This is a very fun piece, except for the quality of the TV audio. I still liked it a great deal. I could hear this on On The Media, if the TV audio were better.
This piece is a diamond in the rough. Media savvy Ben Hyde lays it on the line about local news and what he finds wrong with it. Interwoven with his collage of newsclips are his comments. Everything he says is true, it just needs to be said more clearly and succintly. The piece brings out the powerful ability of the media to hone in on a trivial subject and give it more credence than it's due. The clip of the news station that had people strip an SUV in its studio is especially interesting. Is the news really news, or just entertainment? Good stuff. Just needs to be tightened up.
This is a really cute piece, unfortunately the audio is atrocious. That's a shame. The actual clips from the evening news are breathtaking in their idiocy and they do everything they are supposed to do to make the commentator's point. But you can barely hear them. The voice tracks have a freshness and they sound real, like you're sitting with this guy at a bar or a party and he's just raving about how stupid the local news is. He does go on a little too long and it starts to sound like an Open-Mic Night routine ("Hey, the evening news, what's with THAT?!") after a while. But overall, this seems like a good first draft.
i love this piece. while a tad rough, i like the sound of the news clips.
it sounds as if you're sitting on a couch, watching the news, and talking about it.
i don't understand why people keep saying the soundquality of the clips sucks, when i like it. it sounds like we're actually watching the news, not just some lameass soundbite.
while ben needs to add a little emotion (he sounds like he's reading), i think this is a strong piece, and i think i'm going to feature it on my teen show.
i like how he emphasizes the title of the piece "tortured teens" by repeating it... "tortured teens"... ok... don't get me started on that because i want to smack that news writer upside the head.
Veritable tip of the iceberg, Ben! It's great to see that a person that is of an age that probably means he grew up with this kind of "news" all around him can still react so strongly to it. His ending comment about "listen to KBOO for nothing but the truth" is - I hope - meant to be a little ironic - AND it's a shame that those clips are so badly recorded - but that does not take away from the fact that - they suck, they really, really, totally - suck. Every single night.
A good light hearted piece that realy tells the truth about TV news, just about everywhere in the country (US). Would be evem more funny if it was not so darn true. Good production quality. Good warm delivery. Excellent in this listeners viewpoint.
Many of us have opinions about the news on TV, but few take the time to turn them into a radio piece. Ben Hyde of KBOO makes comments about clips he plays from local TV news.
They are amusing first, then insightful.
The piece could make the same points in about half the time. This would also get to Ben's closing comments more quickly, which would make the piece more effective.
Comments for Local News Sucks
Produced by Ben Hyde
Other pieces by KBOO Youth Collective
Rating Summary
7 comments
Rene Gutel
Posted on August 16, 2005 at 11:22 AM | Permalink
Review of Local News Sucks
This is a very fun piece, except for the quality of the TV audio. I still liked it a great deal. I could hear this on On The Media, if the TV audio were better.
Well done!
Deborah Astley
Posted on June 03, 2005 at 12:18 PM | Permalink
Review of Local News Sucks
This piece is a diamond in the rough. Media savvy Ben Hyde lays it on the line about local news and what he finds wrong with it. Interwoven with his collage of newsclips are his comments. Everything he says is true, it just needs to be said more clearly and succintly. The piece brings out the powerful ability of the media to hone in on a trivial subject and give it more credence than it's due. The clip of the news station that had people strip an SUV in its studio is especially interesting. Is the news really news, or just entertainment? Good stuff. Just needs to be tightened up.
Richard Paul
Posted on April 18, 2005 at 02:07 PM | Permalink
Review of Local News Sucks
This is a really cute piece, unfortunately the audio is atrocious. That's a shame. The actual clips from the evening news are breathtaking in their idiocy and they do everything they are supposed to do to make the commentator's point. But you can barely hear them. The voice tracks have a freshness and they sound real, like you're sitting with this guy at a bar or a party and he's just raving about how stupid the local news is. He does go on a little too long and it starts to sound like an Open-Mic Night routine ("Hey, the evening news, what's with THAT?!") after a while. But overall, this seems like a good first draft.
Mark Kewman
Posted on April 18, 2005 at 08:18 AM | Permalink
Review of Local News Sucks
i love this piece. while a tad rough, i like the sound of the news clips.
it sounds as if you're sitting on a couch, watching the news, and talking about it.
i don't understand why people keep saying the soundquality of the clips sucks, when i like it. it sounds like we're actually watching the news, not just some lameass soundbite.
while ben needs to add a little emotion (he sounds like he's reading), i think this is a strong piece, and i think i'm going to feature it on my teen show.
i like how he emphasizes the title of the piece "tortured teens" by repeating it... "tortured teens"... ok... don't get me started on that because i want to smack that news writer upside the head.
well done ben. keep it up!
Marjorie Van Halteren
Posted on April 18, 2005 at 03:25 AM | Permalink
Young Ben's on the case
Veritable tip of the iceberg, Ben! It's great to see that a person that is of an age that probably means he grew up with this kind of "news" all around him can still react so strongly to it. His ending comment about "listen to KBOO for nothing but the truth" is - I hope - meant to be a little ironic - AND it's a shame that those clips are so badly recorded - but that does not take away from the fact that - they suck, they really, really, totally - suck. Every single night.
Richard Bond
Posted on April 17, 2005 at 08:35 PM | Permalink
Review of Local News Sucks
A good light hearted piece that realy tells the truth about TV news, just about everywhere in the country (US). Would be evem more funny if it was not so darn true. Good production quality. Good warm delivery. Excellent in this listeners viewpoint.
Tripp Sommer
Posted on April 17, 2005 at 03:55 PM | Permalink
Review of Local News Sucks
Many of us have opinions about the news on TV, but few take the time to turn them into a radio piece. Ben Hyde of KBOO makes comments about clips he plays from local TV news.
They are amusing first, then insightful.
The piece could make the same points in about half the time. This would also get to Ben's closing comments more quickly, which would make the piece more effective.