For some, I have made nicknames of things and people related to local media, that some may think is weird, and this page just has clarification. Only one instance, is it intended to be snarky.
615 Music – the music being the teachers-pet of your humble Minifig newsie! See also Quarter Past Six
Audacy – the former name of Entercom, pronounced as “Odyssey”… an odyssey to what? To ill relevance? Not to be confused with memoir of the former Apple CEO John Sculley. Entercom owned about like 100 radio stations before acquiring the former CBS-owned radio stations, and did sonic rebrands some of their stations (such as WCBS 880, KYW 1060, and even to 1010 WINS and KNX 1070 97.7 FM in the Southland) to sound pretty “audacious” and often refers to Audacy as “Audacity”.
“BASYS was the Basis” – (pun) I rarely use this one, but the original Newsroom Computer System known as BASYS was the “basis” for creating CNN and if they had no NRCS, CNN would’ve never gone to air in 1980. The successor to BASYS is iNEWS from Avid, and despite the 20 year old outdated code, it’s still online for many stations or networks that “based” their NRCS on “BASYS”
“Bob is Always ‘Wright'” – An intentional pun to insult Bob Wright, the disgraced executive that almost destroyed NBCUniversal to pieces. Bob built a deck of a ship, but Jeff Zucker was the man that pressed the button to virtually destroy it, but Bob got out on a life shuttle and escaped the hell that plagued the company leading to the sale to Comcast. Bob Wright is notorious for giving NBC’s reputation for being National Bullying Company for gaslighting affiliates that didn’t meet his own narrative; predatory and hostile practices to affiliates was carbon copied to his alleged non for profit agency, Autism Speaks.
Chyron Kiddo – the handle for the WordPress that is-a-me – the @minifignewsguy. The aspiring Chyron Coordinator to a wishful Chyron Operator. How many times do you need to know who I am? It was just way to separate some level of excessive branding
“Chyron” – verb is only used if station or network is explicitly using a brand of product that’s made by them (formerly branded as ChyronHego for a decade or so). Fox O&Os, some NBC O&Os, and perhaps another chain of stations are using them. Chyron is more popular outside the States despite being the long time Long Island character generator company.
Crazy Canadian Cutie – Known as Elizabeth “Liz” Plank, a self-billed “feminist that loves men” and claims to be a “journalist” that never went to school to be one. Writes for MSNBC dot com, and sometimes appears on the liner channel (but never seem to catch her there) but is mostly seen on the streaming shows. But she thinks she works for the major cable station; though her writing is extremely poor; and Charlie Sykes can write ten times better than her.
She ruminates about her reputation as a journalist on her Substack (the LiveJournal with a paywall) then immediately compares to male self-pleasure to “mass murder”. Her childlike world-view and apparent addiction to Tik-Tok would make you think she’s a 22 year old, when in reality the age spread of your humble minifig newsie and her is only by seven days!
In every industry people develop competitive/amonsity disrespect like the wars of WCBS and 1010 WINS personnel. She’s my inspiration to ensure I am better-enough for that crazy Canadian!
Dana Tyler/Phil Collins. I am not a fan of the principal anchor at WCBS-TV in New York nor am I fan of the former lead singer of Genesis. Both were in very LTR, and it was well-known in local media circles. They broke up around 2016, and the anchor who survived the mass layoffs in 1996, known as the local tabs as “Mascare” and “Bloodbath” and never was bought out by CBS the following decade, decided to take a “sabbatical” to get over the relationship status. Perhaps Tyler isn’t bad in person, and maybe to Phil Collins either, but both to me are pretty notorious figures (one an overdramatic anchor and the other is an incompetent adult contemporary singer.) When I refer to Dana, I refer to her as “Phil Collin’s Ex girlfriend” and when I refer to anything of Phil, I say “Dana Tyler’s ex Boyfriend”. I have to remind myself when referring to someone that annoying, to refer to the other half’s name; which sometimes I screw up
Emily “Daughter of [the late] Andy” Rooney – that came from a local blogger who was critiquing WRKO IIRC – not an original. Despite living in the Boston market, not everyone is familiar to WGBH’s local programming (yes that also includes my fellow locals) and her father was well known nationally (thru 60 Minutes). I didn’t use nickname often but would refer to her to something like that.
