The Five Things You Hate the Most About Holiday Broadcasting

[Scarlet Termite]

In my neverending quest to be as close to reality as possible with my comic, I wonder if you all would grace me with your musings on five things you hate the most about broadcasting during the holiday season!

Mockingbird, this is a media related post. Just so you know.

[TJAB 23]

In no particular order:

* Debate over "Happy Holidays"/"Merry Christmas"...enough - get over it.

* Goofy station promos, whether it's baby pictures of anchors or anchors and their children - get original.

* Morning interviews about Nutcracker performances - we know, it's magical, blah blah, blah. Can we recue last year's performance?

* Photographer comes back to the station with tacky light display and it turns into a wowing ;) show close.

* Stories about how to care for your poinsetta. Seriously, if it dies in January - who cares?

[David R. Busse]

1. The "holiday in the news biz" smell of cooked turkey, dried urine and vomit that says "another story on skid row Santa."

2. The "get to the airport three hours early" holiday travel story.

3. The "Christmas came early for..." line. If I were a news director, use of this phrase would get a reporter suspended, as would calling snow "the white stuff" or describing anything as a "winter wonderland."

4. Any holiday shopping story that involves morons camping out waiting to buy something.

5. Any story on "how to buy a Christmas tree" that includes a graphic on "tips for finding the right tree."

I have enough seniority now to NEVER work during the last week of December...that's perhaps the best Christmas gift of all!

[That Camera Guy]

The package every station will do on Christmas day about those who have to work, including all the pissed off station employees.

[SpxGrunt]

:15 promo
"From all of us to all of you (ALL TOGETHER NOW) Happy Holidays (now wave!)"

[Kace]

The Santa Tracker...

[Diplomat]

The sports stories about how "Coach Jones wants Santa to leave him a new quarterback..."
I know one guy who constantly did this during the holidays and it always sounded convoluted and contrived.

As previously mentioned, the stories about "morons camping out" for the latest fad item.

Those "tug at your heartstrings" stories about "underprivileged" families when we find out that the mother has four or five children, each by different fathers, has no education or job skills and shows no inclination toward getting either. Yet they have money for a large TV and cigarettes, etc. It's an insult to families who are suffering and also trying to improve their lot in life.

Stories about very expensive items that most viewers cannot afford are dopey, especially when they're presented in a way as to suggest that those viewers can indeed afford them.

[Kace]

And don't forget the dangers of certain Christmas gift items, like the burning Barbie and all that.

[McCovey Cove Returns]

I still don't get the point of having a morning show Christmas Day and New Year's Day. I understand maybe a 6 or 10, but for the most part, people usually are focused on other things during this time. Xmas=opening presents with the family. New Year's, they're either still out partying or have the hangover from hell and are passed out.

[Signature on File]

We always run the "Happy Holiday" turns sad story. "Mother of three carjacked, kidnapped, and raped, while out trying to find "Elmo" gift for her children on Chritmas eve" OR..."Christmas tree ignites and burns down home as family volunteers at local food drive" type stories. Best tear jerker in a while...was "Father in shock, 5 year old daughter falls off float and is crushed by wheels, that he was pulling in Christmas parade."

[The Mockingbird]

Let's not forget the oh so oft done homeless shelter Holiday meals.

[ProducerChic]

Originally posted by News Vampire:
I still don't get the point of having a morning show Christmas Day and New Year's Day. I understand maybe a 6 or 10, but for the most part, people usually are focused on other things during this time. Xmas=opening presents with the family. New Year's, they're either still out partying or have the hangover from hell and are passed out.We have all shows Christmas day, except the noon.

graemlins/bs.gif

[Pro]

Hey folks, what holiday stories do you like?

It sounds like a lot of you would just as soon forget the holdiays ever existed.

On a personal level, I can relate, but as a professional, I have to realize that my viewers like these kind of stories and have come to expect them.
I've NEVER had a viewer complaint saying "If you run any more Christmas lights/decorations stories, I'll never watch your station again!" Never.

