# News Radio (e.g. WTOP) - "\_\_\_\_\_ is at the editor's desk."  Huh?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-radio-e-g-wtop-_____-is-at-the-editors-desk-huh/494518>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 27, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-radio-e-g-wtop-_____-is-at-the-editors-desk-huh/494518 "2009-04-27T17:06:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Joe_Meager)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-radio-e-g-wtop-_____-is-at-the-editors-desk-huh/494518/1 "2009-04-27T17:06:23Z")

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WTOP radio is all news all the time. When the on-air personalities introduce themselves there are usually two broadcasters and one person “at the editor’s desk”. “Hi, this is Joe Smith and John Doe, Sally Jones is at the editor’s desk, and our top story is…”

What function is “at the editor’s desk” in this context? What, exactly, are they doing? What’s their job? Any why is this person’s name announced along with the broadcasters? (In television news there are editors (right?), but they don’t get introduced along with the on-air personality.)

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-radio-e-g-wtop-_____-is-at-the-editors-desk-huh/494518/2 "2009-04-27T17:08:00Z")

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The one who decides what stories go on the air. The mention may be contractual, or may be just to recognize that someone is doing the work to support the on-air talent.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-radio-e-g-wtop-_____-is-at-the-editors-desk-huh/494518/3 "2009-04-27T17:15:00Z")

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It’s also possible that the on-air personalities are idiots with good radio voices while the editor is one who compiles, writes, arranges, and is knowledgeable about the stories.

The tv equivalent is not the editor but the producer. Often the producer is the one who goes out and does the preliminary work on a story and then hands it off to a pretty face who reads the producer’s copy and re-asks questions in front of a camera the producer already knows the answers to.

Neither job is like a newspaper editor or a magazine editor.

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**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-radio-e-g-wtop-_____-is-at-the-editors-desk-huh/494518/4 "2009-04-27T17:19:52Z")

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I found a couple of things that are in line with what **RealityChuck** posited.

From [this link](http://dcrtv.com/mb0708e.html):

> [@](#):
>
> “I dig WTOP but why am I supposed to care about who is at the editor’s desk?” It’s a requirement of the AFTRA contract. Everybody in the newsroom except managers is AFTRA. It’s a matter of pride with them and understandable. Like the by-line on a newspaper article. The editor is in charge (and takes the grief if theings go wrong). (8/29/07)

And from [here](http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=62&sid=228):

> [@](#):
>
> Why am I at the editor’s desk and what am I actually doing? Since I come to work at midnight, you might think I’m just trying to stay awake. Actually, I work closely with the anchors, reporters and writers, looking for the stories we believe are of most interest to listeners.