The Auntie Guillotine
Have you heard of the Auntie Guillotine?
It goes something like this, during your average interview on ABC Radio National:
However, techniques of these kinds simply did not have the rude abruptness required, and over several months a working party developed Auntie's patented guillotine, which does the chop with all necessary brutality. The new method has been taken up with alacrity, even by the under-50s reporters and presenters who have yet to learn what alacrity is.
Tagged: abc, australia, australian, english, language, radio, journalism, radio+national
It goes something like this, during your average interview on ABC Radio National:
Interviewee: "... and then after my daughter committed suicide and my house burned down, I had a nervous breakdow--"For years, Auntie experimented with such segues as "Well, our time is running out, and unfortunately we'll have to move on, but thank you, Ethel Snape for giving so freely of your time to us and our listeners" (then wait for Mrs Snape to say "OK" and "goodbye") then "Goodbye, and thank you again for doing this interview at no charge".
ABC interviewer: "Thank you, Ethel Snape. We now cross to Kylie Squirts, our gardening correspondent in Wagga Wagga, for a look at rhododendron blight. Hi there, Kylie!"
However, techniques of these kinds simply did not have the rude abruptness required, and over several months a working party developed Auntie's patented guillotine, which does the chop with all necessary brutality. The new method has been taken up with alacrity, even by the under-50s reporters and presenters who have yet to learn what alacrity is.
Tagged: abc, australia, australian, english, language, radio, journalism, radio+national
Pip Wilson posted item above at 8:52 AM | Permalink
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2 Comments:
We've heard all that time will allow
My friend Rob has been in radio in the USA since 1975. When he must end a piece of music abruptly he fades it down and says, "We've heard all (of this) that time will allow."
However, I am confident that Rob would never choke off a human interviewee in the manner you have described. It would be considered rude - even in the US :) .
Rob's bio explains how his network's music is now chosen by computers
A semi-private ultra cranky Boston radio discussion forum
I am currently skimming The Country's Finest Hour by Jenny Black (An ABC Book). Seems to be a history of The Country Hour and the early chapters (e.g. about the power of the price reporting) are riveting. Have you read this? If so, did it match your experience? Cheers / J.
Thanks, Julianne. No, I haven't seen that book.
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