[Stack It]

We did a "Sounds of the Season" at one of my stations. We had local schools send in videos of students performing holiday songs. Most of our locals had a choir of some sort, even the elementary schools, so we got some cool tapes. We also got 1st, 2nd, 3rd graders singing songs, very neat. We would play the tapes throughout our newscast. It was a great way to eat up time and at the same time, get the community involved. We had a ton of tapes and managed to play every single one of them. It generated a huge response, and people constantly called asking when their kids would be on.

Edited: What I hate most? Covering all the lovely "grinch that stole Christmas stories" and other crime. A lot of it turns out to be domestic. It's also kind of depressing to work on one of the holidays. Also, I still don't get what value a morning show on Christmas Day adds. No one is watching, they're all either a) asleep or b) opening presents.

[ December 04, 2006, 03:20 PM: Message edited by: Stack It ]

[JoinUsForCake]

graemlins/sleep.gif A story about the dangers of using one of those idiotic turkey fryers... graemlins/sleep.gif graemlins/sleep.gif
http://www.ces.purdue.edu/holiday/graphics/fryer/fryerfire.jpg
graemlins/sleep.gif graemlins/sleep.gif

[ December 04, 2006, 04:20 PM: Message edited by: JoinUsForCake & Congealed Gravy ]

[adam & doctor drew]

Originally posted by News Vampire:
I still don't get the point of having a morning show Christmas Day and New Year's Day. I understand maybe a 6 or 10, but for the most part, people usually are focused on other things during this time. Xmas=opening presents with the family. New Year's, they're either still out partying or have the hangover from hell and are passed out.totally agree.
management, give your staff the gift of the day off.
there's no news and no one's watching.

cue up a year-end special or something.

[writer2]

My favorite: Fistfights in the mall parking lots over a space for a car! Fun for everyone! ;)

[Brain Cramp]

The day before Thanksgiving I saw the worst network live shot ever and with a reporter I normally respect. Kerry Sanders was driving in a car and talking to the remote camera mounted on the passenger side of the car. While he was driving he told viewers to be sure to buckle up for holiday travel. He repeated this message over and over using different words but that was the only message - "Wear your safety belt." Then he pulled into a gas station. A photog was waiting so when Kerry got out of the car, the shot cut from the mounted camera in the car to Kerry standing in the parking lot. His next message was how much gas was costing at this gas station near D.C. and the average price of gas around the country. That was it. A live shot that lasted at least 2:30 with two messages: Wear your seatbelt and pay for your gas. This was a self-centered planned live shot that offered nothing to viewers yet probably was entertaining for the crew. "Let's see if we can pull off a live shot where our reporter drives on the highway and pulls into a gas station and is REPORTING LIVE THE WHOLE TIME!!" Whoopee. Talk about a cheap, lame and meaningless live shot and from a network no less. :rolleyes:

[carolinachik]

My least favorite thing- CHRISTMAS SWEATERS!
We have one anchor in the market who used to bring out her fabulous holiday sweaters the day after Thanksgiving, and wore one EVERYDAY until Christmas!

[Bureau Chief]

I like the "does it do what is says?" package where the test all the great toys and gadgets to see if they truely work as advertised.

[Shank]

HATE: Jimmy used to be eating at the salvation army, now he's...

Sexy Santa (just check pathfire)

Don't over eat this holiday season (then what is it for)

And every new year's resolution pkg ever done... ever

LOVE: Getting paid to sit at work and watch football... if management wants me to be productive then they can come to work too

[Roy Hobbs]

The Butterball Turkey Hotline, courtesy of my old PR firm.

Thank goodness I wasn't on THAT account...too cynical about how news stuffing is made.

[Michigan J. Frog]

Originally posted by Shank:
. if management wants me to be productive then they can come to work tooSo you work for free?

No? They DO pay you?

