Is it “Christmas” or a “holiday”?

It seems like there’s a debate every year about the uses of those two words and which is appropriate. We’ve received a few calls, emails and tweets either asking us about it or scolding us for using one or the other.

Here’s the approach we use in the newsroom: It is not up to us to name or label someone else’s event; we report on what goes on in the community.

That’s why we will refer to the parade in Appleton Tuesday night as a Christmas parade – that’s what the organizers call it.

And that’s why we called Green Bay’s parade a “holiday” parade – that’s what the organizers called it.

It is station policy to not shy away from using the term “Christmas.” If it’s a Christmas event, we will certainly say “Christmas” – such as when we air a mass Christmas Eve. At some point, our anchors will wish you a Merry Christmas. But it’s also not up us to change what someone else is doing or how they describe their event. If you don’t like it that the Green Bay Packers, for example, call their tree a “holiday” tree, we suggest you contact them directly.

That said – Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone.

With the start of the NFL regular season just around the corner, I thought an explanation of the rules governing broadcasting NFL games might be helpful. Hopefully, this will answer some of your questions about game assignments and the process used.

* Because we are the home market for the Green Bay Packers, we are guaranteed to show all of the Packers games on Fox. This year we have 10 of those (so far). If the Packers are the late game, such as in Week 3, if the early game is running long, we will cut away from it to show all of the Packers game – even if that means viewers miss a great ending.

* We air every NFL game we can. If we have a Packers post-game show, it’s not replacing a game that’s available to us. As of now, we have four “Locker Room Live” post-games planned: Sept. 18, Nov. 20, Nov. 24, and Dec. 18.

* Just because FOX has games in both the noon and 3:15 pm slots does not mean we can air two games every week. The networks (usually) alternate doubleheader weeks. Sometimes we can air two, sometimes we can’t. FOX usually has at least one late game because of the west coast home NFC games in Arizona, Seattle and San Francisco, but that doesn’t mean we can always air them. It’s not our choice – it’s network rules. The upshot here: the on-air promos don’t necessarily translate to games on air here.

* FOX assigns us the other games, based on regional interest or national importance. This means we usually get NFC North games. We can request a change, but the network doesn’t have to grant it. In Week 1, for example, we have been assigned one Bears and one Vikings game. Because those two are NFC North teams, I can’t see us requesting a change (sorry, Detroit fans, but the Falcons-Bears game beats the Lions-Buccaneers matchup).

* For games between teams in different conferences, the network of the visiting team gets the rights. That’s why Fox 11 will have the Packers at Chargers game, and CBS will have the Denver at Green Bay game.

* Even if it is a Fox doubleheader Sunday, Fox 11 can’t air a game at the same time as a Packers home game. That’s why in Week 14, we are only airing a 3pm game – the Packers are at home at noon vs. Oakland on CBS.

* Local fans are guaranteed to see all of the Packers games, even if they are on cable (ESPN or the NFL Network). Those networks put the games up for bids to the local stations for the right to air them.

* The local stations have no control over the flexible scheduling. For the last seven weeks of the year, the NFL may decide to change games to give NBC a more attractive game in its Sunday night time slot. However, because Christmas is on a Sunday this year – and that’s the only NFL game – that Packers-Bears game absolutely will not be moved.

Given all of that, here is the tentative schedule for the NFL on Fox 11. Remember, the assignments for the non-Packers games very possibly could change based on how the year develops – so please don’t call in December complaining we aren’t airing a specific game just because it’s on this list now. That said, we should have games in all of these timeslots.

If you have any questions, post them below!

WEEK 1
Noon – Atlanta at Chicago
3:15 pm – Minnesota at San Diego

WEEK 2
Noon – GREEN BAY at Carolina

WEEK 3
Noon – Detroit at Minnesota
3:15 pm – GREEN BAY at Chicago

WEEK 4
Noon – Carolina at Chicago

WEEK 5
Noon – Arizona at Minnesota

WEEK 6
Noon – St. Louis at GREEN BAY
3:15 pm – Dallas at New England

WEEK 7
Noon – Chicago at Tampa Bay
3:15 pm – GREEN BAY at Minnesota

WEEK 8
Noon – Minnesota at Carolina

WEEK 9
Noon – Atlanta at Indianapolis
3:15 pm – GREEN BAY at San Diego

WEEK 10
Noon – Detroit at Chicago
3:15 pm – New York Giants at San Francisco

WEEK 11
Noon – Tampa Bay at GREEN BAY

WEEK 12
Thursday – 11:30 am – GREEN BAY at Detroit
Sunday – Noon – Minnesota at Atlanta

