Entries Tagged as 'rants'

what else is on TV?

television

Editor’s Note: In the daily observation of life around him, the author occasionally feels the need to point out ridiculously inane behavior and general thoughtlessness. These are called “Rants” and this is one of those times.

Here’s the thing, I do voices for television commercials and narrations for TV documentaries but the truth is I really don’t watch much TV. There are no shows that really grab my attention. It’s a personal preference I guess.

Tonight though, with some in-laws in town, I fired up the laptop and wireless and watched (sort of) TV. Tonight’s choice was a bunch of CSI’s on Spike TV (I like some of these shows…they’re well written, especially later episodes where they don’t seem as blatant in their exposition of the “what & why” of a forensic tool they’re using).

But the epiphany wasn’t so much in watching CSI as it was in the promos and ads on Spike between Acts. Violent, bloody horror films, TV shows and CSI: NY promos (Spike prompting that show as the “ballsier and bloodies CSI) were on for at least two minutes of every break. Movie titles like Black Christmas, Vacancy, Disturbia, and Shooter (uh, sorry, no links to this crap, folks). Or the heartwarming TV story of Ultimate Fighter 3 -5. What crap!

Next time you come across a guy or teenage boy (Spike’s target demo) who has “issues” or seems a bit screwed up, ask them what TV shows and movies they watch (let alone what video games they play). The answers wouldn’t surprise me, I don’t think.

Oh, and lets not blame the networks or studios (entirely, anyway)….if they thought they could make money broadcasting 24 hour crocheting, they’d show it. But somebody is buying and watching all this violent crap. Some parents aren’t monitoring what their sons are watching, when they should be turning off the television and introducing their kids to a book.

So turn off the violence, look at something more peaceful. http://www.technorati.com/profile/audioconnell

It’s a personal preference I guess.

a news voice should not be a commercial voice

edward_r_murrow_cbsnews

Editor’s Note: In the daily observation of life around him, the author occasionally feels the need to point out ridiculously inane behavior and general thoughtlessness. These are called “Rants” and this is one of those times.

Well, this will likely put me in dutch with some of my broadcast news friends but I can’t sit quietly about this any longer cause it BUGS me…radio news reporters and anchors should NOT be doing commercials…period.

Now before you cry discrimination, the TV news people shouldn’t either but I’ve not seen that happen. I have heard it far too often for my liking on the radio. It’s wrong.

While there was a time in radio and television’s history where news people often read live commercials, that practice dissolved as broadcast outlets’ news divisions evolved and the integrity of the news department became sacrosanct. Today, radio news departments have to scrape and claw for the money they need to do proper field reporting with decent technology while being first and accurate with the story in an amazingly short production window. In such an environment, salaries wane and integrity teeters.

At such a critical time when broadcast corporations often seemingly replace “public trust” with “shareholder’s investment” the news divisions and their leaders should not muddy the waters regarding their market’s perception of their talent by allowing those newscasters to read a murder report one moment only to have that same reporter’s voice heard on a pre-recorded car commercial the next. Not on their station or any other in their market.

What about out of market spots or corporate narrations for videos or even audio books? I have no problem with any of that. But in a local market, if you’re a news voice you cannot be a commercial voice. News integrity means never having to say “24 months interest free financing on approved credit.”

rants

Editor’s Note: In the daily observation of life around him, the author occasionally feels the need to point out ridiculously inane behavior and general thoughtlessness. These are called “Rants” and this is one of those times.

• Can’t we just pull out some kind of weapon and use it against smokers who throw their used cigarette butts out their car windows? Why is it acceptable that they use the world as their ashtray?

• If Lindsey Lohan is going to Alcoholics Anonymous, why did her Mother go on the radio and tell everyone? When did one of the 12 Steps become “parental public embarrassment”?

• In the next few years, since politicos on both sides of the aisle seem hell bent on taking America down a self-destructive path towards losing our Super Power status, will most citizens even notice?

• Why is it that people would have more trouble identifying Condoleezza Rice than Paris Hilton? Doesn’t that embarrass you a lot?!

• Toyota makes a better product and GM, Ford and Chrysler pay crazy wages and benefits to their union employees…who couldn’t see this change coming?

• If there were no paparazzi, would we have any idea when Britney Spears did or did not wear underwear? And would we care even less than we do already?

• Do you find it as annoying as I do that the NFL has grabbed such a strangle hold on its trade mark of the Super Bowl name that every body who has a “commercial” purpose has to call it “The Big Game”? Doesn’t it seem like the name should fall under public domain?

• Since Rosie O’Donnell isn’t really funny anymore now that she’s all up on her soapbox all the time and Donald Trump never was interesting, wouldn’t it be better just to ignore them and let them fall into oblivion? Why is that so hard for people to do?

• Most times, it’s not about conservative or liberal. It’s simply about right and wrong. And if we understood the difference as children, why does it seem we’re so ignorant about the difference as adults?