During a recent speech by Vice President Dick Cheney, and broadcast by CNN, we witnessed a brief graphic of an X displayed across the Vice President’s face. We now have the official CNN excuse:
It was a computer bug.
Is that the best they could do? My gosh – I guess every department at CNN has just quit trying. As always, IMAO is here to help with a list of excuses just ready to use at a moment’s notice.
Presenting:
Top Ten Excuses CNN Could Have Offered For Putting an “X” graphic over VP Dick Cheney’s Face During a Speech:
#10. Man’s loaded right? X marks the spot.
#9. We have a new Rating system — and we were anticipating a wardrobe malfunction.
#8. X is the letter of the day!
#7 We would have used “t” but thought people might mistake it for a crucifix.
#6. In fairness — Democrat strategy is drawn out with the letter “O”.
#5. Well, it wasn’t an “X” — it was a kiss.
#4. We would have put up three “x”s but thought people might think him a secret agent.
#3. After investigating, we discovered the people in the control room were playing a drinking game.
#2. Sorry, the producer used to work on Family Feud.
And the #1 excuse for putting an X over Dick Cheney’s Face During a Speech is…
#1. We would have used a graphic of a pig – but felt it would offend Muslims.
**
See? Making cheap excuses can be educational!
SomeXtimes therexs just no reasxn to tx stxck a bxnch xf X’s everywhere.
Grwx Xp people!!
If it walks like a liberal and quacks like a liberal. It’s a liberal. Doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know what CNN is up to.
These idiots actually believe we think they are telling the truth????????
They said that the solution to the problem is going to be the scheduled reboot of the switcher/server system.
What a glowing testament for Windows-based broadcast technology.
Speaking as a video director (among other things), their explanation is what’s technically known as “a load of crap.”
Sure, a computer does the switching (CNN has been automated to the gills for years and years), but the person who puts in the initial commands obviously made a mistake (or a “mistake on purpose,” although I don’t think so). You can see little switching errors every single day on every single show on CNN, despite those neatokeen computers “running” things.
Even with the best automation you can buy, it’s trivially easy for someone to cue up the wrong clip and tell another clip to run, whle showing the first.
Despite the comments by that weasel spokesdroid, pretty much any video director could walk in to their operation and recreate that same screwup manually in moments.
On the other hand, it would be simple enough for someone to notice what the preroll looked like, decide to keep the “look,” and let it go on air with a couple of keystrokes.
They said that the solution to the problem is going to be the scheduled reboot of the switcher/server system.
If it was a system wide issue, similar problems would have been showing up continually before and after the Cheney clip. There were glitches (as always with live TV), but nothing similar. Since the clip they were getting ready to roll (the “X” transition to logo) is one of the most-viewed clips they use, it should have popped up before if it was a systemic problem.
Not sure which commenters are in jest, but conservatives who are looking for liberal bias in this look like fools. The letter x wasn’t the only extra letter flashed on screen. Another blogger was able to extract the message “Transition will begin in 5 seconds” from below the X. Which, if you read drudge is exactly what CNN said was the problem, a marking added to a clip to indicate that it would be switched into the feed next was accidentally displayed.
kyle:
Maybe.
…but it would be, as I mentioned above, very easy for someone in the control room to decide they liked the “look” and keep the clip as shown.
I’d bet on the “someone screwed up” scenario myself, but the really lame excuse CNN handed out pushes me in the other direction.
A valid point that was brought to my attention is the fact that this could be a signal to someone from someone to have Cheney eliminated. I know it sounds a little crackpotish but lets face it; we are at war with people who use our own technology against us (planes as missiles) in order to get things done. Although if CNN wants to blow Cheney kisses it’s fine by me–
Wait… hold on… subliminal advertisement for Xbox 360?
bowling behind the scenes?
oooh… michael moore(on) Bowling for Columbine II: Cheney gets a strike
There are some technical issues with the explanation that I don’t understand. Every TV station I’ve done work for has nothing on the front and back of their clips and what not for at least 10-15 seconds, and color bars before that, not Xs. Also, why was it fed into the chroma keyer? (Device that makes a specific color transparent so you can use it as an overlay, in this case whatever color was the background for the X, just in case you didn’t know.) Was the CNN logo going to rotate on top of the podium as Cheney walked out or something? I haven’t watched CNN in ages, so I don’t know if that’s normal for them. Would that be consistant with their broadcasts?
The startling ‘X’ flashes over Cheney’s face were first revealed by the DRUDGE REPORT.
No, Matt, I think CNN revealed them first.
A valid point that was brought to my attention is the fact that this could be a signal to someone from someone to have Cheney eliminated.
If by “valid” you mean “looney tunes.”
It’s a frikkin’ X. Let’s leave the loopy conspiracies to FreeRepublic.
//bowling behind the scenes?//
If it was bowling then Karl Rove would make the second strike and George would be the Turkey(thus a Thanksgiving plug as well)
When I saw the title, I thought you were planning to order this.
Said “scooby”
The point you have not grasped is this, the left has always been completely disrespectful, if it was just an X then why all the reaction!?!
Because people are tired of the disrespect– the appearance of evil is evil, or (like your post suggests) if it looks stupid it is stupid–
I personally am tired of the left getting away with throwing an ALMIGHTY tantrum when “a frikkin’ X” or the like gets plastered over one of their own, imagine if that had been Algore on Fox News. His master (Slick) and all the minions would be up in arms demanding apologies.
And for the record loony tunes never die their humor is timeless and the political satire cutting and witty, if you can’t see that then you’re about as bright as a bag of wet mice.
BUFF, there are no liberals getting pissed off over a “frikkin X”. You’re sitting there throwing a tantrum and saying “It’s not me! IT’s the liberals!”
Thats Right! They’re all laughing at it! And I was standing when I had MY “tantrum” over the X thing. Old news, and mores the point who cares, I simply pointed out the lack of respect, nothing less and anything more I can do just let me know I would love to sit down and do something about it;-)Now I have other things to throw “tantrums” about…good day.