WEEK 13
Noon – Detroit at New Orleans
3:15 pm - GREEN BAY at New York Giants

WEEK 14
3:15 pm – Chicago at Denver

WEEK 15
Noon – GREEN BAY at Kansas City

WEEK 16
Saturday – Noon – Minnesota at Washington
Saturday – 3:15 pm – Philadelphia at Dallas

WEEK 17
Noon – Detroit at GREEN BAY
3:15 – To be determined based on playoff races

As a roller coaster fan and the father of twin six-year-old girls, I was sent – OK, OK, it was my idea – to go to Bay Beach Amusement Park’s media day to ride the Zippin Pippin and offer up a review.

The verdict?

Thumbs up. Surprisingly fast. But more on the ride in a moment.

I am no roller coaster expert, but I’ve ridden more than three dozen different coasters and even made the pilgrimage to Cedar Point Amusement Park to test out its collection. As a parent, I’ve seen my girls reaction to their first coaster attempt – the Orange Streak at the Mall of America – and their excitement about the Zippin Pippin.

With that in mind, I think the ride is a great addition to Bay Beach. It’s big enough to have some excitement and thrills but not so big that kids – the park’s demographic – are going to be scared of it.

It’s an out-and-back coaster. The first hill has a nice drop,

The first drop of the Zippin Pippin

but it’s not the ride’s main attraction (unlike the Eagle at Great America, for example). This ride is about the camelbacks and the airtime, so it’s more in the style of Great America’s Viper – although not nearly as large. I counted at least nine different lift-you-off-your-seat opportunities. And it’s fast. Unlike some coasters that have slower spots or get significantly slower as it progresses, the Zippin Pippin indeed has some zip. I was surprised at how quickly it moved in the corners and how much speed it kept until the very end of the ride.

It’s also – for a wooden coaster – a fairly smooth ride. Certainly not as rough as the Eagle. Certainly not as smooth as newer steel coaster, such as Great America’s Raging Bull. But if you are worried about being shaken all about, don’t be. Even the tow up the first hill is smooth compared to many coasters; absent the lerches and jerks. There’s one surprising bump in the second half of the ride, but overall it’s not a rough ride. And I rode with my hands up for an entire trip without hitting any of the support beams.

Here’s video of one of our test runs:

The seats for the ride are, frankly, snug and may be uncomfortable for some people. The ride seats two across, with padding between each seat. I wear 36-inch waist pants and I was surprised how tightly I fit into the seat. There is an individual seatbelt (not shared, as on some rides) as well as a lap bar.

The lap bar and seat belt on the Zippin Pippin

There’s also a handle on the headrest of the seat in front of you. So, if you want to be tight in the seat, that’s no problem. And while not suggesting you don’t follow the safety instructions, coaster enthusiasts want air time. With a little loosening of the seat belt and lap bar, there is airtime to be had.

The train loads and unloads only on the car’s right side. There are two trains, so when it’s busy one train can be unloading/loading while the other is taking its ride. The mechanism for the lap bar was a bit tempermental today, so some extra patience might be needed as you are getting out.

There is not any extra space for those waiting to ride the front or last seat. It looks like there’s some space for perhaps 8-to-10 people to wait for the front seat, but the staff said they want to keep the lines moving – so don’t surprised if they keep that front seat line rather short. I didn’t see any cubbies or shelves for your personal items (ie backpack) so you might want to leave those outside the ride with someone.

A train in the loading station. A canopy will cover the white structure.

One thing you notice as you walk up to the ride is that there are no people “mazes” for waiting in line. There are, however, three lengths of maze on the inside of the coaster structure of about 30-yards each. I couldn’t accurately guess how long a full line will take to cycle. (The ride itself is about 95 seconds with 30 people per train). And while there’s a canopy waiting to be installed over the station, the line itself will be outside. There may be some shade due to the coaster structure itself, but that may also cut down on the breeze on hot days.

Will kids like it? I think so. I know some kids don’t like the extreme angles that steel coasters often have (such as the Orange Streak or even the Whizzer at Great America) and this ride doesn’t have those. It’s not rough. The first drop is not particularly intimidating, in my view. Frankly, the speed itself might be biggest problem for some kids because – except for the second turnaround – there’s no place to catch your breath because the ride just keeps coming at you. Not that that’s a bad thing, mind you, but could be for some kids. The height minimum is 4-feet, so that means most kids under 6 aren’t going to able to ride anyway.

Will adults like it? I did. Again, if you want big coasters, go to Great America, the Dells or Cedar Point. But, for $1 and being right here, it’s a very enjoyable ride. I went four times today – and will get right back on it.

More interactive Zippin Pippin fun:

• Zippin Pippin photo gallery
• Videos of rides in Memphis and Green Bay
• Timeline of coaster’s history since the early 20th Century
• Archive of news coverage

Since there is a lot of interest in the Supreme Court race, I thought I would explain a bit about the process being used and, hopefully, answer some questions.

To start with, any of the numbers you see are unofficial. The state does not – repeat, does not – collect and distribute vote totals on election night.

The Associated Press, of which FOX 11 and many other media outlets are members, contacts local and county clerks throughout the state to compile its figures on election night. Those are the numbers you likely are seeing – and the ones we are using.

Throughout the process of collecting information from 3,630 reporting districts throughout the state, math is double checked, numbers are tweaked, clerks offices provide updated information, etc. That’s the reason that sometimes the number of reporting districts may change but the vote totals don’t.

As we have noted, as of noon Wednesday there is one community – Lake Mills in Jefferson County – that is still counting some paper ballots. Once those results are done, they will be added to the Associated Press’ tally and that will be the number used to declare a “winner” between David Prosser and JoAnne Kloppenburg.

But that’s not official.

Each county has until April 15 to turn in its official counts to the state Government Accountability Board. Only then will the state declare a winner. The loser has three business days after the G.A.B.’s declaration to request a recount, so the latest that could come is April 20.

One more note, the 10-year term on the Supreme Court at stake doesn’t start until August 1. So, even if an expected recount happens, that process could be completed before the term starts.

I hope that helps. We’ll continue to try to explain the processes being used as they unfold.

We’ve been getting several calls about the time/score box in the upper left hand corner of the screen during Fox Sports events, such as NFL football games.

Fox has changed the way they deliver a picture to us – and it’s nothing we can control. The good news is – you can. Here’s a more detailed explanation:

1.  FOX Sports has chosen to send the picture in wide screen 16×9 format.

2.  If you are using an analog TV via antenna you will have to choose whether you want to see the full picture in letter box or full screen and lose the graphics (Score and time left).  You make this choice by choosing the picture mode via your remote.  We recommend setting it on “Full”.

3. If you are watching with an analog TV via cable or satellite and are watching in standard definition the cable company should be sending the picture in “Letter Box”.  Letter box has black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.  In letter box you will see the entire picture.  If that isn’t the case call your service provider (DISH, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Charter Etc.) They need to activate the proper format before sending to you.

4. If you are watching with a 16×9 digital TV and have purchased the digital tier from your service provider (Watching in HD not Standard Definition) you should not have a problem.  You may have to set your TV picture mode on “Full”.

5. We have no control over how FOX sends the picture and how your cable or satellite company chooses to forward to you.

We know it’s frustrating, but in this case there’s nothing that we can do about it. I hope the above helps.

Thanks for watching.
Brian Kerhin
assignment manager

It’s the day after the election. We ask for comments from our viewers and we did get a few about our coverage. I thought it would be good to share some of the observations and offer a few comments.

In no particular order:

* Why did you go to the some of the candidates as they were wrapping up?
We had crews at seven different parties in three different races last night. Unfortunately, the candidates and campaigns – especially when in different races – don’t necessarily coordinate when they address the crowds and media. We got to the speeches as quickly as we could after others wrapped up, but without knowing how long they would talk, we did get to a couple as they wrapped up. We then replayed more of those candidates’ comments later in the newscast.

* What was with the picture for a couple of the candidates?
As I mentioned, we were at seven campaigns last night, and we have three live trucks. We shared resources with our trading partners in Milwaukee and Madison to get us feeds of a few of the races (even though we still sent our own reporters). But we still had two races to get to. Rather than not cover the race, or drive back to the station with video and chance missing the newscast, we used broadband Skype technology. It’s basically a video feed over the internet. The quality is admittedly not as good as our regular microwave or satellite live shots. Because of that, it’s not something we use every day. However, in this case, we decided it was worth it to get to as many candidates as possible.

