Bantering News Anchors: Why?

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Flip on CNN this and every morning and you'll invariably see otherwise quasi-credible news talking heads like Soledad O'Brien, Bill Hemmer and Jack Cafferty eschewing straight reporting in favor of "witty banter" and a more "relaxed" demeanor, forcibly yucking it up over luke-warm jokes and predictabley saccharine commentary on easy targets. And it's the same formula on MSNBC, Fox and the rest of'em. My question: Why? If I want folksy, downhome conversation, I'll go to my local diner. I just want the news. Why do I have to hear Soledad stiffly flirt with Jack? I don't get it. Who asks for this stuff? Who buys it?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 26 January 2004 14:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Is Sue Simmonds still cackling away and bantering over all the crime in NYC?

― the river fleet, Monday, 26 January 2004 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

But of course. In fact, she's the first news anchor I seem to remember lowering the bar in this fashion.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 26 January 2004 14:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Do they perch on desks uncomfortably too? Since that pesky Kirsty Young all manner of enforced informality has been inflicted on the British news viewer.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 26 January 2004 14:11 (twenty-two years ago)

This drives me mad whenever I am in America. I think I have called this "witty banter" (quotes included) since I was about 12.

British news is never ever that bad; sometimes in the US I think the anchor is gonna ask the sportscaster how Joey Jr did at Little League this week or something.

― suzy (suzy), Monday, 26 January 2004 14:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, there is that skinny blonde newsreader who wears all the weird bondage gear. I think HSA fancies her.

― the river fleet, Monday, 26 January 2004 14:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Do they perch on desks uncomfortably too?

Depends on the channel. In some cases, the desks are ditched for a sofa, or the anchors simply stand around, looking entirely unnatural and looking like they need something to do with their arms.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 26 January 2004 14:15 (twenty-two years ago)

that skinny blonde newsreader who wears all the weird bondage gear

You're making this up. Aren't you?

― MarkH (MarkH), Monday, 26 January 2004 14:16 (twenty-two years ago)

No. Actually, I don't think HSA fancies her cause she's too scrawny, but he likes the weird bondage clothes. She is forever wearing these things with buckles all over them, especially around the neck. I can't remember what channel she's on. Either BBC1 or C4.

― the river fleet, Monday, 26 January 2004 14:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Sophie Raworth? T3ss@ was on MA with her and says: "cow."

― suzy (suzy), Monday, 26 January 2004 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

The Kentucky Fried Movie did the whole 'bantering newscasters' thing to a well-done turn...and that was 1978. It's only gotten worse. Might had a pretty hilarious issue about local news that dwelled on the subject.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 26 January 2004 16:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Skimming the new answers page, I thought this read "Battering News Anchors" and thought that would make a better Alex thread!

― the river fleet, Monday, 26 January 2004 16:14 (twenty-two years ago)

This is the thread where we discuss Anchorman

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 26 January 2004 16:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Howay Kate, was it Sophie Raworth? Or Emily Maitlis perhaps?

― Alfie (Alfie), Monday, 26 January 2004 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah, it's Emily Maitlis! That's the one!

Leather trousers:

http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/assets/images/emilyonset.jpg

The bondage type gear with the buckles on it:

http://www.londontransport.co.uk/tfl/images/real-london/rl_entertainment/rl-emily.jpg

(There's a bigger picture where you can see it more clearly, but it's 800x800px)

Unfortunately, they don't have any pictures of her in the dog collage thing. Rwoar!

― the river fleet, Monday, 26 January 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Odd. The top picture is rather frumpy, whereas the bottom picture is rather flattering.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 26 January 2004 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Such an unfortunate surname in the playground, though!

― suzy (suzy), Monday, 26 January 2004 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

suzy i must remind you of kare 11

― g--ff (gcannon), Monday, 26 January 2004 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Dude! the top outfit is pretty much what I was wearing on my first or second date with HSA!

― the river fleet, Monday, 26 January 2004 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, she's LDN, no wonder I haven't seen her! We get BBC South here. Bet my dad likes her tho.

― MarkH (MarkH), Monday, 26 January 2004 17:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Dog collage? Dog COLLAR!!! What has come over me today?

― the river fleet, Monday, 26 January 2004 18:48 (twenty-two years ago)

She looks a right go-er.

Dog Collars rule!

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Monday, 26 January 2004 18:50 (twenty-two years ago)

But not as much as chokers.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Monday, 26 January 2004 18:50 (twenty-two years ago)

The non-bondage sort.

Keep digging John, keep digging . . .

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Monday, 26 January 2004 18:51 (twenty-two years ago)

KARE 11 scares the hell out of me. 'What's it like out in the back yard, Paul?' will haunt me to my grave.

