Randy Michaels memo will be tough for WGN staffers
In Chicago Public Radio's Vocalo.org, Robert Feder reports Tribune CEO Randy Michaels issued a list of 119 words and phrases that must never be uttered by anchors or reporters on WGN-AM (720), the news/talk radio station located five floors below his office in Tribune Tower. Said Feder:
Believe me, I’m not making this up.
WGN news director Charlie Meyerson, good soldier that he is, passed on what he identified as Michaels’ “list of forbidden ‘newsspeak’ words and phrases” in a memo to his staff Monday, with the explicit warning: “Don’t say them on WGN.”
Meyerson, a veteran Chicago newsman, has long championed the idea of delivering the news in a down-to-earth, conversational manner. That’s all well and good. As Meyerson explained in his memo:
“The real goal here is to avoid using words that make you sound like you’re reading, instead of talking — that shatter the image you’re speaking knowledgeably to one person. By not using ‘newsspeak,’ you enhance your reputation as a communicator.”
But Meyerson takes it a step further, directing his staff to keep tabs on each other’s compliance: They’re to report any on-air infractions by their co-workers, making sure to note the precise time and date on “bingo cards” he provided that contain a random assortment of Michaels’ forbidden words. If you ask me, that’s just plain creepy.
What’s even more disturbing is that the CEO of a major institution would engage in such petty and insulting micromanaging of subordinates. Here, without further ado, is Randy Michaels’ complete list of unacceptable expressions on the Tribune Co.’s flagship radio station:
â– “Flee” meaning “run away”
â– “Good” or “bad” news
â– “Laud” meaning “praise”
â– “Seek” meaning “look for”
â– “Some” meaning “about”
â– “Two to one margin” . . . “Two to one” is a ratio, not a margin. A margin is measured in points. It’s not a ratio.
â– “Yesterday” in a lead sentence
â– “Youth” meaning “child”
â– 5 a.m. in the morning
â– After the break
â– After these commercial messages
â– Aftermath
â– All of you
â– Allegations
â– Alleged
â– Area residents
â– As expected
â– At risk
â– At this point in time
â– Authorities
â– Auto accident
â– Bare naked
â– Behind bars
â– Behind closed doors
â– Behind the podium (you mean lecturn) [sic]
â– Best kept secret
â– Campaign trail
â– Clash with police
â– Close proximity
â– Complete surprise
â– Completely destroyed, completely abolished, completely finished or any other completely redundant use
â– Death toll
â– Definitely possible
â– Diva
â– Down in (location)
â– Down there
â– Dubbaya when you mean double you
â– Everybody (when referring to the audience)
â– Eye Rack or Eye Ran
â– False pretenses
â– Famed
â– Fatal death
â– Fled on foot
â– Folks
â– Giving 110%
â– Going forward
â– Gunman, especially lone gunman
â– Guys
â– Hunnert when you mean hundred
â– Icon
â– In a surprise move
â– In harm’s way
â– In other news
â– In the wake of (unless it’s a boating story)
â– Incarcerated
â– Informed sources say . . .
â– Killing spree
â– Legendary
â– Lend a helping hand
â– Literally
â– Lucky to be alive
â– Manhunt
â– Marred
â– Medical hospital
â– Mother of all (anything)
â– Motorist
â– Mute point. (It’s moot point, but don’t say that either)
â– Near miss
â– No brainer
â– Officials
â– Our top story tonight
â– Out in (location)
â– Out there
â– Over in
â– Pedestrian
â– Perfect storm
â– Perished
â– Perpetrator
â– Plagued
â– Really
â– Reeling
â– Reportedly
â– Seek
â– Senseless murder
â– Shots rang out
â– Shower activity
â– Sketchy details
â– Some (meaning about)
â– Some of you
â– Sources say . . .
â– Speaking out
â– Stay tuned
â– The fact of the matter
â– Those of you
â– Thus
â– Time for a break
â– To be fair
â– Torrential rain
â– Touch base
â– Under fire
â– Under siege
â– Underwent surgery
â– Undisclosed
â– Undocumented alien
â– Unrest
â– Untimely death
â– Up in (location)
â– Up there
â– Utilize (you mean use)
â– Vehicle
â– We’ll be right back
â– Welcome back
â– Welcome back everybody
â– We’ll be back
â– Went terribly wrong
â– We’re back
â– White stuff
â– World class
â– You folks
Randy responded to the article by telling RBR-TVBR: “I feel sorry for Bob. If he thinks it’s wrong for the CEO of a content company to focus on content, that could help explain why he is no longer paid to be in media.”
RBR-TVBR observation: Hey, some of these are pretty much good advice to a news team, but 119 is a bit over the top. It’s almost like asking someone to speak without using vowels! But for the record RBR-TVBR would like to add this one to the list: 'At the End of the Day!'