* Why did you take a certain candidate at a certain time?
We don’t control when the races will be called as having a winner, and we don’t control when the candidates will speak. Tom Barrett’s race in the Democratic governor primary was called early on, so he spoke at 9 pm – and we took him live. The GOP primary in the same race wasn’t called until an hour after – and then we took Mark Neumann live, and Scott Walker live. It wasn’t an attempt on our part to make any sort of political statement – that’s just when they talked.

* Why did you take all of (that candidate’s) speech?
Election night coverage is different than other political coverage. It has been our practice to take as much of the candidates’ speeches live, unedited to let them talk to the voters. There was time before the primary election and will be again before the general election for us to be more challenging of the candidates and their positions. Tuesday night wasn’t the time for that. That’s why we aired so much of the speeches we did – to let the candidates talk to the voters directly.

* Why did use so little of Sen. Feingold? Why did we even hear from Sen. Feingold?
We got multiple variations of both questions. Sen. Feingold did not have a primary, but we did air extensive comments from his opponent in the November election, Ron Johnson. With the Senate in session, Feingold was in Washington and did not have an event here. He did do satellite interviews with Wisconsin TV stations. Because of the Q&A format, it really didn’t make sense to air a long unedited segment, but we thought it important to hear from him, so we aired a few comments.

* What was with all of those Republicans?
We don’t control who runs for office. Of the three major races – Governor, Senate and 8th Congressional District – only Governor had a Democratic primary, and that was token, at best. We aren’t going to ignore the 8th Congressional GOP primary just because Steve Kagen didn’t have an opponent. When Kagen’s office issued a statement about the night, we read it. And, as mentioned, we included comments from Feingold. By it’s very nature, the November election will be more balanced and we will have crews at Barrett & Walker, Kagen & Ribble, Johnson & Feingold.

* Why did some of the results add up to more than 101%?
I think it’s because of the way the computer rounds the numbers. Without knowing the specific number of precincts at the time, I would guess the results were something like this: Johnson 84.8%, David Westlake 10.8% and Stephen Finn 5.4%. The computer then rounded the figures to what we showed on air: 85-11-5, which does equal 101%. That wouldn’t happen in a two-candidate race, but obviously did in races with three or more candidates. We will check with the AP and computer guys to see if we can avoid such confusion in the future.

* How many votes did (an unopposed candidate) get?
The short answer is, I can’t tell you. Neither the state elections staff nor the Associated Press calculate the vote totals for candidates without opponents, such as Sen. Feingold. About the only way to know would be to call all 72 county clerks and add up the numbers. We haven’t done so.

* Where’s “Seinfeld”?
Election night is one of those nights we are fortunate to be a part of the Fox Network, in terms of the limited demands by the network for its time. We are able to go on air at 9pm and start airing speeches and results instead of other prime time programming. And we could run our news long – we were on until about 10:45 pm because of how long Walker’s speech lasted – without worrying about  having to go network programming at 10:35pm. So, while we apologize to the Seinfeld fans, we believe it’s worth it on these nights to blow out the schedule and bring you as many candidates live as possible.

I hope that helps you understand some of the things we did. We appreciate the feedback – we are always working to improve our coverage.  If you have other comments or questions, please let me know.

Thanks,

Brian Kerhin
assignment manager

With the start of the NFL regular season just around the corner, I thought an explanation of the rules governing broadcasting NFL games might be helpful. Hopefully, this will answer some of your questions about game assignments and the process used.

* Because we are the home market for the Green Bay Packers, we are guaranteed to show all of the Packers games on Fox. This year we have 10 of those (so far). If the Packers are the late game, such as in Week 1, if the early game is running long, we will cut away from it to show all of the Packers game – even if that means viewers miss a great ending.

* We air every NFL game we can. If we have a Packers post-game show, it’s not replacing a game that’s available to us.

* Just because FOX has games in both the noon and 3:15 pm slot doesn’t mean we can air two games every week. The networks (usually) alternate doubleheader weeks. Sometimes we can air two, sometimes we can’t. FOX usually has at least one late game because of the west coast home NFC games in Arizona, Seattle and San Francisco, but that doesn’t mean we can always air them. It’s not our choice – it’s network rules. The upshot here: the on-air promos don’t necessarily translate to games on air here.

* FOX assigns us the other games, based on regional interest or national importance. This means we usually get NFC North games. We can request a change, but the network doesn’t have to grant it. In Week 1, for example, we have been assigned Lions vs. Bears for the noon game. Because those two are NFC North teams, I can’t see us requesting a change (especially since the Vikings aren’t an option this week).

