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October 12, 2021
Radio/Television

“Technically, televised sports are game shows”

Televised sports have been compared to game shows. "not all game shows are sports. but all sports are game shows" was posted on Twitter by ethan on July 1, 2018. "All sports that are…

April 9, 2016
Radio/Television

“Television enables you to be entertained in your home by people you wouldn’t have in your home”

English television host David Frost (1939-2013) is frequently credit with this line: "Television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you…

March 29, 2019
Radio/Television

“Television has changed the American child from an irresistible force to an immovable object”

"Television is changing the American child from an irresistible force to an immovable object. -- Time Magazine" was printed in The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, MA) on September 9, 1958.…

September 16, 2018
Radio/Television

“Television has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other”

"Television has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other" is a saying that has been printed on many images. "Ann Landers," the pen name of a syndicated…

July 24, 2019
Radio/Television

“Television is a writer’s medium” (television adage)

"Television is a writer's medium" is a popular saying, along with "film is a director's medium" and "theater is an actor's medium." "Television is…

October 25, 2011
Radio/Television

“Television is called a medium because it is neither rare nor well done”

"Television is called a medium because it is neither rare nor well done" is a classic joke about early television. "Definition 'Television: A new medium—rare, if well…

February 25, 2024
Government/Law/Military/Religion /HealthRadio/Television

“Ten seconds of drug commercials are spent telling you what the drug is for and the rest is spent basically daring you to take it”

"Ever notice that the first 10 seconds of a medical drug commercial is spent telling you what the drug is for and the rest basically daring you to take it?" is a saying that has been…

July 15, 2018
Radio/Television

“That awkward moment when you finish watching a TV series and you don’t know what to do”

"That awkward moment when you finish watching a TV series and you don’t know what to do with your life anymore" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many images.…

January 17, 2020
Radio/Television

“That moment when your high school music is on the oldies station”

"That moment when the music you listened to in high school is being played on the 'oldies' station" is a saying that has been printed on many images. This saying originated from…

October 31, 2019
Radio/Television

“The American people don’t believe anything until they see it on television”

"The American people don't believe anything until they see it on television" is a quotation by American politician Richard Nixon (1913-1994) that has been featured at the Newseum in…

November 4, 2022
Radio/Television

“The average home has two washing machines: 1) The real washing machine, and 2) Television”

"The average home has two washing machines -- washing machine + brain washing machine" is a saying shown on several images. The "brain washing machine" is a television.…

July 6, 2005
Radio/Television

“The Beat of New York” (WKTU-FM)

WKTU-FM (103.5) used to be a country music station, but in February 1996 it became "the beat of New York." It's a nonstop dance dance dance. "The beat of New York" is…

June 1, 2012
Radio/Television

“The camera adds ten pounds” (film and television adage)

"The camera adds ten pounds" is an old film and television adage that is still held by many. Camera angles and colors can make one to appear fatter or thinner. "The motion-picture…

June 1, 2012
Radio/Television

“The camera doesn’t lie” (“The camera never lies”)

'The camera doesn't lie" (or "the camera never lies") means that photographic evidence shows what something actually looks like. The old saying has been used since the…

January 15, 2026
Food/DrinkRadio/Television

“The first stage of a realistic baking show would be each contestant trying to open a jammed utensil drawer”

What would a realistic baking show (possibly on the Food Network) be like? This was posted on X/Twitter by The Notorious B.E.V. 🌈 on December 5, 2018: "The first stage of a realistic baking…

February 6, 2016
Radio/Television

“The first time I saw a universal remote control I thought, ‘This changes everything’”

A popular joke about a tv remote is: "I remember the first time I saw a universal remote control, and I thought to myself, 'Well, this changes everything.'" "A universal…

September 12, 2016
Radio/Television

“The greatest thing since radio”

Radio was regarded as a great invention in the early 1900s, and other wonders were hyped as "the greatest thing since radio." The expression "greatest thing since radio" has…

April 5, 2023
Radio/Television

“The human brain is a very sophisticated organ. It works day and night, until you turn on the news”

"HUMAN BRAIN IS A VERY SOPHISTICATED ORGAN. IT WORKS DAY AND NIGHT FROM THE MOMENT YOU ARE BORN UNTIL ... YOU TURN ON THE NEWS" (shown on an image) was posted on Facebook by Itz J Sam on…

February 21, 2018
Radio/Television

“The human race is faced with a cruel choice: work or daytime television”

"The human race is faced with a cruel choice: work or daytime television" is a jocular saying that has been printed on several images. "The human race is faced with a cruel choice:…

March 11, 2025
Media/Newspapers/Magazines/InternetRadio/Television

“The job of the mainstream media today is to make you think that the views of 10% of the country are actually the views of 90% of the country”

"The job of the mainstream media today is to make you think that the views of 10% of the country are actually the views of 90% of the country" is a saying that has been printed on many…

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BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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