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Conference ljsrv1::tv_chatter

Title:	The TV Chatter Notes Conference
Notice:	Welcome to TV Chatter :-)
Moderator:	PASTA::PIERCE

Created:	Wed Dec 16 1992
Last Modified:	Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	498
Total number of notes:	5416

136.0. "Rough Guide on PBS" by TOOK::MORRISON (Bob M. LKG1-3/A11 226-7570) Thu Jul 22 1993 08:59

  What do you think of the PBS series Rough Guide, which has been on in the
U.S. for about a month? I think it's pretty good. It is a travelogue produced
in England, but has gotten away from the stodginess that most traveloges seem
to have. It's focused on the present, is fast-paced, and shows lots of stuff
that is normally not seen by tourists. The hosts, a man and a woman, travel
to exotic places along with an unseen film crew and seek out the unusual.
  Because it was (I assume) produced for commercial TV, the main show runs for
40 minutes and the leftover time is filled in by "shorts", about three per pro-
gram and each about 3 minutes long. So far the main programs have
covered Hong Kong, Korea, Greece, and Hawaii. One of the shorts was on a group
of young people who explore the sewers in a large Australian city (Sydney?).
  One unusual feature is the "overwrite box" on the bottom 1/10 of the screen
that is used for translation (when interviewing a foreign-language-speaking
person) and for commentary (in addition to the voiceover). I get a chuckle out
of some of the British lingo, both spoken and written. For example, they spell
jewelry "jewellery". American viewers are missing a few tidbits, such as the
prices (displayed in pounds) and a few of the British idioms, but it's no worse
than some of the other PBS British imports, such as Living Planet (shown about
10 years ago).

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
136.1	I say tomato and you say tomaaahhtooo	IJSAPL::KLERK	Quality by Design	`Thu Jul 22 1993 22:21`	10
	Rough Guides are actually produced by the non-commercial BBC. It is shown on Wednesdays following the umptieth rerun of Star Trek TOS. The guides are good fun and indeed different from usual travelogues. (b.t.w. their spelling is correct according to the Oxford Dictionary. British don't follow the Brewster's or Webster's). Theo
136.2		DSSDEV::RUST		`Thu Jul 22 1993 23:22`	20
	I've enjoyed the episodes I've seen, although some of the segments on fashionable watering holes or wonderful shopping places leave me cold. The good thing about "Rough Guide" is that it doesn't stick to the usual topics, though, so for every piece on the local beaches there's likely to be one on the local crime scene as well. In fact, they focused so much on local crime and poverty in several episodes that I found myself wondering who'd want to go there after seeing this... [And then they'd pop up some obscure but fascinating sight, and I'd think, "Hmmm, maybe I _will_ go there someday." ;-)] The segment on Hawaii, for example, introduced lots of the usual stuff about scenery and luxury and beaches, then stepped over to (Molokai? the least-built-up island) to show off its incredible natural beauty - and promptly went into a story about the very high unemployment rate among the inhabitants, and the unrest among the young people who only want to get away from this "paradise". Not your usual travel show; highly recommended. -b
136.3		WIZZER::WEGG	Some hard boiled eggs and some nuts.	`Thu Jul 22 1993 23:31`	7
	>> I get a chuckle out of some of the British lingo, both spoken >> and written. For example, they spell jewelry "jewellery". That form of "British Lingo" is known as "English". We use is a lot here in England! :-) Ian.
136.4		NASZKO::DISMUKE	WANTED: New Personal Name	`Fri Jul 23 1993 02:02`	11
	I caught this quite by accident when they aired the Hawaii episode. I thought is was rather informing. (she said with a slight british accent). I like how they show the good, the bad, and the ugly! Let's you know what you are really in for. Good show bloke! -sandy
136.5		MILPND::J_TOMAO		`Fri Jul 23 1993 02:10`	15
	Excellent! I've only watched 3 episodes and just love the fast paced look at everyday life in other parts of teh globe. They travel the way I do - I get away from most tourist traps and like to see the everyday life of the people and their culture. And yes I was a little 'turned off' by the focus on crime but I think it needs to be told....like warnings about the carjacking in Miami and the common places for purse-snatching - the tips are very helpful. Now what travel agent will tell you to while in Rome always wear your purse around your neck and shoulder and avoid wearing flashy jewlery? Love the accents and the music they use too! Great show Joyce
136.6	What's behind the dark glasses???	MARLIN::RUHROH::COLELLA	Computers make me ANSI.	`Fri Jul 23 1993 04:52`	7
	I like the show too, but I find Magenta's constant wearing of sunglasses to be annoying. Even in the night time segments she has 'em on. I guess it's her trademark, but it bugs me when I can't see someone's eyes... Cara
136.7		SMAUG::LEHMKUHL	H, V ii 216	`Fri Jun 24 1994 00:51`	8
	The sunglasses are so you won't see her eyes (pupils, particularly). They came to Boston to film last year, and that segment is being shown next month on PBS in Boston (Washington DC/Boston combo). It was interesting to see them do the Rough bit all the way from Gatwick. They flew Virgin, coach, and handled their own luggage. Chris
136.8		DSSDEV::RUST		`Wed Jul 27 1994 00:02`	7
	The Boston segment was entertaining, but - as was to be expected, I suppose - in one 20-minute segment, they couldn't possibly hit all the areas I'd have liked to see . [I was amused to note that they didn't mention Boston drivers at _all_; perhaps they found it rather tame compared to some of the Italian traffic scenes...] -b