# Did a CNN reporter leave her mike on in the bathroom? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 31, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918 "2006-08-31T14:01:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FormerMarineGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/65b543/32.png) [@FormerMarineGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FormerMarineGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/21 "2006-08-31T16:26:33Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] I saw a report on this on the TV in the gym yesterday; I don’t know if it was on CNN. They were reporting it as a big funny thing, so it probably wasn’t one of their reporters. She said something about having an affair with a sister-in-law’s spouse, and he infected her with something. Christmas will be a little strained this year, I think. [/QUOTE] So overall this seems to be a true story. BUT…infected her with something? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/22 "2006-08-31T16:28:50Z")
[QUOTE=FormerMarineGuy] So overall this seems to be a true story. BUT…infected her with something? [/QUOTE] That’s what it said on the close caption. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/23 "2006-08-31T16:38:33Z")
How awesome would it have been if they had started playing “Battleshits?” ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/24 "2006-08-31T16:53:49Z")
[QUOTE=Skammer] Homer Simpson did it once, too. Well, actually he was fitted with a motion-capture suit, but same idea. I was at a class once at church when the priest who was speaking took a break and went into the kitchen, forgetting to turn off his mike. We could hear him clearing his throat, running the sink and pouring some coffee. Someone ran in to tell him to turn of his mike before he went to the men’s room… [/QUOTE] Even better, one year at Easter we had a communal pennance service (it’s like a big service with several priests and they all hear confessions), and each priest went off to their confessional vestibules. However, the pastor had left his mic on after announcing what everyone was supposed to do. Luckily, we could ony hear his side of the conversation, and for the first few seconds, it’s usually the same for everyone – ie he didn’t say “You did WHAT??” before someone went in and told him to turn off his mic. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/25 "2006-08-31T17:58:17Z")
A note about the on/off switch: The Shure handheld mics and body packs (with a lavalier mic connected) we use have a “lock-on” feature. As a live audio board operator, I prefer them all to be locked on. Perhaps she switched it “off” but didn’t realize it was still on. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/26 "2006-08-31T18:19:31Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] A note about the on/off switch: The Shure handheld mics and body packs (with a **lavalier** mic connected) we use have a “lock-on” feature. As a live audio board operator, I prefer them all to be locked on. Perhaps she switched it “off” but didn’t realize it was still on. [/QUOTE] Bolding mine. Ohhhh . . . And all this time when you guys were saying “lav mike,” I thought “lav” was short for “lavatory.” ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/27 "2006-08-31T21:24:50Z")
[QUOTE=Puzzler] Bolding mine. [/QUOTE] Yaknow, you’re right. it’s the OTHER woman’s fault. She should have caught that earlier. 😃 But yeah, there’s a number of people, including but not limited to Kyra, who should have caught that and cut it off before it hit the air. Does some blame go to her? Yeah. Does all of it? Hardly. Is it a huge big deal? I don’t think so. I mean, it’s not like she hunkered down on the toilet and proceeded to go into a several minute bit of " **WHO DOES NUMBER TWO WORK FOR?!?!**" Now THAT would have been embarassing during a presidential speech. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/28 "2006-08-31T22:56:27Z")
I was at a wedding recently (Hi Frank & Sharon! Where’s my thank you card?) where the soloist was a couple seconds into her performance and suddenly all we in the church could hear was rustling, clunking, zipping, shuffling, and whispering. This went on for the whole song while everyone looked around. The song ended and out walked the officiant who was also the bride’s father, now changed into his vestments for the homily and service after walking the bride up the aisle. Turns out someone wanted to save him some time so attached his lock-on mike to the vestment before hanging it up for him ‘offstage’, as it were. The daughter was less-than-pleased, I watched her neck turn red from behind her. ---
**Author:** ![qubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f07891/32.png) [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/29 "2006-08-31T23:33:24Z")
[QUOTE=PoorYorick] Ohhhh . . . And all this time when you guys were saying “lav mike,” I thought “lav” was short for “lavatory.” [/QUOTE] Funny, I was thinking the same thing too. I just thought everyone was being a bit snarky. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/30 "2006-09-01T00:33:16Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] Wow, that telephone game is amazing. [/QUOTE] The following is what she really said: “Vermon is going to kill Johnny’s brother at the Savoy theater, pass it on.” ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/31 "2006-09-01T00:35:11Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] That’s what it said on the close caption. My bad. [/QUOTE] [nitpick]It’s _closed_ captions.[/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Shroud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@The\_Shroud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Shroud)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/32 "2006-09-01T01:02:36Z")
