White Weathermen Kinda Sorta Can Rap

I'm kinda amused by this video from the TV station I used to work at in Texas. I have not met morning weatherman Nick Kosir for Fox-affiliate KBTV in Beaumont, TX. But I can only imagine if he had to rap battle a whole bunch of thugged-up dudes in inner-city Detroit. So Nick keeps it funky fresh for morning TV viewers, talking the forecast in pre-written rap. Best part: "Today will be so hot, you'll be sweating your heiny." Yes, heiny is now in the rap vocabulary. *Rolls eyes.* Kudos, though, to Nick and my former co-workers for shaking off the stiltedness of TV news. If only they could do that as a follow up to the Nightly News...or maybe do it on the Nightly News. Katie Couric autotunes the news already. [Uncle Barky]

Ever Wonder What Anchors Do During Commercials?

I've made a soft mention in past posts about my primary occupation, which is being the cyber miscreant/gimp/slave for a TV news station. I think I mentioned it. It's either that or where I'm from. I swear, I shouldn't divulge much about the real identity of this blogger but what's the use. I've been writing these entries as if I'm Hemingway and I'm penning The Old Man and The Sea. Uh oh. Andy Rooney-tangent.

Anyways, I've come across some interesting co-workers whose primary job is to hock news into your living room/sex room/cauldron, what have you, on a daily basis. And the thing with disseminating news on a daily basis is the appearance of making everything serious enough that you might not know the person reading the news. HLN anchors actually speak to the audience as if they're having a conversation, which is a plus in basic TV anchoring. But then again, we return to square one when anchors bring you the news on your local station.

So I find this piece of video refreshing as two of WGN Chicago's main anchors take a moment to keep things playful...and awfully coordinated, during their post A-block commercial break. Watch out for the Thriller gestures in the choreograph. This kinda shows that not all anchors were born with a broomstick up their ass. Fox News anchors definitely need not apply.

[The Smoking Section via The Rap Up]

Mike Hunt Had a Birthday

These names actually made it on the air.

Kirksville, Missourah. This backwoods town is located in the northeast part of the Show-Me (boobs!) State. Yet the town has enough people to warrant the 200th largest TV market in the country...out of 212.

I have worked in these so-called "small TV markets," producing ma-n-pa like news and talk programs. So, not so surprisingly, I found a YouTube video with a morning news program from KTVO listing really naughty names for birthdays and anniversaries around the town. And the kicker to this is that the anchors sound all so oblivious to those names while reading them.

I don't know who put those up there: prank e-mailers with an inept producer irresponsibly placing them on TV; or a producer who was so tired of working at KTVO, he/she wanted a little spice in the morning before he/she saw the door. I would have loved it if it was the latter but the former seems more likely. Anyways, here's how it looked like on-air [Thanks, YesButNoButYes]:

I swear, who in the hell still names their kid Craven...who happens to have the last name Moorehead?