A Glossary of Newsroom Jargon

AC/DC On air talent who also hold management jobs at the station.

Me Roll B-Roll that uses a lot of reporter reversals or other walking footage of the reporter with the interview subject.

Photag Stations that require using the photogs name at the end of standard packages. For example: "With photographer Joe Blow, I'm ________."

Tommy Gun A live reporter who stumbles over his/her words so much that they begin to stutter.

Originally posted by facts:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Booger:
How about backhaul? Ought to put that one on there.

What is backhaul?</font>[/QUOTE]Here's a definition from a website.

"Backhaul feeds" are raw satellite transmissions used by TV stations to send live sound and video from one location to another. They often contain footage of politicians, news reporters and other television personalities as they prepare to appear on television. While these feeds are sent unscrambled over the public airwaves, and are accessible to several million home satellite viewers, they are generally considered "off-air" by the television industry.
As a result, these feeds reveal a side of television that we normally see only in glimpses and usually by mistake -- like when a newscast cuts to a reporter and he or she is unaware that they're on the air. Seen in their entirety, these feeds are much more than bloopers, they are capsule dramas, told in real time. The drama in this case is not today's plane crash, it is the news reporter covering the plane crash.

Backhaul usually refers to uplinking a sporting event, or other event not being produced in the satellite truck. Backhauls are easy for truck ops because they involve simply plugging in audio and video from some other source and uplinking it. What comes in goes out.

News shots or tape feeds are not considered backhaul.

One Stop Shopping-A story you can do at just one location.

Cross the Street-Going to work at another station in town

[Historian]

Anchoroid: A robotic looking performance from an anchor.

The fine folks at an Oklahoma City TV station used to require their anchors to sit rigidly with palms flat on the anchor desk. They were not allowed to move the hands or turn their heads. If they wanted to look at a co-anchor, they had to swivel in the chair, keeping neck incredibly stiff, and palms in place.

They applied this same nonsense to a station they owned, and I worked at. We joked about the hands not moving so that we wouldn't expose the wires running from under the desks through our arms.

It lasted less than one show for us.

[RollTide98]

On the Fly: As in "editing on the fly." Reporter bypasses a separate voice tape by voicing a package on the master tape as its A-rolled... simply setting an in point, choosing Channel 1 audio only, and then speaking into the mic as the edit begins.

Slice 'n Dice: What is done to the story order whan the EP doesn't like the flow.

Video Box: VO plays inside a full-screen graphic, with text typically revealed as the talent reads.

Drop Down: An over-the-shoulder graphic to which chyron text is added in bulletin points from top to bottom as the anchor reads corresponding information. This is ordered by a producer to compensate for a lack of video... or to try to impress other producers.

[ April 02, 2004, 12:44 PM: Message edited by: RollTide98 ]

[jama]

What about Cleveland Steamer, Dirty Sanchez, Abe Lincoln...oh, wait, that's a different list.

[Pro]

A couple of more:

Slam Dunk - a story that is so easy that very little time, effort or insight is needed.

Ted Baxters or Teds - overbearing, phoney, pompous on-air anchors.

And one that is used in all businesses, not just television:

Fishing Off The Company Pier - dating/sleeping with a co-worker.

[ April 02, 2004, 01:25 PM: Message edited by: Pro ]

Originally posted by jama:
What about Cleveland Steamer, Dirty Sanchez, Abe Lincoln...oh, wait, that's a different list.

shocker, donkey punch, lunch box, hot carl.

sorry couldn't resist.

We had "The Experience" at my shop. When it started it was tape of the editorial meeting with the stories we were working on with some broll of the respective stories. Then, it was a heavily produced promo that went on before the show.

The Flex-A news promo right before the show that "flexed" the screen so it was news promo right and the show's credits left.

Originally posted by Erik Foreman:
We had "The Experience" at my shop. When it started it was tape of the editorial meeting with the stories we were working on with some broll of the respective stories. Then, it was a heavily produced promo that went on before the show.

The Flex-A news promo right before the show that "flexed" the screen so it was news promo right and the show's credits left.

What??