Not sure why, since you don't think you need to "be productive."

[Shank]

Originally posted by Michigan J. Frog:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Shank:
. if management wants me to be productive then they can come to work tooSo you work for free?

No? They DO pay you?

Not sure why, since you don't think you need to "be productive."</font>[/QUOTE]Congrats Froggy... you once again show your amazing ability to take the fun out of anything..

To answer your question, yes they do pay me... just like they are getting paid to be at home with their families... they're not being productive and getting a check... maybe they should return that cash to those who are at work for them... but of course that is silly... just like my comment about sitting around watching football was meant to be...

[Michigan J. Frog]

Originally posted by Shank:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Michigan J. Frog:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Shank:
. if management wants me to be productive then they can come to work tooSo you work for free?

No? They DO pay you?

Not sure why, since you don't think you need to "be productive."</font>[/QUOTE]Congrats Froggy... you once again show your amazing ability to take the fun out of anything..

To answer your question, yes they do pay me... just like they are getting paid to be at home with their families... they're not being productive and getting a check... maybe they should return that cash to those who are at work for them... but of course that is silly... just like my comment about sitting around watching football was meant to be...</font>[/QUOTE]You may have been kidding, but I have had the displeasure of meeting far too many people in this business who do, in real life, exactly what you said jokingly.

[Cobra Commander]

Originally posted by Mockingbird with cranberry sauce:
Let's not forget the oh so oft done homeless shelter Holiday meals.My biggest fear when shooting those stories is when the people there offer to feed us for free. Food I wouldn't feed to a dog! UGH!

[Scarlet Termite]

Thank you to all who posted! I used a bunch of your peeves in the comic!

Thanks, again! graemlins/hug.gif graemlins/iloveyou.gif

[tom servo]

Originally posted by Kace:
The Santa Tracker...Naw, I like this one, only because it led to an extremely funny Robot Chicken episode involving Santa being taken out by NORAD's F16's ;)

[Sir Dropham Pants]

Originally posted by Cobra Commander:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Mockingbird with cranberry sauce:
Let's not forget the oh so oft done homeless shelter Holiday meals.My biggest fear when shooting those stories is when the people there offer to feed us for free. Food I wouldn't feed to a dog! UGH!</font>[/QUOTE]On the other hand, it is food, it is free... and if the station ain't serving...

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

Originally posted by mountain guru:


3) having to "fill" an extra 2 minutes in a newscast because the news folks don't have enough "bad" news to cover.

4) on the other hand.... getting my weather time cut drastically, because the live shot by the rookie reporter from a Christmas tree lighting event went a minute over, and I've got a winter storm approaching.

so in other words, you're unhappy if they give you too much time.
and you're unhappy if they don't give you enough time.

oh, and I'm sure your co-workers appreciate you thinking of them as the "C team."

[ December 11, 2006, 12:22 AM: Message edited by: adam & doctor drew ]

[nywx10]

1) Stories on how to keep your home safe and your tree from burning down during the holidays.

2) Christmas and or Hannukah stories that are of absolutely no interest to people in our DMA (e.g., why Christmas trees at a particular NYC tree stand are $100 or more).

3) Sappy stories on helping out the less fortunate. Why do we only do these stories at Christmas time. Also add to this "holiday" tradition stories.

4) Producers who just do not get the importance of weather during holiday periods and then squeeze weather's time so that they can fill a show with more stories like peeves 1,2, and 3 above.

5) Doing a morning news show on Christmas Day.

