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NPR does this. I don't like it. "... blah blah. For more on this story, Joan Smith joins us via Skype." The sound quality is often terrible, and this being rad
by a3n 9y ago
NPR does this. I don't like it. "... blah blah. For more on this story, Joan Smith joins us via Skype."
The sound quality is often terrible, and this being radio they could have easily done this over high quality phone.
But I'm sure NPR gets "support" from Microsoft for this.
How soon before "Joan Smith joins us via Verizon, with her LG phone."
- antientropic 9y ago> NPR does this. I don't like it. "... blah blah. For more on this story, Joan Smith joins us via Skype." This sounds like extremely weak evidence that NPR is getting paid by Microsoft. Maybe they're just saying "via Skype" because the call is, in fact, via Skype, or to explain the poor sound quality?
- mrguyorama 9y agoI'm honestly inclined to agree. It was common on television news for the studio crew to introduce off site reporters as "So and so joins us by satellite". I doubt "satellite" was paying them to say it
- dexterdog 9y agoSkype is far better than when they call from a cell. Ditto with podcasts. I will usually skip the episode if the guest is on a cell.
- matt4077 9y agoYou really need more evidence before smearing a respected name such as NPR. Especially if the benign explanation is as believable as it is here: Skype has simply become a word of common usage. Journalists operate in the real world. They will use brand names to the same extend that evreryone does. Artificially avoiding them would limit their ability to tell stories as much as avoiding words that start with the letter H would.
- ghaff 9y agoI would hope an NPR journalist wouldn't use Skype as a general term. But it seems reasonable that, when using Skype, they say they do either to explain the quality or because they're required to as someone else said. That said, I'm not sure I've ever personally heard this on a podcast.
- HappyRobot 9y agoSkype requires a verbal announcement if used on a broadcast. It does feel weird, but it's the cost of using free software. https://www.skype.com/en/legal/broadcast/ https://www.skype.com/en/legal/broadcast/
- intrasight 9y agoIs enough of a reason that journalists should dump Skype
- ghaff 9y agoI lot of people they call likely only have Skype (or similar) and cell at their home. It's unfortunate that phone call quality has actually decreased a lot of the time since 50 years ago. But that's what you give up for dramatically lower costs and mobility.