Pet peeves, local radio announcer edition

[muckefuck]

Weather When giving the high temperatures for the day, why tell us it will be "cooler by the Lake"? Everyone whose been here for five minutes knows that. It's like saying "warmer in the greenhouse" or "cooler underground".

Traffic "Chicagoland" sounds like an Al Capone theme park. Why use it when you can just as well say "Chicago area"? And why compound your bad judgement by saying "Chicagoland area"? What is that even supposed to mean?

(Feel free to add your own.)

Comments

[lhn.livejournal.com]

Weather When giving the high temperatures for the day, why tell us it will be "cooler by the Lake"? Everyone whose been here for five minutes knows that.

Radio audiences include people who just got off the plane here. I'm annoyed the other way, when for example traffic announcements talk about the tie-ups at Hubbard's Cave or the Ronald Reagan Expressway as if these are the most obvious things in the world. (And good luck translating between a local's directions and a map if neither you nor they know whether the Tri-State is 290 or 294.)

But then, I'm the sort of person who prefers the color-coding of the L lines to the directional names that were impenetrable to those who didn't already know Chicago geography. I'm hardly immune to the lure of shibboleths, but stuff that's supposed to be information for the general public should be pitched so that it's easy to pick up. (If you already need significant local knowledge to understand a sign or map or announcement, what the point of posting it?)

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

If that's the case, why don't they do it in other cities, too? How come no one on San Francisco radio ever told me it's "cooler by the ocean"?

[lhn.livejournal.com]

If that's the case, why don't they do it in other cities, too? How come no one on San Francisco radio ever told me it's "cooler by the ocean"?

In that particular, case, probably because running down the Bay Area microclimate variations would wind up taking up all the time till the next weather report. :-)

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

True enough! In the time it takes you to run down City, South Bay, and East Bay, other towns are already halfway through the next song!

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

But Muckefuck, in the winter, it's warmer by the lake!

Also, I'd want to know how much warmer/cooler. 1 degree, 15 degrees?

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but I've never heard them say that!

Actually, I suspect what they might mean is that it's windier, so even on relatively warm days, it's often a good idea to cover up a bit so you don't get shivery.

[cruiser.livejournal.com]

Actually, I've heard them say "warmer by the lake" - and if they don't say both, how will you know what day it is that it switches?