Death of English Double Feature

I get lots of invitations to webinars. “Webinar” is a word that used to make me cringe but through sheer repetition I’ve come to accept it as useful contraction of “web seminar.”

But the online event being promoted in this invitation… that, I cannot accept.

I checked, in case this was some obscure usage with which I was unfamiliar. And it’s not. “Decision” is not a verb. So, a big whack on the head is due to the American Marketing Association, sponsor of the webinar. 

The second item: my ongoing irritation with KUHF, our local NPR affiliate. I put on NPR in the morning to hear some news, the local weather, and to be awakened by soothing NPR voices.

I was a big fan of DC’s NPR station, WAMU, and used to give them money because they presented excellent programming, from local shows to some of the national programs that originated there (like Diane Rehm). Their standards are high and the production values and attention to detail  are excellent.

KUHF, sadly, is more like “NPR for Dummies.” The local announcers regularly mangle English is all kinds of unfortunate ways, which makes me wonder: if NPR can’t find people who can speak clear English, is there any hope for us? This week’s painful moment was a sponsor message from someone who makes “artesian breads and cheeses.” I’m quite sure they meant artisan products, not products somehow related to water from artesian aquifers.

(Yes, I know, the best announcer will stumble over a word sometimes. On KUHF, if happens almost daily. I was also going to ding them for a traffic report that mentioned a “broke-down truck,” but MWK pointed out that they probably get their traffic reports from someone else, and I am guessing there aren’t a lot of traffic report services from which to choose.)

KUHF’s tagline, on their web site, is “Feel something.” I do. Nausea, mostly.