* For games between teams in different conferences, the network of the visiting team gets the rights. That’s why Fox 11 will have the Packers at Jets game and CBS will have the Miami at Green Bay game.

* Even if it is a Fox doubleheader Sunday, Fox 11 can’t air a game at the same time as a Packers home game. That’s why in Week 6, we are only airing a 3pm game – the Packers are at home at noon vs. Miami on CBS.

* Local fans are guaranteed to see all of the Packers games, even if they are on cable (ESPN or the NFL Network). Those networks put the games up for bids to the local stations for the right to air them.

* The local stations have no control over the flexible scheduling. For the last seven weeks of the year, the NFL may decide to change games to give NBC a more attractive game in its Sunday night time slot.

Given all of that, here is the tentative schedule for the NFL on Fox 11. Remember, the assignments for the non-Packers games very possibly could change based on how the year develops – so please don’t call in December complaining we aren’t airing a specific game just because it’s on this list now. That said, we should have games in all of these timeslots.

If you have any questions, post them below!

WEEK 1
Noon – Chicago vs. Detroit
3:15 pm – Green Bay vs. Philadelphia

WEEK 2
3 pm – Seattle/Denver or St. Louis/Oakland

WEEK 3
Noon – Minnesota vs. Detroit

WEEK 4
Noon – Green Bay vs. Detroit
3:15 pm – Washington/Philadelphia or Arizona/San Diego

WEEK 5
Noon – Green Bay vs. Washington

WEEK 6
3 pm – Dallas vs. Minnesota

WEEK 7
Noon – Washington vs. Chicago

WEEK 8
Noon – Green Bay vs. New York Jets
3:15 – Minnesota vs. New England

WEEK 9
Noon – Arizona vs. Minnesota

WEEK 10
Noon – Minnesota vs. Chicago
3:15 pm – Dallas vs. New York Giants

WEEK 11
Noon – Green Bay vs. Minnesota

WEEK 12
Thanksgiving, 3pm – New Orleans vs. Dallas
Noon – Green Bay vs. Atlanta
3:15 pm – St. Louis vs. Denver

WEEK 13
Noon – Green Bay vs. San Francisco
3:15 pm – Dallas vs. Indianapolis

WEEK 14
Noon – Green Bay vs. Detroit

WEEK 15
Noon – Washington vs. Dallas

WEEK 16
Noon – Minnesota vs. Philadelphia
3:15 pm – Green Bay vs. New York Giants

WEEK 17
Noon – Green Bay vs. Chicago
3:15 pm – Arizona/San Francisco or St. Louis/Seattle

You see cars labeled “flex-fuel” all over American roads. So where are all the E85 fueling stations?

That’s one of the questions in this edition of “Ask AP,” a weekly Q&A column where AP journalists respond to readers’ questions about the news.

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Does FIFA require that all players representing a national soccer team be indigenous to that nation? In other words, are all the players on the U.S. team natives of America? The Ghana team members natives of Ghana? And so on?

Tom Jeffs
Edison, N.J.

___

While most players do represent the country where they were born, some choose to play for another country. Often it’s because of family ties, or because they’ve spent most of their lives there. Former U.S. midfielder Tab Ramos, for example, was born in Uruguay but his family moved to the United States when he was 11.

Under FIFA rules, a player with dual nationalities is free to switch countries at any age, as long as he hasn’t appeared in an official game _ think World Cup or European championship _ with a senior national team. Once you do make an appearance, you’re locked into playing for that country for the rest of your career.

Nancy Armour
AP National Writer
Chicago

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I bought a new car in ’08 with an E85 option, and more than two years later, I still have not found the fuel in Florida. I see a lot of cars marked as flex-fuel _ will this fuel ever become available, or is this just a way to sell cars?

Dan Pelland
Daytona Beach, Fla.
___

According to Growth Energy, a group that promotes ethanol use, there are more than 2,000 E85 fueling stations in the U.S. Those stations, however, are concentrated in the Midwest, where corn growers and ethanol producers have pushed for them. Minnesota has the most pumps, with more than 350.

There are a few ethanol stations near Daytona Beach, Fla., but they’re government-owned and not for public use. The closest public station isn’t all that close _ it’s in Jacksonville, according to Growth Energy’s map, which can be found at http://www.e85fuel.com.

