Re(2): I KNOW you are but what am I? Posted on November 3, 2024 at 03:44:03 PM by observer
I woudl think a guy who wrote radio sales copy would be able to explain things in a simple declarative sentence, rather than go find a text explanation and just paste it.
In radio, you TELL THINGS conversationally, always in slightly less than 30 seconds.
Guess they didn't teach you that at KFDI? I learned how to type like I talk from George Doyle, NewsDir at KFH in Wichita.
He also gave me an excellent book that I have recommended for years called "How to Write, Think, and Speak Effectively, written by Rudolf Flesch, author of "Why Johnny Can't Read." The very late FLesch used to consult with government people on how to write clear legislation and to private copywriters how to write small legal print that's easy to read.
IF this Rinkydink software could accept graphic uploads, I'd post a copy of the front cover from Amazon where you can still order this long out-of-print paperback.
It was much easier to understand that the high brow little reader, "The Elements of Style."
In short instruction, I used to coach news writers to write like they talk, "Talk to your typewriter." (Well keyboard.)
Use conversational words. No one says "persons', we use Barbra Streisand's word, "people."
We MAKE PURCHASES but we BUY PRODUCTS. Purchases should be a NOUN, not a VERB!
The worst offenders on TV are young anchors fresh out of school forced to read poorly written handout news releases and cop reports on the air when no one's around to convert them into news scripts to be voiced.
Small markets read cop reports verbatum. They say SUSPECT instead of ACCUSED KILLER, they call teens "Juveniles" which only cops say.
And of course coaching anchors is centered around not reading aloud like a 5th grader forced to read and then pass the book to the next kid.
Rewriting is looking at punctuation and turn dependent clauses into separate sentences, or break grammar rules and convert them into run-on sentences which is how people talk conversationally.
Use of 3 dots which is a spoken pause helps. And the last thing, break readers who end every sentence by stressing, accenting the last word.
Weathermen are taught to say YOUR Saturday, YOUR Sunday, and when saying a time of day, add the word "hours", like "the morning HOURS", the 'overnight HOURS". And my personal favorite, charge anchors Five Dollars CASH to the coffee fund every time they pronounced the word "often" with a T sound instead of saying "OFF'n. And the same for working every hard news story ito a meaningless soft lead containing the word "BUT" to fake controversy.
And I'd fire the ABC COnsultant who write their present participle verbs.
People aren't DYING in a fire. They DIED, past tense. It is not necessary to dramatize every story as if it's happening at news time, especially on World News TONIGHT and the events happened LAST night or this morning.
These are chores producers and news directors do. Especially in small markets. SADLY, NBC Nightly's doing it now too. And a Five dollar Fine for each use of story transitions, "We now turn to...(the next story)." It becomes trite very quickly.
I think this is all the result of people majoring in Radio-TV-Film and not BROADCAST JOURNALISM.
Since I'm not almost dead yet and talk like Joe Biden, maybe I should set up a lecture or consulting job. I dont understand why Gray doesn't commit this to a video lecture on the internet and make their small market news and writing staff watch em with their news directors.
Well crap, I have to go vacuum the carpet this morning for company. Procrastinated long enough. Replies: