Members Anderton Posted May 4, 2007 Members Share Posted May 4, 2007 What's the deal with radio and TV shows saying, in a newcaster voice trembling with anticipation and excitement, "The 5:00 clock news begins...NOW!" On my local affiliate, even South Park starts that way (although maybe it's satirical). It started with Fox News, and like an infection, has spread to all aspects of radio and TV media. And isn't it kind of redundant? I mean, do I have to be told that the thing I'm watching is starting? Wouldn't I know that, unless I was falling down drunk or had the IQ of a slug? Chalk up another victory for the Department of Redundancy Department! This post is ending...NOW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dougb415 Posted May 4, 2007 Members Share Posted May 4, 2007 BTW, did you know that you can only see this footage exclusively on OUR channel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dahkter Posted May 4, 2007 Members Share Posted May 4, 2007 Why?Becuase TV is a drug, they're just looking to add another ingredient to up the adrenaline level, keep you sitting in front of it while the world around us continues to deteroriate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steveg Posted May 4, 2007 Members Share Posted May 4, 2007 Craig, it seems to me that most of the threads here lately all orbit around central idea: Our society/culture is going through a major shift..... It seems that our media culture has become bland and yet overly hyped, the arts have been devalued and commoditized. The allure of gadgets and acceleration of access to information has been completely amazing, and yet, as a society we are feeling the limitations and the isolation it imposes. I think we are on the verge of a 1950's to 1960's type sea change in which people are going to want community and meaning over hype and more and more stuff. Personally, I am really looking forward to this!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spokenward Posted May 4, 2007 Members Share Posted May 4, 2007 Broadcasting loves the quirky insinuation of language. An old fashioned one was the nervous tic (ahem) of time two-ways "Four Forty Five - [rest] Fifteen minutes to the hour". "Now" is an urgent word. Don't go anywhere else. I would guess that you would only see a pseudo timestamp like that used at the hour or quarter hour interval. It seems like a ratings maintenance device. to be more clear - the reason that broadcasters used to give "time two-ways" was because the Arbitron diaries (the ratings "book") tracked listeners by the quarter hour. Listeners had to write the station that they were listening to and the quarter-hours that they listened. Broadcasters could command a higher rate card if they had a higher quarter hour maintenance - meaning that they retained listeners in successive quarter hours. There are a lot of former radio people in TV news these days, so it may be a habit that dies hard. What I wonder is how many "teases" are done prior to the "The 5:00 clock news" - this device might be there to convince you that you have finally arrived somewhere. They set up the noise, and then they have to try and cut through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boosh Posted May 4, 2007 Members Share Posted May 4, 2007 I remember when I was a kid and wanted to tape something on my dads video I had my own tapes and made sure they were rewinded very thoroughly.I tried to hit record exactly when a movie began so I wouldn't miss anything of the movie and also didn't have any commercial or part of that before the movie. Maybe the,....it begins now is a CUE?? Maybe it's a cue especially for me,... Maybe I smoked too much substances of ganjalike origin tonight,... nevermind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Billster Posted May 5, 2007 Members Share Posted May 5, 2007 I think between the original post as the replies so far, what I see is that in contemporary culture, EVERYTHING IS WITH THE CAPS LOCK ON, and so there are different cues for emphasis. But I know what you mean Craig. The whole "Now" thing is ridiculous. Sometimes it's a cue to change the channel because the show I was just watching is definitely over and I want to find anything else before the local news assaults me with the most grisly crime of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steveg Posted May 5, 2007 Members Share Posted May 5, 2007 I think between the original post as the replies so far, what I see is that in contemporary culture, EVERYTHING IS WITH THE CAPS LOCK ON, and so there are different cues for emphasis.But I know what you mean Craig. The whole "Now" thing is ridiculous. Sometimes it's a cue to change the channel because the show I was just watching is definitely over and I want to find anything else before the local news assaults me with the most grisly crime of the day. Billster, That is a perfect metaphor, it is as if our society is ALWAYS IN CAPS-LOCK! perfect!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steveg Posted May 5, 2007 Members Share Posted May 5, 2007 I think between the original post as the replies so far, what I see is that in contemporary culture, EVERYTHING IS WITH THE CAPS LOCK ON, and so there are different cues for emphasis.But I know what you mean Craig. The whole "Now" thing is ridiculous. Sometimes it's a cue to change the channel because the show I was just watching is definitely over and I want to find anything else before the local news assaults me with the most grisly crime of the day. Billster, That is a perfect metaphor, it is as if our society is ALWAYS IN CAPS-LOCK! perfect!