I've never posted before, however, I've been lurking here a really long time. I tuned into Eyewitness News at six (New York City area) and heard Bill Beutel give his commentary at the end of the program about "YK2". I was flabbergasted! That a news anchor should refer to Y2k as YK2 at this late date is shocking. He said it twice so I don't think he mis-spoke, just think that he doesn't have a clue as to what it is. However, his clueless state apparantly didn't prevent him from informing his audience that "stuff breaks all the time and that we shouldn't automatically attribute it to "YK2". I was so outraged that I had to send the show a nasty e-mail. Anyone else happen to catch the program?

-- Lurker#286 (can'tstandit@nymore.com), December 14, 1999

Answers

Missed that program. But on the weekend when discussing recent events, I musta said "Koshkonong" about 20 times when I meant "Koskinen" (Koshkonong is a small town in Missouri). Duh, I think my brain is melting.

-- Anita Evangelista (ale@townsqr.com), December 14, 1999.

I have customers who call it "YK2" all the time. Some call it the "Y Thing".

I try to get them to buy as much of my services as possible and push them out the door.

-- hamster (hamster@mycage.com), December 14, 1999.

Lurker,

That's his breezy, wind-up-the-news-with-an-epigram style. But for it to be the commentary on Y2K is pathetic and obscene.

Freakin' unbelievable that everyone is picking up that polly spin thing as the current evaluation of a dire crisis.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 14, 1999.

Mara,

Did you see the program? It was my impression that he didn't know what the hell he was talking about, just read off the teleprompter. I e-mail the show and told them to change their name to "I'm Witless News"!

-- Lurker#286 (can'tstandit@nymore.com), December 14, 1999.

I remember watching him as a kid living in NY....He's still alive?

How old is he now, anyway?

-- Duke 1983 (Duke1983@AOL.com), December 14, 1999.

I remember watching him as a kid living in NY....He's still alive?

Apparently not.

-- semper paratus (always@ready.now), December 14, 1999.

Duke,

Don't know how old he is, but the way he stumbles through the broadcast is really painful to watch. He's been on the show what seems like forever now.

-- Lurker#286 (can'tstandit@nymore.com), December 14, 1999.

He's very chipper. I didn't see this show, but I can imagine it. Still, it's not his fault. He's just the guy they hired to read this copy, don't you think? Some other witless guy reads it. It doesn't really matter anyway, since everything is going to change soon. It's weird to be sitting in the middle of history, huh?

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 14, 1999.

Dyslexia can be a terrible thing.

-- Dot (dromano03@snet.com), December 14, 1999.

This talk of old broadcasters cracks me up. When I lived in Columbus, Georgia a few years back, there was a broadcaster for the evening news that I coulda sworn was older than God's parents. He looked like something from Planet of the Apes, and poor guy, couldn't even see the teleprompter anymore. I finally got the scoopage on why he was even still on the air: his dad started the station and he owned half of it. Stipulation in his contract was that he quits when he wants to and not a day before. He didn't wanna. God bless him.

And about the spin about "Hey! Bad things happen all the time, can't be Y2K!" That was FRONT PAGE NEWS in the Dallas Morning News today. Sheesh. What bone-crushing journalism that is.

-- preparing (preparing@home.com), December 14, 1999.

Tim Ruseert called it YK2 about six months ago. As an aside, Brian Williams reads headlines in major papers at the end of his show. One he described as an article about "why Americans are stocking up despite the fact that there's not a shread of evidence there will be a problem in the US".

-- Dave (aaa@aaa.com), December 15, 1999.

Although it's a sad commentary re: the news show...you all did give me a few chuckles this morning. That's one prep item we need to keep in good supply.

beej

-- beej (beej@ppbbs.com), December 15, 1999.

I think Montel said YK2 at the beginning of his "Y2K" show about a year ago. After the break he was saying Y2K for the rest of the show.

-- Jim (x@x.x), December 15, 1999.