Re: Radio Turn-offs

["Bill O'Neill" <billo@shoreham.net>]

Dave Iseman writes:
> My peeve is use of clichés: "personal service" "the friendly folks"
"for your
> convenience" "your headquarters for____," "knowledgeable/dedicated
staff,"
> "don't forget" "that's right," "count on the professionals at...,"
"plenty of
> free parking," "that number again is," "all your flooring/
> automotive/party/housing/marine/animal/paintingetc needs".

Great examples.  How about, "Call before midnight tonight" versus
midnight next Thursday.  "Operators are standing by."  What ELSE do
operators do?  Phone numbers in spots?  Can you envision a listener
falling all over himself grappling for a crayola and stained napkin just
to write down the phone number for Polly's Pewter Shop?

> Well-intentioned but uncreative weather/news/traffic talent that warn
me "to
> be careful/take it easy/the roads are slick/sun glare.."

You just don't hear, "Don't forget your rubbers, kids" (at least in the
meteorological context).  Do we really need to remind folks to "remember
your umbrella?"  Unless, of course, it's Umbrella Appreciation Day, a
gem of a chatter item.

> Pigeonholing listeners to blurt the calls at the end of a contest
phoner,
> "What station plays today's hit  muuuuuuiscc??----

Callers will, invariably, blow the liner anyway.  So, why not just say,
"Thank you for listening to WXYZ."  If they didn't LISTEN they: a)
wouldn't have played the contest b) wouldn't have given a rat's butt
about the station.   On occ., I'd thank listeners for "choosing" the
station so as to focus on the true, oft unspoken fact, that they made a
choice, and we're thankful for their business.

Bill O'Neill