by P. Payne

Created on: September 14, 2009

Watching television news is sometimes informative, but also is a source of distress, comedy, and amazement.

Tuning in to one of my favorite television stations for news and weather, I saw a new weather girl. Young and pretty, dressed professionally, she looked perfectly competent to do her job. But then she opened her mouth and spoke.

Her high-pitched voice was like fingernails scraping down a chalkboard, making the hair stand up on my arms. And to make it worse, she speaks slowly, so the torture is prolonged. This morning, on the early news, she was talking in that voice before 6 a.m. With little caffeine in me yet to calm me, I had to turn the channel. Everyone deserves a job in the field of their choice, and the new weather girl may be very competent. But that voice alters viewer perception and may lose viewers for the station.

I'm a news junkie, of sorts. I like to know about the major local happenings, and keep up with world news and politics. Being a former newspaper reporter, I have insight into the way the news system works. I get irate when I see and hear mistakes that shouldn't have been made, and have been known to send e-mails asking whether there is an editor on duty.

Mispronouncing names is a common mistake, even though there is a teleprompter to read which should have the names spelled phonetically. You can always tell when an anchor is not from the area by listening to the way he or she pronounces the names of area towns or local streets, For instance, in my area, there are many Indian names for communities that are sometimes butchered beyond recognition. Even names that seem simple are messed up quite often, such as McCleeeland for McClelland, a local street familiar to all residents of any length.

Another source of pain is the repeated use of a word that is simply a habit of the news person. The new weather girl said guys numerous times when referring to the audience and the weather the area could expect. It's very irritating. And unprofessional.

Mispronunciations can be excused to some degree, but when a sign, list, or information is shown on the screen for viewers, it should not have any misspelled words. It really makes the station look bad when most people employed in news departments are supposed to be college educated. I think spelling and reading are pretty necessary skills for the job.

The media already gets a bum rap at times for their behavior, their reporting or lack of it, and not everyone knows or cares about the ins and outs of journalism. The public wants the news, the facts, and professionalism. So, those in television authority should make every effort to make sure they hire people who can talk pleasantly, spell, and read the teleprompter.

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