680News - Lisa Brandt

In the 680 newsroom we spend a lot of time discussing words. Sometimes the correct use of a word sounds wrong but we always choose to go with what’s correct. As an example, people sometimes mix up clichés like, “nip it in the bud” or “champing at the bit”. They say “butt” or “chomping”. Former and current schoolteachers and others never hesitate to tell us when they believe a mistake has been made, as is their right.

One such debate concerned the word “whether.” One of our editors insisted that whether must always, and without fail, be followed by “or not.” This is not the case, a fact that’s supported by every dictionary, but it’s difficult to talk someone out of his or her long-held belief about our language.

Opinions are in abundance every time one of us describes a flag as being “half-mast” or “half-staff.” Someone is always quick to point out the origins of the words, whether at land or at sea, and decide on their appropriateness given the location of the flag in question. I phoned a linguist at the University of Toronto who told me that language is fluid and it is now perfectly acceptable to use either half-mast or half-staff no matter if the flag is on land or a boat – but people don’t tend to believe that especially if they had the definitions drilled into their heads in school.

My own personal pet peeve is the modification “very” for “unique” which has always meant one of a kind. However, this same linguist said that English has been stretched and twisted mostly by misuse and it has now evolved to a place where unique can also mean rare. Still, I can’t bring myself to say “very unique.” I can barely make myself write it!

Words are the raw materials from which we create our newscasts. We take them seriously and while we all strive to use them properly there are bound to be those who believe otherwise. It’s the debate that makes things interesting in the word game.

Three cheers for Pope Benedict for attempting to use his considerable influence to improve a situation that’s near and dear to 680News listeners: bad driving. The Pope has issued 10 Driving Commandments.

Our traffic reporters hear it all. Not only do people call to report traffic tips (which we truly appreciate!) a week doesn’t go by when somebody doesn’t do something dangerous or dumb that causes trouble for others on the road. As it’s often been said: “You can’t legislate common sense.”

But you can’t give up on what’s right, either, and the Pope is at least trying to remind people of the reasons why they’re in a car in the first place – to travel. He seems to be appealing to us to take a deep breath and stop acting as if we’re all in impenetrable tanks, and there’s nobody else to worry about on the road but us.

Here are the Pope’s Driving Commandments. Will they help improve things on the road? I hope so. Will they correct all of the bad driving that’s out there? Unfortunately not; that would take a miracle.

1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible toward others.

I joined Facebook.com shortly before its recent explosion. Someone mentioned that there was a 680News fan club on the networking website, so I had to go and check it out for myself. I cyber-met Kevin Leung, the creator of the club, and we are e-pals now.

Where else but on the Internet could a savvy, smart and sophisticated high school student and a professional radio broadcaster ever meet? It’s quite fascinating when you think about it. On the web, we are all equals. There is little or no bias about age or looks or any of that face-to-face stuff. My typing and your typing turn out exactly the same.

Now that I’ve been a Facebook-er for many months, I’ve been contacted by everyone from former colleagues at radio and TV stations, high school classmates and people who listen to 680News in the morning.

Sites like Facebook and Classmates inspire fear in some people but I’m always thrilled to hear from people, old and new. It’s not about living in the past, it’s about relationships past and present and honouring them, even if only for a few moments.

I’ve posted some candid shots from the 680 newsroom on the Facebook fan page so people who are interested can see some of us in action. I’ve always enjoyed connecting with our listeners because – let’s face it – that’s what it’s all about. We are here because of you and we’re glad that you listen.

Cheers,

Lisa

New to 680News? Welcome aboard and allow me to brag a little about the radio station.

680News has the most listeners of any station in Canada. Long before I joined the 680News team, I was a fan of the radio station and the lightning-quick format of getting the most important information to you, fast.

Besides all of the many talented personalities and voices you hear on the air, there are dozens of others working behind the scenes to make 680News come to life. It’s kind of like a movie set, where the actors get all the attention but it’s the crew that puts them on film. We’re very proud of our accomplished team of Editors, Audio Editors and Writers and everyone else who help us assemble and execute our shows.

Paul Cook and I have been a team on the morning show since the summer of 2003. We call each other Work Husband and Work Wife and in the type of program that we do, we really do have to be able to depend on each other. With our Editor, Elizabeth Harrison, our Senior Writer Jennifer MacDonald, our reporters and the rest of the crew, we truly are a TEAM that works together well.

We get up ridiculously early because we look forward to doing our jobs together. We are like a little tribe of smart (if I may be so bold) kooky people who all live on weird hours and love what we do.

So, what will you read on this page? I hope it will be a bit of everything with a definite news focus. I’ll share some insight into how we do what we do, why we do some things the way we do them and on the news in general. Meanwhile, if there’s any topic you’d like to read about here, please write to me at lisa.brandt@rci.rogers.com. Until next time…

Lisa