[QUOTE=Ludy] I find that hard to believe seeing that in order for the mic to be amplified anywhere it would have been run through a sound board. [/QUOTE] Yeah, maybe it’s because I work at a podunk TV station, but I can’t imagine any competent audio op leaving up her mic for that long. Perhaps CNN uses some sort of automation that places more responsibility in the anchorperson’s hands. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/33 "2006-09-01T02:11:31Z")
[QUOTE=Scruloose] The following is what she really said: “Vermon is going to kill Johnny’s brother at the Savoy theater, pass it on.” [/QUOTE] Johnny and the Mothers are playin’ Stompin’ At the Savoy in Vermont tonight? ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/34 "2006-09-01T02:17:46Z")
[QUOTE=Rhythmdvl] Johnny and the Mothers are playin’ Stompin’ At the Savoy in Vermont tonight? [/QUOTE] Jumping Mudders and Jayne are hopping onto Serenity with Vera Tuesday? ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/35 "2006-09-01T04:43:35Z")
[QUOTE=The Shroud] Yeah, maybe it’s because I work at a podunk TV station, but I can’t imagine any competent audio op leaving up her mic for that long. Perhaps CNN uses some sort of automation that places more responsibility in the anchorperson’s hands. [/QUOTE] It seems like a big outfit like CNN would leave less in the anchors hands, but granted I don’t know the business at all. In any case, wouldn’t they also be running a delay and shouldn’t someone at least be monitoring that? Or is it just a case that the president is talking, so anything he says is going to be kosher, and the audio op just walked away? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/36 "2006-09-01T05:47:13Z")
[QUOTE=crazyjoe] Even better, one year at Easter we had a communal pennance service (it’s like a big service with several priests and they all hear confessions), and each priest went off to their confessional vestibules. However, the pastor had left his mic on after announcing what everyone was supposed to do. [/QUOTE] Man, what is it with religious services and mics? I did this too after finishing a wedding, although fortunately the guests only heard me congratulating the bride and groom. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/37 "2006-09-01T06:12:02Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] Man, what is it with religious services and mics? I did this too after finishing a wedding, although fortunately the guests only heard me congratulating the bride and groom. [/QUOTE] When my famly lived at Yokota AB in Japan, the church used a sound system so whoever was doing the reading or preaching or whatever (depending on what kind of service it was, and at what point in the service it was), could be heard by everyone in the chapel without needing to “Sound Off”. Anyhow, all this was coordinated via a big sound board in the back of the chapel. One day someone’s kid got loose from his parental restraints and ran up to the board, hitting buttons and twisting knobs. :rolleyes: The priest giving the sermon was suddenly cut off by a very loud burst of audio feedback. He took the lapel mike off and looked up and said, loud enough to be heard throughout the chapel “Was I talking too much, Lord?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![IntelInside](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a5b964/32.png) [@IntelInside](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IntelInside)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/38 "2006-09-01T13:38:46Z")
She was on Letterman last night, doing the [Top Ten List.](http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/dave_tv/ls_dtv_big_show_highlights.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/39 "2006-09-01T13:42:09Z")
[QUOTE=CaveMike] It seems like a big outfit like CNN would leave less in the anchors hands, but granted I don’t know the business at all. In any case, wouldn’t they also be running a delay and shouldn’t someone at least be monitoring that? Or is it just a case that the president is talking, so anything he says is going to be kosher, and the audio op just walked away? [/QUOTE] I don’t think news programs routinely run on a delay. Usually it’s shows with call-ins that run a delay because they have no idea who might get on the air. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918/40 "2006-09-01T16:08:41Z")
[QUOTE=IntelInside] She was on Letterman last night, doing the [Top Ten List.](http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/dave_tv/ls_dtv_big_show_highlights.shtml) [/QUOTE] I notice the first one on the list points out that she hasn’t mastered “that complicated on/off switch.” That answers the question, I suppose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-a-cnn-reporter-leave-her-mike-on-in-the-bathroom/370918.md?page=3)