Favorite On Air Cliche's

[bub]

Kinda reminds me of John Lennon saying that women were "the other half of the sky."  Huh? 

Huh is right.   

We could have storm clouds in the WESTERN sky,  fluffy cumulus clouds in the EASTERN sky, it could be clear in the SOUTHERN sky and overcast in the NORTHERN sky.  

Where's George Carlin when you need him?   

[Tynosaur]

I dare anyone to top this one.

Back in the late '70s at WREC, we on air types were saddled with the worst slogan ever wrot:

"Punch Somebody in the News."

I kid you not.

On top of that, whenever we had news on or did weather or traffic, we were supposed to flip a switch in the control room that tripped a relay on a billboard eastbound on the Poplar overpass, turning on a big green light under which the legend read, "NEWSTIME WHEN LIT!" The city traffic engineer said the light was too bright and was a traffic hazard and we had to kill the whole campaign, to the incredible relief of all on air folk.

I still wake up in cold sweats some nights, seeing that stupid light and remembering the trouble some of were in when we refused to say that stupic, stupid slogan.

[oaktree]

I worked for the Tanner Co. at that time and weekends at then Quad-104, remembering that "campaign" well -- and the bright green light on that Poplar Ave. bridge, which I often wondered about.

Why?

Because despite the phrase underneath the billboard -- I, fortunately, never found myself "lit."  "Newstime when lit!"

I missed a lot of news on WREC.

I thought the WREC News patrol would come after me if I was found "lit" because lots of news involved drunk or "lit" drivers in Memphis then. Somehow, I was spared, at least in that vicinity. The power bill, alone, on that thing, had to be huge.

Great memories of a great city. Alan Loudell is doing well in -- Wilmington, DE now -- and for the past 20+ years. There's a move if you can do it. I know -- I went to Memphis from there.

[12 In a Row]

And how about empty cliche' bragging rights:
The (your city or town's) BEST Variety.
The (your city or town's) #1 for (fill in the format)

This has been a great thread, but don't we need to draw a distinction between the "crutches" that nearly all djs have used at one time or another, from the empty slogans that station management forces their people to say?

Great screen name by the way, especially for this thread! 

I remember a jock at a local station near where I once lived who always gave the album title along with every song he played!  At least for the ones for which he also gave artist and song title.  ("...so and so from the album such and such...")  It actually grew to be annoying!  Now this might have made sense on an AOR station, but the station in question was (and still is) a CHR, so they typically never played album cuts.  Why promote the album if you can't (or won't) play anything from it, other than the hit single?  (I should point out that they experimented with playing some album cuts very briefly, but they didn't stay with that for very long.)

Thanks!   

A few more:

___________is driving you home every afternoon on the (city/state's) #1 for (format) really?


Let's go back to (year), or
That was from (year)  who cares? 

We're working hard for you! 
hmmmm, I'm on a construction site, you're sitting on your fat butt talking in to a microphone and playing music.   Who's working hard? 

[firepoint525]

Let's go back to (year), or
That was from (year)  who cares?

I'm sort of a music historian, so I like that one!  It's especially good on oldies programs like Dick Bartley's and the like.  (Just make sure you get the year right!  Always annoys me when they get it wrong!  ) 

We're working hard for you! 
hmmmm, I'm on a construction site, you're sitting on your fat butt talking in to a microphone and playing music.   Who's working hard? 

Don't forget "slaving over a hot microphone" or something like that! 

[robgrayson]

Over the years I have been taught by far wisers to not say:

"degrees"
"degrees outside"
"temperature"
"record"
"remote"
"commercial free"
call letters going into spot set
the time (as in don't give the time outside of morning drive... you don't want to give listeners any reason to tune out by realizing how late it is)
"68" (even if it's 68)
"56"
"100"
the year a song was a hit (it's a crutch, besides, you don't want to remind listeners how old they are)
"show"
"your" (as in "your monday")

I've been told don't talk over music;  don't talk up posts;  don't talk over dead air (use music beds);  don't criticize music ("if we play a song, it's because it's someone's favorite song);  don't call the Rolling Stones "The Rolling Stones" (they're the stones, man).

I've been told be controversial (Ron Olson was specifically cited as a role model), then chewed out by the same GM because a listener called and complained because I was controversial, and told don't be so controversial.  I lost a big fast food account for a local "rock" radio station because I said "hump day".

I don't believe I've said "hump day" since.

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Ooooh... what a list!

I have always disciplined myself by having a (small) list of things I DON'T do.  That's for life in general, not just radio.

But when you have lived in the rural, religious South,  you are likely to come to the realization that a life ruled ONLY by "don'ts" can become futile.  \

Maybe what people in radio need is a list of "Better things to say" as compared to a list of "Things I don't say."  I hear other people with charisma say things I can't gracefully say.  So I don't.  You may be able to say it and make it charming, bless your little heart.

[robgrayson]

An off-air project I worked on back in the good old days was a montly training tape for a Memphis-based retail corporation.  The regional VP's would gather round a table and speak extemporaniously about concerns near to the company's heart, which would then be edited down, duplicated (on cassette back then), sent to stores nationwide and played in a meeting.

The two mostly over used cliches were "out there" (referring to the stores out there in their far flung posts) and "make sure that you..."

Probably the majority of the editing addressed the removal of "uh"s.  When questioned about the production charges, I sent in a paper grocery bag full of "uh"s that I took out of one 20 minute program.

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

I've always wanted to do that with a sermon from one of the little coutry churches where the pastor sounds like he got his training from listening to dogs hunting racoons and other animals in the middle of the night.

Here you go, preacher. This five minute track on the CD is the "guts" of your sermon, and this 25 minute track contains the inert material.

[phantom444]

"Another 50 minute music hour"

'' Your at work station"

Calling a station "New" for ten years without a format change

Could be any Cox music station in any market where they have music stations.