# Hot Mic Moment: Did Paul Ryan say "waste of my f'ing time" after today's press conference? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 31, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680 "2017-01-31T18:49:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/1 "2017-01-31T18:49:14Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7erlTHHRlMY/maxresdefault.jpg "Paul Ryan news conference "a waste of my f-ing time"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7erlTHHRlMY) People are saying that it sounds like Ryan but I can’t tell. He was away from the mic when it was said and it sounds like it was said near a mic. Maybe he was wearing a cordless mic, but there was one at the podium where he was speaking so that doesn’t make much sense. I predict that this video will be the next internet obsession, with “experts” chiming in about acoustics, microphone sensitivity and god knows what else. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/2 "2017-01-31T19:08:44Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > [https://youtu.be/7erlTHHRlMY](https://youtu.be/7erlTHHRlMY) > > People are saying that it sounds like Ryan but I can’t tell. He was away from the mic when it was said and it sounds like it was said near a mic. Maybe he was wearing a cordless mic, but there was one at the podium where he was speaking so that doesn’t make much sense. > > I predict that this video will be the next internet obsession, with “experts” chiming in about acoustics, microphone sensitivity and god knows what else. Nope, he said it. :o Remember when Biden dropped a similar F bomb, not knowing he was miked? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/3 "2017-01-31T19:25:44Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Nope, he said it. :o > > Remember when Biden dropped a similar F bomb, not knowing he was miked? :smack: I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised but I don’t want to be jumping on a bandwagon without some kind of proof. Is there new info that I’m not aware of? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/4 "2017-01-31T19:30:36Z")
I should add that there is a big difference between what Biden said and what Ryan may have said. It’s the attitude behind the statement that’s important, not the language used. Biden said “This is a big f’ing deal”, which is very different from “waste of my f’ing time”. Biden: [Biden Drops F-Bomb at Historic Signing - New York Post - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR6BR464U3M) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/5 "2017-01-31T19:31:47Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I predict that this video will be the next internet obsession, with “experts” chiming in about acoustics, microphone sensitivity and god knows what else. If this were two years ago, I’d bet on it. In TrumpWorld, it’s a minor sideshow at best. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/6 "2017-01-31T19:32:40Z")
Sounds like someonw said it, hard to say who. Coulda been someone near the reporter’s mike for all I know. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/7 "2017-01-31T19:43:54Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Sounds like someonw said it, hard to say who. Coulda been someone near the reporter’s mike for all I know. This was my reaction. Could easily be someone else. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/8 "2017-01-31T19:50:24Z")
It was said by somebody much closer to the live mike. Absolutely not Ryan. Not even resembling his voice. In fact, more likely the sound man on the technical crew. It was no Pierre Trudeau “fuddle duddle”. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/9 "2017-01-31T20:28:56Z")
It sounds to me like the audio in that clip was not recorded (directly) from the mic on the podium. It sounds instead like it was recorded by the mic mounted on the camera (or possibly a mix of the direct mic recording AND the camera mic). That’s why Ryan sounds a bit hollow–his voice was coming through speakers and then picked up by the camera mic. The fuck-utterer, OTOH, was close to the camera mic (not the stage mic) so his voice is more clear. Unless Ryan ran over next to the camera after he exited the picture and said “Waste of my fuckin’ time”, then it was almost certainly someone else who said it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/10 "2017-01-31T20:51:26Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > [https://youtu.be/7erlTHHRlMY](https://youtu.be/7erlTHHRlMY) > > People are saying that it sounds like Ryan but I can’t tell. He was away from the mic when it was said and it sounds like it was said near a mic. Maybe he was wearing a cordless mic, but there was one at the podium where he was speaking so that doesn’t make much sense. It is fairly common to use a wireless mic even when there is a lectern mic. (I do trade shows and conventions for a living; I see this all the time.) ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/11 "2017-01-31T21:56:44Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > It is fairly common to use a wireless mic even when there is a lectern mic. (I do trade shows and conventions for a living; I see this all the time.) If that’s true, then I’m leaning towards it being Ryan. Who else, who would be near a mic, would have reason to mutter something like that? Why would a cameraman or a sound man say “waste of my f’ing time”. It’s their job, they do it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/12 "2017-01-31T22:02:29Z")
Oh, it’s true; I have no reason to lie about that. And I can almost guarantee that no audio guy or cameraman would have any reason to call a paying gig a “waste of my fucking time”. As long as I’m getting paid (I’m a lighting guy), I don’t give much of a fuck what people are doing or talking about; that’s how people in my line of work are. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/13 "2017-01-31T22:06:02Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > If that’s true, then I’m leaning towards it being Ryan. Who else, who would be near a mic, would have reason to mutter something like that? Why would a cameraman or a sound man say “waste of my f’ing time”. It’s their job, they do it all the time. As a former reporter, I can assure you that I have been to **many** press conferences that were absolutely a waste of my effing time, though I was never dumb enough to actually say it out loud. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/14 "2017-01-31T22:13:49Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > As a former reporter, I can assure you that I have been to **many** press conferences that were absolutely a waste of my effing time, though I was never dumb enough to actually say it out loud. But do reporters wear microphones at these conferences? This wasn’t just part of the crowd noise. It was obviously said near a hot mic. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/15 "2017-01-31T22:15:51Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > But do reporters wear microphones at these conferences? This wasn’t just part of the crowd noise. It was obviously said near a hot mic. If you are a TV or radio reporter, you’ll certainly have one. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/16 "2017-01-31T22:34:58Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > If you are a TV or radio reporter, you’ll certainly have one. But would it be connected to the video feed? I’m not arguing with you, just trying to understand. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/17 "2017-01-31T22:36:52Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > But would it be connected to the video feed? I’m not arguing with you, just trying to understand. No; that is highly unlikely. ETA: A reporter’s mic would be connected to their own video feed, but if the video was shot with a single camera and then provided via splitter to the networks/news orgs/etc. then no. I haven’t done any White House press events, but I have done others and we generally allow the news orgs to get a feed from our audio console, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/18 "2017-01-31T22:56:47Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > No; that is highly unlikely. > > ETA: A reporter’s mic would be connected to their own video feed, but if the video was shot with a single camera and then provided via splitter to the networks/news orgs/etc. then no. I haven’t done any White House press events, but I have done others and we generally allow the news orgs to get a feed from our audio console, for instance. That’s pretty much what I thought. If you think about it, Ryan was the last one speaking, so he’s the one most likely to have a hot mic. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/19 "2017-01-31T23:29:07Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > That’s pretty much what I thought. > > If you think about it, Ryan was the last one speaking, so he’s the one most likely to have a hot mic. Or not — we’ll see if anyone fesses up 🙂 > **['Waste of my f\*cking time': hot mic at GOP press conference catches some heat](https://mashable.com/article/waste-of-my-time-paul-ryan-press-conference)** > > Someone wasn't happy. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680/20 "2017-01-31T23:31:02Z")
Cut the guy some slack. Wikipedia says Paul Ryan has no spine, so you know he’s going to be crabby now and then. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-mic-moment-did-paul-ryan-say-waste-of-my-fing-time-after-todays-press-conference/778680.md?page=2)