Language Lessons
When I was a young girl, my father began subscribing to publications such as Billboard, Variety and Show. I am not sure why, other than having a long-standing interest in popular music, media and show business.
I was captivated by these publications and their distinctive lingo, coinciding with my own interest in Top 40 radio, popular culture and journalism. Of course, I also devoured every issue of Mad Magazine.
I remember memorizing the Billboard charts and, in particular, puzzling over the distinctive vocabulary Variety used in its stories. For example, when someone in “the biz” left or lost their job, the headline trumpeted, “So-and-So Ankles 20th Century Fox.” Ankles? That’s apparently a reference to what one sees last as the person leaves the premises.
B.O. wasn’t an offensive term in Variety. Instead, it referred to box office revenues for a play, movie or concert. To “nix” was to reject. Popular nightclub singers were called thrushes or warblers. Dancers were hoofers or terpers. Gotham was the name for New York City. Ink referred to a contract signing. A skein was a television series. A zitcom meant a comedy for teenagers.
Some of that slang has become embedded in everyday language, including confab (convention), doc (documentary), hype and flop.
I didn’t dream that my professional career would later center around those—and other—trade bibles.
Fast forward to my work in the media (publishing and corporate communications) in New York City. When I worked in the radio industry in the 1970’s and 1980’s, it was my job to “pitch” stories of particular interest to these trade publications.
One of my biggest publicity coups was a large feature in Variety heralding a long-standing radio program, Make Believe Ballroom on WNEW-AM in New York celebrating an anniversary—and not a marked one (50th, 60th, 75th). To this day, I laugh when I think about why the writer agreed to do the piece!
For Billboard, my job was to feed New York radio station and network programming and ratings news. I always made sure that I gave each broadcast or music trade publication a different angle, so each felt they had an “exclusive.”
I remember those days fondly and the boffo (stupendous) joy I got from those industry stalwarts—which survive to this day, and still amuse and entertain me.