[ December 11, 2006, 03:46 AM: Message edited by: tv10 (+4 days 'til Xmas) wxman ]

[The Mockingbird]

Originally posted by Cobra Commander:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Mockingbird with cranberry sauce:
Let's not forget the oh so oft done homeless shelter Holiday meals.My biggest fear when shooting those stories is when the people there offer to feed us for free. Food I wouldn't feed to a dog! UGH!</font>[/QUOTE]They sense journalist salaries. Being a journalist is almost like being homeless. graemlins/eusa_shifty.gif

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

Originally posted by mountain guru:
yeah...nothing like a six minute weathercast when all is quiet to keep em happy at home. I resent being used as "filler". graemlins/face_banghead.gif

Just let me go to the producer on a slow day and say.... </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> hey pal...you need another package, cause I just don't have enough weather to fill 3 and a half minutes today ... graemlins/eusa_doh.gif On the same note I despise having to sometimes race through weather in less than 2:30 when there is a significant storm event about to occur, because a "green" producer mistimed the newscast! :eek:

Speaking of "green"... I would not be critical of the "C" team
A) IF they could punch a show correctly... cue tapes up right.
B) IF they could build graphics in the art department or on a chyron without misspelling names and..
C) IF they could get through the day without screwing up the order of weather sources you call for in a show!

I criticize their ability... but they're really very "nice" people! smile.gif </font>[/QUOTE]this has to be a joke, right?

are you aware how pompous you sound?

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

I wasn't looking for a fight, I simply responded to the tone of your post and asked if you knew how you were coming across.

for a weather guy in Albuquerque, you seem to have a HUGE opinion of yourself.

[foxravens]

I have disagreed politically with "mountain guru" ever since he began posting.
After reading that, I realize I disagree with him on everything else.
What a warm, wonderful person, huh?
Sigh.

[NewsMom]

I'll scream if anyone in DC does the "grinch" story, concluding with, "if you'd like to help out, a fund has been started at the xyz bank..."

Ditto the Christmas-Dinner-in-the-jail story. Puke.

The school choirs videos sound like a terrific idea---if I were running a local newsroom, I'd jump on that idea. Awww, maybe it's too late...

[Scarlet Termite]

Regarding the school choirs, I heard on my local NPR station that local choirs are singing at the Columbus International Airport and judging from the folks that were interviewed, the travelers that is, the singers have been well received and are helping relieve some holiday travel stress.

That's kind of a nice Christmas story. :D

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

FYI, there was a post by Mountain Guru that was deleted, either by him or one of the mods.

it was between my last post on this thread and the post by foxravens, sometime around 11 am-2 pm PST.

it had Mountain Guru accusing me of, among other things, "trying to start a fight" because I questioned him on his pomposity.

in case you were wondering..

EDIT: after further review, it would appear ALL of Mountain Guru's posts were deleted.
but you can read them in my responses to his posts, if that makes sense.

[ December 11, 2006, 11:47 PM: Message edited by: adam & doctor drew ]

[ZuZu's Petals]

Originally posted by News Vampire:
I still don't get the point of having a morning show Christmas Day and New Year's Day. I understand maybe a 6 or 10, but for the most part, people usually are focused on other things during this time. Xmas=opening presents with the family. New Year's, they're either still out partying or have the hangover from hell and are passed out.I see your point - and typically I agree - but your point is based o the assumption that everyone has family and gifts to exchange.

A) not everyone celebrates Christmas
B) if your morning show makes three people in nursing homes throughout your city feel like they started Christmas Day with a good friend... maybe it's worth it.

[The Mockingbird]

Originally posted by ZuZu's Petals:
[QUOTE]if your morning show makes three people in nursing homes throughout your city feel like they started Christmas Day with a good friend... maybe it's worth it.Well, maybe the CBS affiliates can stay on the air, then.

[adam &amp; doctor drew]

Originally posted by ZuZu's Petals:
if your morning show makes three people in nursing homes throughout your city feel like they started Christmas Day with a good friend... maybe it's worth it.that's good news then for the Early Show.

[ZuZu's Petals]

I'm just sayin'.

I dunno, maybe I sounded cheesy. But when I read some of these posts, my mind went to thoughts of the really lonely people out there. Those that would like ONE THING to be NORMAL on Christmas day - rather than stick out as more evidence that they have no one to share joy with.