@feministabilous – The handle to the Crazy Canadian Cutie that is Ms. Plank that seems to mute your humble Minifig newsie on social media. Guess she doesn’t like to be critiqued professionally. She must mistaken me that I have Asperger’s or something crazy like that!
iHeartbreak Media – If you see an Emoji with the heartbreak, it implies the shenanigans that was once formerly known as i[heart]radio or Clear Channel Communications.
iNFiNiT! – the stylized branding of Infinti from Chyron, the specialized computer based graphical Character Generator from 1989 to 2006 (the end of that year was the end of support.) It’s similiar to a Macintosh of it’s time, it’s own operating system, it’s own environment to display lower thirds, and some drivers to connect it to the Internet to fetch stocks and headlines.
iNFiNiT! Blind Effect – a perception of a default effect, on a specific aforementioned Chyron CG when advancing titles, it gave a choppy blind effect. Since it was only seen on Infiniti CGs, I will reference it when I see it.
Little David Frost – Apparently “Frost” isn’t just a common surname but in England Frost does have some nepotism. I refer to Wilfred Frost as David’s little son. The elder Frost was well known in English TV, but is known notoriously for almost destroying Inside Edition from the start. Bill O’Reilly saved the show by the second week in early 1989, by the third inaugural week, it was fully Bill’s show.
It was in late 2020, for those who didn’t know-knew. His father had done an interview in 1987 with Joe Biden, who tried to run for president in 1988. The tape got “lost” and it was found after the 2020 Election of which was distributed as a podcast or something with i<3 if I am not mistaken. The little Frost had pride to call David his “Dad” when he co-released it and promoted it on the Closing Bell after.
Wilfred Frost had gotten into financial news, and would go to Englewood Cliffs’ CNBC several years ago and had done [the] Closing Bell for a number of years. In early 2022, he left the program, just as said title program was approaching 20 year old. He was extremely toxic on camera, being a little Frost man, because he could go to the UK and NY/NJ in less than 5 hours, not having to uproot his life like Amanda Drewey and often was condescending about places like LaGuardia being inferior to say Heathrow.
NBCU loves to put non immigrants on their air, just to have cheap labor.
LyLo – Lynda Lopez, the midday anchor at WCBS Newsradio (as of 2022 she’s the comms for the U.S. Department of Education… is journalism that bad?) A bright woman but a poor radio voice and gives time checks with “it is” as if she has to self verify. Lets not blame the bright newslady…so many reasons I would refrain from sharing. LyLo is not my creation…coined by others.
She had made her New York media rounds for almost a couple decades. WCBS 880 has been her longest professional home for more than a decade; before going to the U.S. Department of Ed. as a comms woman. Her nickname is derived from her popular pop singer sister Jennifer. Something like JLo? For many years Lynda kept a low profile with her relationship to Jennifer but was more open in recent years on social media, see her Instagram. If you couldn’t tell JLo is loud and outgoing and LyLo to this day, shy, quiet and you can barely hear a smile – even on the blowtorch signal on City Island in the Bronx.
Media disPoser – a degrading name to describe Avid’s Media Composer brand when it fails (and often it does!) In the summer of 2022, Avid blocked my Twitter after some snarky tweets by yours truly.
“The NBC owned signal in Boston” – WBTS – The official call sign for the NBC Owned and Operated signal in the Boston market, I use the phrase “signal” because the station’s news and local media operation is really inherited from New England Cable News, following the former merger of NBCU and Comcast in 2013. Given the DTV transition and the “repack” of 2020, and the bug or feature of the Boston television market on the UHF band against Portland, Rhode Island, and alike, in some ways it’s what made the situation to move NBC on the dial very complicated. WBTS’ license is based in Nashua, NH (vis-a-vis WYCN) and they transmit out of Nashua and a secondary signal out of WGBX – which technically should be WGBH-TV as Chs 2 and 44 “piggyback” on the same stick in Needham, the tower owned by CBS.
