television

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. video, TV; telefilm, kinescope; [video]tape; station, studio, channel, network, syndicate; closed-circuit, cable, or pay television; telecast; CATV. See communication.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. T.V., teevee, video, color television, home entertainment center, tube*, boob tube*, the eye*, box*; see also communications , station 7 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

TV, *tube, *boob tube, video, *telly, *idiotbox, console, set, entertainment center, *one-eyed monster. ''Chewing gum for the eyes.''—Frank Lloyd Wright. ''An invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn't have in your home.''—David Frost.

WORD FIND

• ABC: American Broadcasting Company

• affiliated TV stations, collectively: network

• audition for TV show, open: cattle call

• award: Emmy

• background scene slide: balop

• BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation

• brief clip of politician’s or other newsmaker’s remarks: soundbite

• broadcast: air, telecast

• broadcast on radio and TV at same time: simulcast

• ‘‘brought to you by’’ opening of show: opening billboard

• camera crane for moving, outdoor shots: cherry picker

• camera crane operator: crane grip

• camera dolly, one who pushes: dolly grip

• camera elevating device: riser

• camera shot, moving: crab shot, dolly shot, truck shot

• card with performer’s lines on it: cue card, idiot card, flip card

• CBS: Columbia Broadcasting System

• color test strip: color bar, colorburst

• commercials, group of: pod

• credits at end of show, moving: crawl

• directing and engineering room: control room

• distribution of TV shows to subscriber stations: syndication

• distributor of TV shows: syndicate

• 8 P.M. to 11 P.M.: prime time

• electrician head in studio: gaffer

• goofs made by actors or crew edited out of tape: bloopers, outtakes

• hand or assistant in studio: grip, hammer, set carpenter

• high resolution television: HDTV (High Definition television)

• identifying, introductory scenery of television show: signature montage

• light, studio: floodlight, klieg light, scoop, basher

• local prohibition of program to attract bigger audience at live show: blackout

• local station part of national network: affiliate

• microphone boom, long: *fishpole

• minimum standard fee for performer: scale

• monitor console from which director chooses which camera shot will air: preview

• monitor moral standards, department that assures program meets society’s: standards and practices

• narrator’s voice heard over program: voiceover

• NBC: National Broadcasting Company

• network performers under contract: stable

• optical effect: freeze-frame, superimposition, split screen

• optical effect used to create a ghost: Pepper’s ghost

• optical transition device: wipe, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, fade to black

• performers in a show, collective term for: cast

• portable television news camera: minicam

• prerecorded laughter: laughtrack

• prerecorded material: canned

• promo piece of upcoming show: trailer, teaser, preview

• rails on which camera may ride in outdoor, moving shot: dolly tracks

• ratings company: Arbitron, A.C. Nielson

• ratings months: sweeps

• read script from front of television camera, device that allows actor to: prompter, teleprompter

• record a program: tape

• recorded as it happened with no takeouts: live on tape

• record in sound effects, music: dub, foley

• red light on camera that lights during recording: tally light

• regulating commission: FCC (Federal Communications Commission)

• royalty paid to performers for reuse of their work: residual

• satellite used for television transmission: *bird

• scrambling pay television signals: encryption

• show where performer or camera will stand or move: block

• situation comedy: sitcom

• sound effect: foley

• sound effects, one who performs: foley artist

• sound effects studio: foley studio, foley stage

• studio scaffolding where lights are hung: catwalk

• superimposed script read from television camera’s lens: prompter script

• superimposed text on screen: legend

• superimposes bulletins, news, weather on bottom of screen, apparatus that: flashcaster

• superimpose text on screen: key

• talk show, cancel a guest at the last minute on a: bump

• talk show waiting room for guests: green room

• tear down a set: strike

• time off between show’s taping: hiatus

• trailer with dressing rooms for shooting on location: honey wagon

• transmission of show from network to local station: feed

• tryout episode of television show: pilot

• union for performers: AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)

• videotape cutter, splicer, arranger: editor

• ‘‘We’ll be back after these messages’’ transitional device: bumper

• unscrambling of pay TV signals: decryption

• video disk jockey: veejay (VJ)

see movie