[Newspoetry] Assignment

[Mike Lehman]

Write headlines for CNN Headline News (or for that matter the
News-Gazette, New York Times, or whatever) using the latest hip-hop
phrases.
Mike

From: <http://www.nydailynews.com/business/story/23415p-22199c.html>
Headline News hot for hip hop phrases 

CNN Headline News wants to get jiggy with it. 

Get ready for slang phrases like "bling-bling," "flava," and "freak"
mixed in with the day's headlines as the AOL Time Warner-owned cable
network turns to hip hop lingo to rope in younger viewers. 

"In an effort to be sure we are as cutting-edge as possible with our
on-screen persona, please refer to this slang dictionary when looking
for just the right phrase," reads an internal Headline News memo
obtained by the Daily News. 

"Please use this guide to help all you homeys and honeys add a new flava
to your tickers and dekos," the memo continues, referring to the
graphics that appear on the busy Headline News screen. 

On the CNN pick list of hip hop phrases: "jimmy hat" meaning condom,
"fly" for sexually attractive, and "ill," meaning to act
inappropriately. 

A Headline News spokeswoman said the memo was sent out by a mid-level
producer to the attention of graphics writers and that top execs knew
nothing about it. 

Earlier this week, Headline News chief Rolando Santos told the San
Francisco Chronicle that he is working slang phrases - "the lingo of our
people" - into his newscasts. 

The network, which went through an ambitious revamp, wants to grab the
younger demographic of 18-49-year-olds who command the highest ad rates.
In September, Headline News overtook GE-owned MSNBC in 18-49-year-olds
for the second month in a row. 

But some are bristling at the Headline News rap. "There's nothing more
ridiculous than people trying to act hipper than they are," said Andrew
Tyndall, editor of the Tyndall Report, which monitors TV news.