Regardless, the NBC10 really has a weak signal and most often people are streaming on their site (or even Peacock now) or still have cable (that’s a-me.) Most often I refer to the station by it’s bug name just of ease.
NECN – I refer this as an acronym (NECK’N), it’s easier to say it than it’s official branded initials (N.E.C.N.) Howie Carr has been noticed to use it in this sense, and a couple other Boston newsies I am blanking on in this draft.
The P-Head Network – referring to PBS with it’s infamous P-shaped logo. It’s referred to the logo-fetishists as the “P-Head”.
Quarter-Past-Six – the alleged predecessor name for 615 Music, but likely was named because it’s the primary area code for Nashville, where they had been based (now owned by Warner-Chappell’s production music division.) Allegedly they were incorporated on June 15th. Regardless 615 is on my top faves of news music publishers. The two major artists and founders, Tom Snider and Randy Wachtler left their creations in 2017, after a series of mergers a few years before. They are still in Nashville under a new name called “11 One/Music” According to the company “In numerology, the number 111 is creative, independent, optimistic, and inspiring – all terms that clients and partners have used to describe 11/One/Music founder, Randy Wachtler.”
Round-Eyed Network – Referring to CBS by it’s signature round bullseye
Stephen Arnold Music – a news music (err “Sonic Branding” company) in Texas that is known to be heard on more stations in the U.S. than any of the other news music companies such as 615, Gari Media, Non Stop, Warner Chappell etc. Outside of W/C, they are one of a few major companies for local TV to not be part of some larger group. (thank you media consolidation!) There is a guy named Stephen Arnold who had done the work of the earlier themes – and is known for his guitars. Their social media folks are often really nice to your humble Minfig newsie. Most of the stations that heard the work were mostly South and Western parts of the U.S. and boonies in the Northeast.
The Wright Stuff – a book written by Bob Wright as a memoir, as if he needed a cover for his legacy in 2016. His book shows his attitude of being Proud as a Peacock for the bullying, gaslighting and other predatory practices to local affiliates; as he reported to Proton Jack Welch, the head of General Electric. For any #ActuallyAutistic individuals, it’s best to shame him from NBCU than it is with Autism Speaks; because A$ is an extension of the abuse from NBCU.
Total Traffic – (e.g. Shadow Traffic was Totaled by Total Traffic) i<3’s amusingly embarrassing traffic service, that acquired Metro Networks, Shadow Traffic, and SmartRoutes, that pardon the pun “totaled” the three latter brands and de-localized traffic services for radio and TV stations after the 2011 acquisition from Westwood One. In the 2020s, Total Traffic has zero shame to have traffic reporters in San Francisco giving reports for Seattle with the said reporter never gone there. A lot of the Metro/Shadow alumni have been hired in-house by the primary station they would appear as traffic sensing technology is little to no cost, just the cost of the talent themselves.
Ukee’s Distant Cousin – Denzel Washington, distant cousin to the long KYW-TV news anchor. The actor is great and the anchorman is awesome too. There has been some instances where I would refer Denzel as “Ukee’s Cousin” when the former would be in the news.
Viz – short for VizRT, the database driven Character Generator, that CNN, Fox News Channel, ESPN and Fox Business Network, the Hearst-owned stations. “Chyron” is a overused phrase if the network or stations are not using the long time Long Island based company, with Viz being originally from Norway.
WGBH – you can’t teach a 35 year old new tricks, better to refer to the TV or FM signal by it’s full calls, shortening it is a freggin mouthful! Patooey! And when I would shorten it, I would always had an apostrophe like “‘GBH”
“You Can Spell Bob’s Name Backwards and Forwards and still be ‘Wright’!” – Another play on name and intentional insult to Bob Wright; who was so damn notorious for being self-righteous at the price of the NBC affiliates.