My uncle the ViceCop met Don Shelby when the latter was doing I-Team, probably to advise on pimp-wrasslin' or somesuch, and the pair became good friends. Shelby tried repeatedly to teach me to do the disappearing quarter magic trick, and I am crap at these magic trick things. But Shelby is one of the coolest anchors ever, has a gazillion broadcast awards to prove it, and made me think journalism could be an honourable profession.

― suzy (suzy), Monday, 26 January 2004 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

paul magers recently LEFT us for LOS ANGELES so there was a nauseating wet-hanky run up to that i gather. btw 4:30 and midnight i'm busy with L&O reruns so i haven't seen it in quite some time. Diana Pierce is some kind of fundy, no?

― g--ff (gcannon), Monday, 26 January 2004 19:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Anyone who lives in Los Angeles knows well the bottom-scraping discharge that is the Channel 13 "news".

― Gear! (Gear!), Monday, 26 January 2004 19:07 (twenty-two years ago)

I have only slight and painful memories of that. Good thing too.

When it came to (then) indies in the LA area, I always loved KTLA 5 coverage for some reason, they were always so avuncular. And of course later on I discovered the joy of the MST3K connection via the War of the Colossal Beast ("KTLA KNEEEEEEEEEEW!")

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 26 January 2004 19:09 (twenty-two years ago)

How very odd. I work with Don Shelby on a semi-regular basis, and he's a real kick. Alpha-male hysterical -- carries a hunting knife in his pocket.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Monday, 26 January 2004 19:14 (twenty-two years ago)

funniest news-related thing I have heard of: NAKED NEWS apparently you can download this daily, it is the news read by NAKED LADIES.

― sucka (sucka), Monday, 26 January 2004 23:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Call that bondage gear?

― R the bunged up with jollop of V (Jake Proudlock), Monday, 26 January 2004 23:20 (twenty-two years ago)

item!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 26 January 2004 23:22 (twenty-two years ago)

The Magers brothers went to my school (Ron was in my mom's class) as did Marc Rosen. Twin Cities media is littered with the corpses of people from St. Louis Park. A girl from my class, Mei Young, fulfilled her headbanger destiny and has a show on KQ.

If Diana Pierce is a fundie, quel surprise. She was a crush object for every closeted GOP boy I ever knew (closeted in the sexuality sense, not the Republican in Minnesota sense). Hahahaha.

Oh and Eric, you're a lucky guy. Don Shelby is probably responsible for me believing it's okay to barrel up to important people and start ye barrage of questions etc. If you get a chance, say hello from Lt. Gary McGaughey's niece Suzy in London. Gary died just over eight years ago but am sure he'll crack open a few stories about him (my uncle attracted a lot of aspirant alpha dudes like that, as was strange Elvis/Columbo hybrid with extreme alky charisma and willing to do quite maverick things at work). They recruited him to be ViceCop because of looks/charisma so...you get my drift.

Weirdly, also when Harry Reasoner lived on her road, my (teenaged) mum babysat for him.

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 00:02 (twenty-two years ago)

two months pass...

Cafferty just made mention of the new "communist talk radio station." "Oh, it's liberal? Isn't that the same thing?"

Dude, just stick to the cute babies and diet tips like with the Today show. Don't even bother.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 11:19 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

REVIVE

I'm watching CNN Saturday right now with Tony Harris and Betty Nguyen, and they are positively burying the needle on the needless banter-o-meter. JUST SHUT UP, YOU DON'T EVEN THINK IT'S FUNNY OR INTERESTING! JUST READ THE DAMN NEWS, YOU DINGBATTY PINHEADS!!!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 23 July 2005 10:56 (twenty years ago)

i like anderson coopers witty banter, and its mostly i think b/c hes camp about it

― anthony easton (anthony), Saturday, 23 July 2005 11:41 (twenty years ago)

it's funny, cuz when i was a kid, jack cafferty was the voice of reason on the nightly news. i had no idea he was such an asshole. i also thought sue simmons and chuck scarborough were the coolest people on earth. this did not last.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 23 July 2005 11:44 (twenty years ago)

This is much much worse when its flirty banter between the girl who reads out the traffic reports and the DJ on a UK regional radio station.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Saturday, 23 July 2005 15:11 (twenty years ago)

but the "witty" banter is how we all know that newsreaders are actually totally vacuous dingbats! if they didn't reveal themselves like this we might actually be convinced they were real journos!

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Saturday, 23 July 2005 15:28 (twenty years ago)

i mean it's interesting when the "voice of god" pose gives way to poor comic timing and veiled racial humor.

tom brokaw's comment about hiroshima fits in here somehow.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Saturday, 23 July 2005 15:29 (twenty years ago)

But the witty banter seems right at home, because thet aren't really delivering news, they're delivering gossip.

― geyser muffler and a quarter (Dave225), Saturday, 23 July 2005 15:36 (twenty years ago)

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