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"Local" TV news stations hire from around the nation. As a result, TV news anchors and reporters are expected to "smooth out" their accents if they want a better shot at moving into higher-paying markets.
If you are from a particular area, and you graduate from college in a particular year, there may be few or zero open positions with local TV stations. You might have to start out moving between stations in an entirely different region of the country where your local accent would seem confusing.
Wouldn't it add local flavor if your local newsteam spoke the respective accent of their market? That goes hand-in-hand with hiring local news anchors too.
What I mean by this is across America, the broadcasters speak "General American"- in the markets with distinct accents (like in the South), there may be a couple newscasters who have a little twang here and there, but it is more toned-down than the local accent.
However I do understand the importance of the "Neutral" accent when it comes to clarity and overall understanding.
Yes, it would be nicer to hear the local accent instead of the slightly-Midwestern-sounding one we get.
Accents don't bother me much one way or the other, but it does annoy the heck out of me that so many newscasters still cling to that southern/midwestern thing of substituting a short "i" for a short "e". So, you will always hear, "More on this story on the Tin O'clock News". Open your mouths. It's an E. Eh eh eh eh eh. Not that hard.
Yes I would definitely prefer it. Fox 45 in Baltimore does pronounce the city name the local way in the start of the evening news. Many of the newscasters in this area have lived here for a very long time.
I concur that Phoenix has no news anchors with distinguishable accents. I used to live in central New Jersey and would get stations from Philadelphia and New York. A number of personalities from both markets had accents -- both local and non local. Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz has a very noticable Philadelphia accent while someone like Penny Crone or Rosanna Scotto in New York had very noticable New York accents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cle2sf
Seeing as the Cleveland accent is pretty much indistinguishable from standard American, I guess this doesn't apply to my hometown.
Cleveland's accent is extremely distinguishable from standard American. It's the nasally Great Lakes accent that can be found in Buffalo, Detroit, and Chicago.
In DC, there's an anchorman named Jim Vance who speaks in a black accent, he's probably the only reporter I've ever seen with a non standard accent. He's actually the the most popular local anchor in DC because he's always making funny wisecracks on human interest stories.
yes, in Atlanta none of the news anchors have the southern accent. i would prefer it if they did. Atlanta is overly image conscious and likes to pretend it's a sophisticated place, so that'll never happen.
I'd say a few do have a light southern accent.
David Chandley (weatherman)
Ken Cook (Weatherman)
Monica Pearson (anchor)
John Pruitt (anchor)-retired....but fills in from time to time. I don't think that he is a native of the area, but he must have picked up some of the southern accent throughout the years.
Chuck Dowdle (sportscaster)...Is he retired?
Yes, it would be nicer to hear the local accent instead of the slightly-Midwestern-sounding one we get.
Accents don't bother me much one way or the other, but it does annoy the heck out of me that so many newscasters still cling to that southern/midwestern thing of substituting a short "i" for a short "e". So, you will always hear, "More on this story on the Tin O'clock News". Open your mouths. It's an E. Eh eh eh eh eh. Not that hard.
It's easier to say "Tin" than "Tehn". Everyone around here says "TIN" and "PIN" for ten and pen.
Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cle2sf
Seeing as the Cleveland accent is pretty much indistinguishable from standard American, I guess this doesn't apply to my hometown.
Cleveland is usually classified as "Inland North" along with the rest of the Great Lakes cities.There may be one or two slight Canadian slurs, although Cleveland has it to less of a degree than Chicago or Detroit do.
It's easier to say "Tin" than "Tehn". Everyone around here says "TIN" and "PIN" for ten and pen.
It must be, since so many people can't say it right, but then again, I learned to pronounce it from childhood so it wasn't ever hard for ME.
I don't really understand why it's "easier", but I do know that some sounds ARE considered harder to say (like the "r" that people in New York and New England leave out).
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