this. And if newsnomore, who is a Cleveland broadcast hall of famer, is reading this, the invitation goes for you, too.
Both of these gentlemen take their news seriously and would never read a line like "Two teenage punks robbed a liquor store yesterday," or "The scumbag should be given the maximum sentence." Was a time when broadcasters not only went to college, but they sounded like it.
Comments
I have on DVD a "Morning Exchange" interview with former channel 5 news anchor, John Hambrick on the occasion of WEWS-Channel 5's 50th anniversary. on December 17, 1997. He said something to the effect that the main problem with TV news at that time was the writing, that it wasnt as good as before..and this was over 10 years ago..