Bonehead deeds from 2005

These days news organizations are doing a variety of lists and “best of” and “worst of” from the past year. I’ve seen listings of things such as Top Stories, Top Newsmakers, Biggest Jerks, Worse Person, etc.

After having lunch with a couple of my former coworkers and the mention of a couple of bonehead calls or statements we had encountered, I thought it might be interesting to hear what kind of bonehead things or stunts people have seen or heard in the TV business over the past year.

Since I’ve not been in the business during the past year, I can only go on things that I know of from my days in the business.

There was the news producer who, when writing about Lady Diana, referred to her as the Princess of Whales. When told it was Wales, she said, “No, it’s Whales. England is an Island and there are whales around it and that’s why she’s the Princess of Whales”.

Then there is the high-ranking manager who, after the station was knocked off the air, wanted to run a Chyron crawl at the bottom of the screen, alerting viewers that we were off the air. I think somebody had to explain that we couldn’t do that since the station was off the air.

Then there was the high ranking manager who, when seeing the station’s logo projected on the studio floor, was worried that people walking on it might scuff and scratch it. The logo was projected onto the floor a spotlight from the lighting grid overhead.

Then there is the news director who after getting several contracts signed by talent, handed the wrong contract to an anchor.

Then there is the EP who wrote a scathing memo to a newsroom employee. The EP was using the new newsroom computer system and sent the email to everyone in the newsroom instead of just the person in question and the ND. The EP then raced through the newsroom to tell people NOT to read it.

Folks, I’m not making this up. This all happened down on the river.

Do you have any fun things that happened in your shop or at your station over the past year?

Please, don’t name names. Just tell the stories. We’ll let the readers of this blog decide on their own as to which situation merits the status of “top Bonehead” from 2005.

Let the postings begin.