Dial-A-Bite:

That seasoned interview subject who gives perfect, 10-second soundbites each time, and many from which to choose.

How about:

"Little Girl Reporter Syndrome". That describes a lot of female reporters, fresh out of college, who spend a lot of time at their first stations pacing nervously, worrying about their hair, whining in the news director's office and frequently throwing tantrums with their photographers.

"Meat Puppets" Reference to anchors.

"Ray Charles" An untalented photographer

"Keep the Commercials from Bumping Together" Usually refers to the stories we do just because we need to fill the newscast.

[Stack It]

I almost forgot:

one-man band: photographer/reporter rolled into one. person who shoots and puts together their own stories.

[Pro]

"Ray Charles" An untalented photographer

I've heard them referred to as "Stevie Wonder"... I've also heard this term used for TD's and studio camera people.

Here are a few more I've encountered along the way:

"F.O.B.": font on background. Used to denote graphics (usually a bullet-pointed list) fonted over a preproduced background. Caused a small problem when an anchor called the then-governor of Alabama, Fob James, "F-O-B James." She may have been distantly related to the anchor who once said "World War Eleven," having read "World War II" on the prompter.

"Wipe": going straight from piece video to the next with a live special effect (I thought everybody used this one.)

"Tech F--k" (noun): a derisive term for a TV engineer.

"Eatin' Meetin'": learned this one in South Georgia. It's the Rotary, Kiwanis, or Civitan meeting you always have to cover to get a soundbite from the speaker (even if you don't run it). The payoff is that the crew gets a good meal.

[Laughing Angel]

Escape Tape:

Videotape containing examples of your best on-air work.

The videotape you send to news directors (and others in the position to hire on-air talent) in order to get a job in another market.

"That station was so bad, the escape tapes were flying out the door!"

This is beautiful, Randy.
It shows how sick we are.

YAP: The talking head in a swing-by VO-SOT.
As in, "Get a quick bite from the yap, and come on back."

BFWOTVOSOT (pronounced BIFF-WHAT-VOH-SOHT): Big f---ing wast of time voice over sound on tape.
As in, "Grab the yap for a bfwotvosot."

"...JUST ANOTHER VO-SOT": What you say to your wife when she wants to attend one of those weekend community festvals.
As in: "And you expect conjugal relations?"

RIDING THE ELEPHANT: Feature reporters who make themselves the main characters in their own stories.
As in: "Too bad she didn't ride the elephant at that porn convention."

SLAM JAM: A hurried edit.
As in: "Slam it, jam it, no thanks, dammit!"

PHONE IT IN: No effort at all.
As in: "Why bother to show up?"

[ April 06, 2004, 01:49 PM: Message edited by: upandown ]

U2 Mode-When the desk gets all excited about something they heard on the scanners. Without knowing what it is, they get three or more crews out the door to cover it, amid much loudness and managers around the desk. Called U2 Mode because the desk' Still Hasn't Found What It's Looking For"

[thepowerproducer]

Don't know if this one is on here yet.. Efforting: trying to get in time for the newscast. I'm not a big fan of the term, but I'm sure I've used it.

[kgsl]

"Mister Rogers Neighborhood"

This was used at my last station. Whenever we heard "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" over the intercom, we knew there was someone in a control room with delicate ears (manager, visitors, kids, church group tour).

It was a signal for everyone to watch their language very carefully.

[Sir Dropham Pants]

"Turd Hunt" - When a crew is sent to 'just check something out.' They spend the rest of the day searching for that thing, only to find out in the end it's well...

"U.P.S. Newscast" - Often found in small markets. All packages - none of them from around here.

[s'news]

BOXER: A junior technical director who performs so poorly it is often remarked that he punches the show with boxing gloves. AKA: Sugar Ray. As in, "Nice job Sugar Ray."

(Posted on behalf of a fellow who goes by the name of Chase, who says he's having trouble with his computer.)

"Playin' Piano"...
Another term for frantic punching of switcher buttons

[Tripe Face]

Originally posted by Pro:
A couple of more:

Ted Baxters or Teds - overbearing, phoney, pompous on-air anchors.

This is redundant