Nov 25, 2003 01:55 PM
8469 Views
(Updated Nov 25, 2003 03:53 PM)
BECKS MUM IN LAW BEATS QUEEN
Did that statement make any sense??? If you have a fascination for such riddles make sure you tune into Headlines Today everyday and read the news scroll bar at the bottom of your screen for more such sentences ( if you need the answer read the review!)
I can honestly assure you one thing:
If there was an award for the worst (almost comical) news broadcasting it would have to go to Headlines Today. The channel is the sister concern of Aaj Thak and was launched with much fanfare sometime last year.
The Negative Points
- The tag lines accompanying the headlines in the news scroll bar at the bottom of the screen is sometimes deplorable and disgusting.
Eg: When the Iranian Siamese twins tragically died earlier this year in Singapore after a huge operation the tag line was ''Death DID them apart''.
OUCH
- Some of the news readers seem so 'lost' when they are presenting the news. Many a time it seems as if they are coming across names for the first time as they are reading from the teleprompter. It does not look like they have much idea about what they are talking about, even if they do have an idea it looks like they are doing a great job of hiding it.
I was shocked when one of the male news readers did not know who Noel David was when he was doing an on air ( breaking news ) interview with former Hyderabadi batsman Vanka Pratap.
Surely any Indian would remember Noel David flying out as a replacement for Javagal Srinath to the West Indies few years back evoking the now infamous statement from Sachin -'' Noel Who?''.
Vanka Pratap for his part explained the whole Noel David episode patiently to the bewildered news reader.
- The manner in which the news readers introduce each section is comical.
For Example :
Introduction to the weather report:
Its a sunday today and I am sure all of you will be packing your baskets for a lovely picnic but to know whether you need to pack an umbrella as well, stay tuned for the weather report
The weather report that follows is just the maximum and minimum temperatures from around 8 cities in India (meaning no information about that umbrella).
There is no in-depth news coverage of any event and the channel loves to sensationalize any news story.
The pronunciation is just terrible. It makes me squirm when they make mince meat of the names of some of my favourite football players and some of the European football clubs.
Someone should inform them that:
a) Thierry Henry is pronounced Thierry Onri and not Henry as in Henry the VIII or Henry Ford.
b) Portsmouth is pronounced Ports-muth and not Ports-MOUTH.
c) Zidane is pronounced Zidan and not as Zidane like in Thane.
The amount of attention the channel pays to Golf, especially obscure golf tournaments is bewildering. All this shows in their television ratings which never rise.
The Plus Point
The entertainment bureau does a good job of getting the trailers of the latest releases.
That plus Gayathri Iyer's tangy accent makes the entertainment news good.
The channel sure has a long way to go but there is a lot more to being a good news channel than having good looking female news readers.
Answer to the Riddle!
One of the british tabloids had run a poll to determine Britain's best granny and it so happened that David Beckham's mother-in-law ( Posh Spice's mum if you happen to be out of touch ) had beaten the Queen to the top spot.
Thats Headlines Today Folks.
