Media People And "Catch Phrases"

[Mitchell]

Has anyone ever noticed that many media people. Sports announcers, newscasters, etc, seem to always use the same "Catch Phrases" when they speak, do a sports broadcast.. or announce a game?

Longtime New York Mets announcer Gary Cohen, whenever someone hits a home run, always says "Its Outta Here". I wonder if he learned that from legendary late Phillies announcer Harry Kalas. I never really saw Mr Kalas until I moved to Lancaster, but when I started watching the Phillies, he used to say the same home run line as Cohen. Since Kalas was much older than Cohen, and in the business longer, it would seem he had the line first.

Newscasters seem to do the same thing. My favorite anchor, Jim Gardner of WPVI in Philly, always begins the newscast with "It is whatever night, and the big story on Action News Tonight":. Then, as they are going to break... after Cecily Tynan does her preview of the weather report, and gives it back to Gardner, he says "Those Stories, and Much More.. when Action News Continues. (Pause) Tonight. This happens.. 95% of the time. Very occasionally.. he might say.. "When we continue in just a moment", but more often than not it is "When Action News Continues.. (Pause) Tonight".

I wonder if this is the way these guys speak, or if they are aware of it. Baseball fans are well aware of the late Phil Rizzuto, and his use of "Holy Cow" during Yankees broadcasts.

Thoughts on this?

 

[tklbd]

This is gonna be a little off topic...but on topic, at the same time.
I grew up with, and still follow, the L.A. Dodgers to this day!! We've been blessed with, arguably, one of the greatest sportscasters of all time!!! Yes...Vin Scully...the voice of the Dodgers since 1950!!! And unfortunately next year, his 65th, could be his last!!! People like to say baseball is boring...but listen to a game with him at the mic...and he has stories and anecdotes...during every pause or even between every pitch!!! He has no down time...and always knows when to be quiet...to let the fan reaction say it all!!!
He never uses any repetitive catch phrases, that I can remember. But there is one "moment" in Dodger history, that stands out to me!! The "one legged" home run, that Kirk Gibson hit, for the walk off win in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series!!! While most of the sports networks like to replay it with the late great, Jack Buck's call of..."I don't believe what I just saw!!"...Vin Scully...without hesitation...put it in these words..."in a season of the improbable, the impossible just happened!!" That one call, has always stuck with me, as one of the best lines of all time!!!

 

[squeak toy]

i don't watch sports tv, but rumor has it that there's a lotta "baba booey!" being said in golf 😉

 

[Mitchell]

I know this thread is from last September.. but I had to bump it.. because of something that happened during tonight's 6pm Jim Gardner newscast.

I'm beginning to wonder if these newscasters have their sayings.. scripted. etc. Tonight,. during the 6 o clock news on WPVI,. they were going to break, and when Cecily Tynan did her weather preview.. she said something like "The latest on the rain coming in.. when Action News Continues Tonight."
When she gave the newscast back to Gardner, before he went to break.. he said the exact same thing.. his usual catch line that he always says every night. One could see as they were going to break.. that he was clearly not happy at Cecily Tynan, for "Borrowing/Saying His Line". Such makes me wonder if their news lines. and how they set things up.. are scripted. I'll bet she wont be doing that again on the 11pm news tonight.

 

[C.A.B.]

Generally in the news biz, what ever the major wire services (such as Associated Press) puts out, thousands of talking-heads across the globe will be using whatever snippets of language the original author scribbled. A funny example is the simultaneous use of the word unique word "gravitas" by literally thousands of national and local news empty-headed reporters and pundits to describe Dick Chaney being added to the ticket for Bush's first run for office... all within hours of the AP release.

 

[DontAskJusTckle]

My favorite local talk show host up in DC always refers to Secretary of Defense John Kerry as "Old Boltneck." Cracks me up every time.

 

[Sodahead]

On Sportscenter the anchors usually begin their shows with "Let's Go!" I'm curious as to the story behind that

There's ESPN's Chris Berman and his famous "back back back back gone!" to announce a home run and of course "HE COULD GO ALL THE WAY!"

 

[Oddjob0226]

If that's the tagline that was on the Telepromptr then she had to say it as written. And will have to say it again if it is in her script. It's the tagline that 'brands' the news and tells viewer to not touch that dial. Probably, if the both of them said it so close together, a producer made a mistake in putting it in the script that way.

It's still a smaller mistake than what happened here:

youtube.com/watch?v=G8t02AKwh70

 

[osprey825]

Darrell Waltrip - Boogity Boogity. What a low brow.

 

[Mitchell]

Thanks, guys.

Oddjob has a point about somebody perhaps making a mistake with the two of them saying it so close together. I've been watching this newscast for almost 15 years, since I moved to Lancaster in 1999. Tynan and Gardner have worked together for,.,. at least seven or eight years now. Until last night, I'd never heard the two of them use the "When Action News Continues Tonight" back to back. She didn't do it again on the 11pm news, but Gardner did, as he always does, so they probably ironed out whatever the problem was at 6.