Yeah, Bill, lots of the stuff I hear on radio and television uttered by people who are supposed to know better really makes me wince. Most stations have dictionaries and pronunciation guides stashed on a bookshelf somewhere, but getting people to pull them off the shelf and use them is a whole different ball game. I've worked in stations that didn't have them, and if they do, sometimes the station manager or program director don't know they're there.

I have my own copy of The NBC Pronunciation Guide (old copy--one should get a new copy every year or two to keep up with names of heads of state and other prominent people who start appearing in the news). I was once told in broadcasting school that on-the-air voices should be good examples of the proper use of language and pronunciation because many people assume that since they're professional, they know what they're doing. Caviat emptor!

As I say, having the guides and using them are two different things.

Don Firth