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The name game
Although they
apparently share the same language, people in the UK and the US sometimes have
very different terms that mean the same things.
This has the
power to cause confusion when people from one side of the Atlantic attempt to
have a conversation with people from the other in all manner of mundane
conversations.
A discussion
using the word “homely” has the power to insult (in the US it means ‘ugly’,
whilst in the UK its meaning is sharply opposed). An American proposing to
table a motion will be surprised when a Brit continues to talk about it. And
heaven help the poor Brit directed to a specific floor of an American
department store – he or she will always be one floor away from it.
But in
broadcasting it gets worse, as the languages diverge completely. This
reflects the fact that the medium of television is comparatively new, yet has
had time to build up different terminology (and mythology, for that matter) in
each country.
Additionally,
the sources of entertainment experience that television began with come, very
generally, from different professions in each country – the UK having
developed television out of radio, the US having developed it out of film
making.
A short
glossary of the wanderings of language in a single medium between two
countries that share the same language makes for fascinating reading.
Presenter and Host, Emcee or Anchor
In the UK,
persons who preside over programmes are almost always referred to as
"presenters", regardless of whether it's a news programme, a chat show, a
variety series or a quiz programme.
The term
"host" is often used in the US for persons who preside over entertainment
programmes. A term unique to the US is "emcee", which is a way to pronounce
the letters "M.C.", an abbreviation for "Master of Ceremonies".
Presenters of
US quiz, chat and variety programmes are often referred to as emcees.
Presenters of news programmes are usually referred to as "anchors".
Vision Mixer and Technical Director
Americans
might think that a "Vision Mixer" is a machine that mixes TV pictures. But in
the UK, it refers to the person who in the control room switches between
cameras under command of the director.
Here in the
US, this person is known as a "Technical Director" – perhaps a more impressive
sounding title.
Sound and Audio
In credits for
many UK programmes, the person who runs the control room sound console during
a programme is referred to as the "Sound" person.
In US
programme credits this person is referred to as being involved in "Audio".
News Bulletin and News Flash or Special Report
In the UK,
"News Bulletin" refers to a scheduled programme that reviews the latest news.
In the US,
"News Bulletin" refers to a major unexpected news story of such importance
that the station or network feels that viewers need to know about it
immediately, and will interrupt regular programmes to announce it.
In recent
decades, American networks have increasingly used the term "Special Report"
instead of "News Bulletin" to describe this kind of programme interruption.
What we in the
States call a "News Bulletin" or "Special Report" is known in the UK as a
"News Flash". By contrast, some American viewers casually refer to such
reports as a "News Flash", although broadcasters haven't adopted that term.
Recording and Taping
In the UK, the
process of videoing a programme for later transmission is called a
"Recording". In the US, it's referred to as a "Taping", since the programme is
recorded onto tape.
The latter
term will probably survive even after other forms of digital video recording
that do not use tape replace videotape.
Chat Show and Talk Show
British
viewers often tune-in to entertaining or informative programmes, consisting
mostly of talk, that are referred to as "Chat Shows".
In the US, the
same kind of programme is known as a "Talk Show". Neither make a distinction
between a one-on-one interview (Parkinson or Frost style) and an audience
participation show (Trisha, Donahue etc).
Transmission and Broadcast
The process of
sending a programme from the studio to the home TV set has long been known as
"Transmission" in the UK and "Broadcast" in the US.
The term
"Broadcasting" is used in the UK television industry to sum up the entire
genre – radio and television – but rarely would someone tune into “a
broadcast”, unlike in the US.
Continuity and Presentation
The bridging
of gaps between programmes in the United States and in the UK has always been
approached differently.
To American
eyes, most of the UK’s output in earlier years was slower and friendlier, with
in-vision continuity announcers providing “presentation” between each
programme.
To UK eyes,
American television has always seemed to be done at a rush. The stream of
adverts, promos and programs doesn’t seem to pause for anything, let alone the
opportunity to change channel. This fast-paced style hasn’t really acquired a
name in the US, though “continuity” is probably what most would plump for.
This
difference is unlikely to persist as the UK follows the US down the “no
pausing” format and ends the previous traditions of friendly live announcing
between programmes. The resulting ‘smudge’ of items between programmes,
however, is likely to keep the name “presentation”.
Joseph Gallant
Compilation © 2003 Transdiffusion Broadcasting System
Text © 2003 Joseph Gallant. All rights reserved. Used with permission
Television professionals in
India have developed an unique way to address the UK and US name conflict - We
Use Them All. Meaning to us in India, Presenter, Anchor, Host all mean the same
and there is no confusion about it. But yes like all the countries we also have
developed our own unique terms (which no doubt is too difficult to pronounce by
English speaking readers, so I am not stating them) and my personal belief
is - here in India we will evolve more and more names as time passes - we all
love Television, so why not experiment with it?
Aditya Basu,
Editor, xtvworld.com
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