menthe Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Has anyone noticed that there are now a whole slew of newsreaders and presenters who speak indistinctly and stumble over the simplest words? Many of the experienced staff have disappeared off the screen. Of course, there has been natural wastage: death, retirement, got rid of for various dubious practices, "retrenched", let go. But do they have to recruit a whole lot of rookies who either look half-terrified (with good reason) or who are unashamedly upfront and over-confident. Nobody now expects anyone from the BBC to speak the king's English (whatever that may be) but you do expect them to be able to read the news in a way and accent that is comprehensible to the majority of viewers and listeners. To think that I had met Albanians who told me they learned English by listening to BBC radio and only last week, I watched a documentary on French TV where a man said that during the 1940s he listened exclusively to the BBC News because he couldn't be confident that the Vichy government would tell the truth about things happening in France at the time. If it's just about cost-cutting, I'd rather they reduced this 24 hour rolling news nonsense and go back to less but better presented news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 More than cost cutting, Methe, political correctness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 The rot set in when Tony Blair affected an accent to appear a 'man of the people' I don't watch UK TV very often but I certainly notice it when I see films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 You've hit the nail on the head, Wools but I hesitated to point it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 1 minute ago, NormanH said: The rot set in when Tony Blair affected an accent to appear a 'man of the people' I don't watch UK TV very often but I certainly notice it when I see films. Just as well you don't watch, Norman, it'll make your toes curl. But for OH putting it on, I'd turn it all off altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitfrench Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 2 hours ago, NormanH said: The rot set in when Tony Blair affected an accent to appear a 'man of the people' Macron modeled himself on Blair. Maron is the man of the people. We love Macron in our family. He is the man of the people. He represents all of us with his accent that represents a ‘man of the people’. During the famers demonstration Macron was dressed as a turkey in Sweden. Google it if you don’t believe me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 BBC and ITV have cleared out the older generation who were well educated and well spoken ( to use much maligned phrases) and replaced them with young multi racial and multi sexual presenters and actors. The organisation seems to be in the grip of Stonewall and other groups who are practicing a sort of left wing Macarthyite take over of public organisations which includes broadcasters, civil service, NHS, charities such as National Trust… one could go on. I am very glad not to be teaching at a British university any more; the Left grip was bad enough then but now with all the other ‘stuff’ it would be intolerable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 Wools, you must remember those TEFL job adverts which called for native speakers only. You'd think that the BBC would aim to be an exponent of the language of English. There again, I don't suppose such adverts would be allowed these days. Setting standards used to be something to be admired. I expect if you used that phrase now, you'd be reviled or "cancelled" or whatever meaningless word is in current use. I seem to remember that the BBC's mission was to "inform, educate and entertain", in that order. I'd like to know to what degree they themselves think they are fulfilling that brief? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 Wools, here are a few sentences I have copied from a book I am reading and I was keen to reproduce them here because, while I think the same things, I do not have the writer's facility for expressing them. The following remarks are made by one of the characters and I have paraphrased only slightly so as to guard the sense. We live in such a humourless age. It used to be possible to laugh....... Well, now there are all sorts of censors and killjoys. Earnest, ignorant people who lecture us on what we can think and say. And do you know, we have lain down and submitted to the whole process. It's been the most remarkable display of passivity. There is a bit more along similar lines but I think we get a good flavour of what the speaker in the story means to say. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Excellent comments, minteroonie and very accurate. I tend to use less polite words however than your author! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssomon Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 On 05/02/2024 at 17:28, anotherbanana said: BBC and ITV have cleared out the older generation who were well educated and well spoken ( to use much maligned phrases) and replaced them with young multi racial and multi sexual presenters and actors. I'd be happier if they each only had one of each. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Not totally unusually, I’d like to digress from the ‘speech things’. What is it with the specs on top the bonce? It seems to ‘de rigeur’ with most female broadcasters these days. The specs almost never descend, so surely its just a ‘fashion thing’, or am I being totally unreasonable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Do they hold wigs or hair pieces in place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggers Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Who else remembers the days when if there was breaking news in the middle of a broadcast,a telephone would ring on the presenters desk and they would have to answer it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Yes, indeed! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted February 7 Author Share Posted February 7 7 hours ago, Riggers said: Who else remembers the days when if there was breaking news in the middle of a broadcast,a telephone would ring on the presenters desk and they would have to answer it Yes, riggers, I remember! And when BBC2 was off air, you got the "test card"! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Yes, used to like the test card especially when colour was introduced .. at least you knew the TV was working ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 Colour yes! It was only after colour that I began watching snooker😁 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 And the "interval" films: potter's wheel, kitten playing with wool, etc… (Just testing who is old enough to remember!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le martin-pêcheur Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 I have fond memories of "Watch with Mother ",does that count?😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 5 hours ago, menthe said: Colour yes! It was only after colour that I began watching snooker😁 Well it certainly helps to understand the game and what has to be potted next (not that I can ever remember the order of the colurs to be potted!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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