In the last year, low gas prices have caused ethanol to lose its cost advantage, pushing down demand for the fuel. The U.S. ethanol industry also has been hurt by high corn prices and the credit crunch. Major producers such as South Dakota-based VeraSun Energy Corp. went bankrupt.

But experts predict ethanol use will increase once the economic downturn ends and gas prices rise. U.S. automakers also have pledged to make half their vehicles flex-fuel-capable by 2012 if enough fueling stations sell E85. There are already more than 8 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road.

Dee-Ann Durbin
AP Auto Writer
Detroit

What happens to all the oil that workers have been collecting from beaches since the Gulf oil spill?

That’s one of the questions being answered in this edition of “Ask AP,” a weekly Q&A column where AP journalists respond to readers’ questions about the news.

If you have your own news-related question that you’d like to see answered by an AP reporter or editor, send it to newsquestions@ap.org, with “Ask AP” in the subject line. And please include your full name and hometown so they can be published with your question.

You can also tweet your questions to AP, using the AskAP hashtag.

Ask AP can also be found on AP Mobile, a multimedia news service available on Internet-enabled cell phones. Go to http://www.apnews.com/ to learn more.

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What’s next for McChrystal? Is he now retired? A drop in rank from general to lieutenant general?

Joseph Skelly
South Dakota
___

The week after he was relieved of command for remarks he and his aides made about Obama administration officials, Gen. Stanley McChrystal informed the Army that he will retire from military service. His retirement will be effective later this year.

He will keep his current rank as a four-star general, because the administration is waiving an Army rule that requires generals to serve three years in their highest rank to keep that rank in retirement. The difference for McChrystal is more than $20,000 in additional retirement pay, in addition to the prestige of the four-star rank.

McChrystal returned to his military-issued house on Fort McNair, in Washington, immediately after his Oval Office showdown with President Barack Obama. Some of his staff who had traveled with him from Afghanistan for the meeting flew back there without him a few days later.

Anne Gearan
AP National Security Correspondent
Washington

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Thousands (or millions) of tar balls and oil patches are being removed from Gulf of Mexico beaches. How are these pieces of oil disposed of after they are collected?

Robert Lamberson
Canandaigua, N.Y.

___

Crude oil and tar balls from the Gulf oil spill wash in sporadically on beaches in waves that sometimes turn the surf the color of chocolate milk. The oil collects on beaches in long, brown or burnt-orange lines that can stretch for miles and can reach a depth of several inches.

Cleanup workers typically use shovels to pick up the deposits and place the debris in plastic bags, which are sealed with duct tape. Also, workers are using sand-sifting machines that scoop up oil more quickly and in larger amounts.

The refuse typically is placed in lined waste bins and taken to one of several landfills in the region. The Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t classified the oily waste as hazardous material, so it can be put in the same dumps that accept common household garbage.

Some of the waste-handling work has been haphazard, with bin liners coming apart and some material being placed in unlined containers. Contractors like Waste Management Inc., a major BP PLC contractor and the nation’s largest trash hauler, say they are trying to do better.

Jay Reeves
Associated Press Writer
Orange Beach, Ala.

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Have questions of your own? Send them to newsquestions@ap.org.

From time to time I use this space to discuss style questions that arise about our newscasts. We recently received an email asking about how we refer to the president. While I responded directly to that viewer (when our GM says we respond to comments, he means it!), I thought I would share the explanation here.

The viewer was upset with our use of the title “Mister” when referring to the president. Here’s an excerpt:

“I have heard in your news cast time and time again The President of The United States of America refered to as Mr. Obama… I may or may not have voted for the man but his position in our government commands a bit of respect and he should be refered to as President Obama.”

While we do indeed use “Mister,” it is actually a sign of added respect, not less. Here’s why:

The Associated Press stylebook, which we generally follow, calls for a person’s title to be used on first reference, with just that person’s last name being used on future references in the same story.

Following that, it would be “President Obama” on first reference and just “Obama” on second and subsequent references. However, because of the respect for the position and the person, on the latter references we add the title “Mister” – just as we did during previous administrations.

As a result, our scripts end up looking like this, in an example from this week:

“President Obama has announced a new solar initiative he says is part of his plan to bring new industries and jobs to the U.S.  Mister Obama will award nearly two billion dollars for the new solar plants.”

I hope that helps you understand our style a bit.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome!

Brian Kerhin
assignment manager