Xiaoyingasks:
Pleaseexplain “crimeheavy”, “There’snotmuchnottolike” and, aboveall, “batterychickens” inthefollowingpassages (Thisisfromyourcolumn 2008-03-04 aboutFaintPraise).
CityUniversityheadofjournalismandformerITVnewsstafferAdrianMonckgives “anoldfashionedcritiqueofanoldfashionedshow”, sayingthatthestorybalancewastoocrimeheavyandtheonethingmissingwasasenseofhumour.
“There’snotmuchnottolikehere - whichisn’ttodamnwithfaintpraise, butsimplytopointoutthatwithnewsviewersthelessyoucandotodrivethemaway, themorewillstay. Butlikebatterychickens, theoddsurpriseisgoodforthem.”
Mycomments:
Thefirsttwoquestionsarestraightforward.
“Crimeheavy” meanstherearetoomanystoriesaboutcrimesintheITVnewsshow, heavysuggestingthatitoutweighsothersectsoftheprogramandthereforecreatesanimbalance. If, forinstance, thehalf-hourshowdevotes 12 minutesofittocrimestories, itiscrimeheavy.
Our 7pmnewsshow, ontheotherhand, isleaders-meeting-other-leadersheavy, especiallyduringthefirsthalfoftheprogram. Thefirstseveralminutes, forexample, areinvariablyconsumedbyatopleadermeetingsomeoneelse – andyouareleftwishing, ofcourse, thatthey, today, somehow, mightconjureupsomethinginterestingtosay.
“There’snotmuchnottolike” issimplyanotherwayofsaying “there’smuchtolike”. “Notmuchnottolike” = muchtolike, as “Not” and “not” canceleachotherout.