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted May 5, 2007 Members Share Posted May 5, 2007 ...and cue Van Halen: RIGHT NOW! Best, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted May 5, 2007 Members Share Posted May 5, 2007 What's the deal with radio and TV shows saying, in a newcaster voice trembling with anticipation and excitement, "The 5:00 clock news begins...NOW!" On my local affiliate, even South Park starts that way (although maybe it's satirical).It started with Fox News, and like an infection, has spread to all aspects of radio and TV media. And isn't it kind of redundant? I mean, do I have to be told that the thing I'm watching is starting? Wouldn't I know that, unless I was falling down drunk or had the IQ of a slug?Chalk up another victory for the Department of Redundancy Department! This post is ending...NOW! By only watching Law & Order and old Perry Mason re-runs I manage to avoid most of the indignities suffered by frequent broadcast TV viewers. I also have a QUICK and HEAVY thumb on the mute button -- but also almost NEVER watch in realtime -- allowing me to FF through the commercials. That said, the local Perry Mason rerun purveyor, sleazy pseudo-Christian station KDOC, in OC, CA, has adverts for the diploma mills and I have spotted a RISING STAR coming up on the Devry/Everest [i think it was] adverts... it's this young black guy with a lot of well-written one liners... one of "his" best spots has him on a really sweet looking red vinyl couch -- on an urban rooftop with a neat city view -- and he's saying something like "Are you an adult or are you foolin' yourself? Get up off that couch and pick up the phone now!" (There's that "now," I guess.) Anyhow, if I had a cool couch like that and a rooftop view -- I'd never get up off the couch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tedster Posted May 5, 2007 Members Share Posted May 5, 2007 The media latches on to these tricks, and all you can do is wait for them to go away. A few years back, every car commercial was doing this..."normal motion-S-L-O-W M-O-T-I-O-N-normal motion" thing that just irritated the bejeezus out of me. I thought..."If I wait, it'll become passe and they'll quit doing it".. Wrong. It still annoys the {censored} out of me, but I've gotten more used to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lakisha Posted May 6, 2007 Members Share Posted May 6, 2007 What's the deal with radio and TV shows saying, in a newcaster voice trembling with anticipation and excitement, "The 5:00 clock news begins...NOW!" On my local affiliate, even South Park starts that way (although maybe it's satirical). Oldskool TV used to pause between shows for commerials. Then they realize if they jet the space between shows they can keep some a the same audience from the last show watching the new show. Its a way to keep as much audience as possible. No commercial to make them go to the kitchen and feed their fat face or play with the remote and hop onto another channel but BOOM THE NEXT SHOW BEGINS NOW and then theres a minute of high octane intro to hook viewers from the last show to stay in their spot. The commercials you woulda seen between shows you now see a few minutes into the new show after your hooked. The announcement is a legacy thing to thwart oldskool expectations that theres gonna be commercials. Turns out more people keep watching the same channel when they hear that than when they dont. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted May 6, 2007 Author Members Share Posted May 6, 2007 Yeah, that makes a lot of sense - I guess you have to yell at people 'THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A COMMERCIAL SO SIT DOWN." But honestly, isn't a show's theme sort of proclaiming that it's beginning? I just feel it's waste of time to have someone say "Hey, the show's beginning" and then a theme/credit comes on that says "Hey, the show's beginning." I guess I'm just tired of being treated like a moron by the media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted May 6, 2007 Moderators Share Posted May 6, 2007 They need an official and honest begining after all the teases, false starts, coming right ups, and assorted lies we accept now. I told my daughter years ago the nature of TV adverts and promos. Assume they're all lies... that has proven to be the case. So they need a way of saying, "No really,we're starting for reals!" That, and what Spokenward said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the stranger Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Can somebody tell me when this thread is going to end? I found the start date and time, but no end time??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Billster Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 But honestly, isn't a show's theme sort of proclaiming that it's beginning? What theme song? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rabid Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Remember Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members halljams Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 The media latches on to these tricks, and all you can do is wait for them to go away. A few years back, every car commercial was doing this..."normal motion-S-L-O-W M-O-T-I-O-N-normal motion" thing that just irritated the bejeezus out of me. I thought..."If I wait, it'll become passe and they'll quit doing it"..Wrong. It still annoys the {censored} out of me, but I've gotten more used to it. I don't understand this Ted. You say all you can do is wait for it to go away.You state that the media annoys you. You are aware that you have a choice as to weather you expose yourself to the media aren't you? People.... you are all aware of that right? You all are aware that the media is a blatant form of dumbing you all down right?You all are aware that what you hear and see is pure bull{censored} on all the news and in all the magazines and every word from those peoples lips and pens is about so much more than communicating honestly with you..... RIGHT?????please please say you all know this. My god we are in trouble right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spokenward Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 originally posted by Halljams You are aware that you have a choice as to weather you expose yourself to the media aren't you? Maybe you could think of it like this. People who write books usually read books. People who make media consume media. We have immunity - it doesn't make us stupid. Maybe a dull headache, but never stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members halljams Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 We have immunity oh man:cry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted May 7, 2007 Moderators Share Posted May 7, 2007 Not only that, but they seem to always put a few frames of video black now before the opening cut to the show. Personally, I don't know what their intent is but I appreciate both the audio and video cues. It lets me be in the other room doing something useful until the exact moment I have to step in and either watch or press the record button on the VCR. For that matter, the VCR remote works from the other room, provided I bounce its beam off the back wall. TV is a lot better condensed with a VCR or digital recording. Terry D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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