RBR-TVBR NOTE: 3/12/10 After we got comment from Tribune CEO Randy Michaels regarding an issue Robert Feder from Chicago Public Radio's Vocalo.org brought up, Feder has fired back.
Read: Robert Feder blasts back at Randy Michaels
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His bartender..his wife..his neighbor..the guy who changes his oil...old high school chums..
This reminds me of those state broadcast association seminars on copywriting where the expert hands out a list of words never to be used in radio ads because the expert is tired of them. Ask a few questions and you'll discover that the "expert" failed at radio sales.
Now if he'd actually spend some time on making sure that Tribune was financially sound (pun) and NOT stiffing creditors.
By the way, it's just my opinion that the bankruptcy law should make all companies responsible for a long-term repayment (with minimal interest) of the money they've bailed on. Look at KMart who then bought Sears. And now Tribune is still making money, but debt payout is minimal.
So Mr. Michaels, though I agree with what you are telling your news folk, how about letting your news directors do the little work and focus on actually running the business portion.
However, I agree that this sort of micro-management (and Soviet-style comrade-spying) is over the top.
Props to Paul Weyland - the "best friend test" is the perfect approach.
This is simply not how PEOPLE TALK. When was the last friggin time you used the word pedestrian in casual language?
Bob Feder is the poster child for irrelevency. A golden penned egomaniac from the days when a few ivory tower newspapermen believed they had the rights and responsibilities to control public opinion. But then 'public opinion' went public in new and hi tech ways they couldn't control. Now cast off from a dying daily, he stands at the edge of the crowd jumping up and down for attention, and berating those who don't suck up to 'the good old days'.
Randy Michaels stepped in to right a capsizing media battleship as obsolete as those in Pearl Harbor were to airpower. The jury is still way out, but get over the past. It's gone.
In addition, "perpetrator" has a certain crime files charm, and should not be banished from the airwaves by group owner fiat. I dare say that Rush Limbaugh has been known to use at least a third of the expressions on the list, and yet his ratings are not that shabby.
Cut the list down to the 40 worst offenders, and you would have something useful. 119 is overkill. I could go on, but have to "flee" right now. Shower activity threatens, if not torrential rain.
And Randy Michales is inasane--always has been...
FU
you pontificating bastard carzy old man..why would anyone belive you!
2 years ago, I retired from that business after 37 years of on-air radio. Don't miss it one iota. It's idiots like this who remind me as to why I bailed.
Back after these crass commercials.
Guys that pull this nonsense are like 99.9% of consultants....they were colossal failures when they attempted on air work. Consequently, they just want to tear radio stations down, and torture the successful personalities, because THEY couldn't pull it off. It is a different breed that succeeds in this business. The last point i will make is that sadly radio owners just don't know much or care much, about how radio is supposed to be run. So, when they hire a consultant it is a party of the blind leading the blind.
Tim Byrd
Control, Control, Control! is "right around the corner" and it's guaranteed to bring you "much, much more My God, What have we become!
Well Said!
We are the industry he mangled as the COO and CEO of Clear Channel, whether the format was News/Talk or music…he mangled it…let’s take a moment to look through the rear-view mirror.
Here is a man who:
• As CEO of Clear Channel, when describing his vision for the company and the future of their radio stations, compared it to McDonald's Hamburgers by saying “Clear Channel will become the McDonald’s of radioâ€;
• Single handedly gutted terrestrial radio as we knew it prior to the telecommunications act in the 1990's and replaced it with voice-tracking, cookie-cut formats and a syndicated programming strategy that together de-personalized radio and completely destroyed our farm-club training program for jocks otherwise known as ‘overnights’ and “at the end of the day†sent a large segment of our audience looking for another entertainment resource
• Contributed mightily to the financial woes facing radio today by his reckless acquisition strategy of buying radio stations at cash flow multiples exceeding 17x trailing cash flows….what a dumb-***! Today the cash flow multiple is hovering around 7x
• Changed the radio landscape so significantly it will take us 10 years to undo what that sorry, greedy, *****-of-a-human being has done to our industry!
Make no mistake about it….we will overcome his legacy, which is better described as the Randy-Turd that he so masterfully created in his own image!
What is SO DAMN funny about all of this WGN-AM business, is now he wants to micro-manage his news people so that they don’t sound like they are reading a script…READING A FRICKN’ SCRIPT….RANDY…..this is the world you created………how does is sound PODNA!
"BOOGER"
Dr. Johnny Fever -- WKRP
"of course:- if it's a matter of course, then why are you telling me about it?!
"gone missing"- especially when the reporter is talking about an object and not a person! "Gone missing" refers to native eskimos that went off into the tunra and never came back... how does that apply to the streets of Denver?!
Pull the plug on WGN Radio and start over. They are all a bunch of has - beens!!
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