If you ask anyone who works in the broadcasting industry, they'll probably tell you that aside from technical glitches with equipment, the worst job experience is making a verbal mistake during a live broadcast.

After all, once it's out there you can't get it back, and if you're not careful the moment will be captured and relived in the form of a blooper segment.

It could be a slip of the tongue, a distraction before going live, a rotten case of the giggles or, as one of my favorite comedy newsmen Les Nesman discovered, a mere typo could change the whole meaning of what you're trying to convey to the audience.

I used to have a lot of fun when I was teaching broadcast journalism students.

Almost every semester I would have a broadcast student say, "Does spelling count?"

So, when I put a script in front of them riddled with several spelling errors and asked them to deliver the script, they quickly realized what a predicament they were in, verbally.

I guess that's why I find news bloopers and parodies so funny. I can completely relate.

You'll probably be pleased to know I have no intention of delivering the news like Opera Man!

 

 

 

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