# TV newscasters working from home and their bookshelves **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 8, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358 "2020-04-08T16:53:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/41 "2020-04-09T06:45:22Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > She may also be doing this to protect them from sun exposure. Good point, though anybody who collects rare books knows to keep them away from direct sunlight. I do collect rare books, and though some of my collection indicates that the original owners weren’t so careful about sunlight, I make sure to put my rare books on shelves such that their spines are not likely to be hit by sunlight. At any rate, should I be interviewed on TV (Ha! Fat chance!), I’d prefer to be interviewed with my collection of rare books in the background. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/42 "2020-04-09T06:56:50Z")
Glad I’m not the only person who checks out people’s books, on tv and in people’s homes. And their home furnishings too, like what style furniture they own. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/43 "2020-04-09T14:49:50Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > you know i can always pick out the monthly readers digest condensed novels collections in commercials and tv shows… How I know that is when I was 8 or 9 I started reading adult books but grandma didn’t want me reading “adult” subject matter(ie sex) so whenever someone had a yard sale shed buy them by the box … When we were house hunting in new developments the model homes had Readers Digest Condensed books on the shelves. In Ojai, Bart’s Books is in a repurposed home. It has an enclosed porch and RDCBs used to be left on it with a sign directing you to put whatever wanted to pay through the mail slot. Checking in Wiki, it seems Bart has expanded the [selection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart%27s_Books#/media/File:Bart's_books_detail.jpg) and some actually have prices on them. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/44 "2020-04-09T15:18:44Z")
I wonder when Seth Meyers plans on finishing _The Thorn Birds_. And I am also sick of ghastly audio. ---
**Author:** ![Marine\_One](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marine_one/32/3461_2.png) [@Marine\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marine_One)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/45 "2020-04-09T15:40:23Z")
I want to see this in the background: "[The Timeless Art of Seduction"](https://www.amazon.com/Seinfeld-George-Timeless-Seduction-Poster/dp/B00NLLU3ZW) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/46 "2020-04-09T16:05:10Z")
I don’t really watch TV news, but I swear I heard a cat meowing in the background during one of the stories on NPR’s _Morning Edition_ this morning. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/47 "2020-04-09T16:16:14Z")
I feel the need to clarify: I am not claiming I can necessarily \*read \*the spines of the books, but sometimes you can recognize which book it is if you are familiar with it. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/48 "2020-04-09T16:18:13Z")
One thing I’ve noticed, is a vast majority of people doing this, regardless of their wealth or fame, have a fairly non-descript wall only a few feet behind the camera. Yeah, some furnishings maybe but nothing particularly impressive. Not some massive cavernous opulent room like you might expect a rich person to have (there are exceptions of course, Tracy Morgan being one of them with a huge aquarium with sharks in the background). It’s almost like they’re going for an “everyman” look. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/49 "2020-04-09T16:30:53Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > I don’t mean to be alarmist here but conjunctivitis can be a symptom of COVID, have you been tested? Thank you so much for your concern, but I’m fine. From what I’ve read, if I had COVID, I’d be showing a whole lot of other symptoms besides the conjunctivitis. All I have is conjunctivitis. I’m not even running a temperature. Yesterday it was 97.3, which is well within my normal range. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/50 "2020-04-09T16:43:14Z")
One of the local weather guys showed a time-lapse of a green-screen installation going up at his house. So apart from the sound quality, it is almost the same as when he did the weather from the studio. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/51 "2020-04-09T18:15:05Z")
Watching the Hallmark Channel, they are running PSA ads with some of their regular stars thanking all of the hard working health care professionals, etc. In one of the ads, Danica McKeller appears in front of a bookshelf. My spouse commented that Danica had rows and rows of the same books. I pointed that they were all[books that she had written](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=danica+mckellar+books&i=stripbooks&crid=11F06E9SVHUDL&sprefix=daniva+m%2Cstripbooks%2C207&ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_3_8). The covers were not really visible, but knowing her work it was an easy conclusion. So, that is one approach! Thank the hard working health care professionals, while promoting your own work. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/52 "2020-04-09T19:06:42Z")
John Iadarola from TYT sits in front of a shelf full of board games. People requested a clear shot of his shelf so he posted this on instagram. [https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Py0LtBJ3t/](https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Py0LtBJ3t/) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/53 "2020-04-09T23:10:09Z")
If anyone ever wants me to do a live broadcast, I better hide my copies of “Mein Kampf” and “The Anarchist’s Cookbook.” :o (Yes, really, I do have copies of each. Never read either of them, but I know I’ll get to that eventually.) Does anyone remember this? Definitely SFW. (Dad’s doing a live interview at home, and his two kids, a preschooler and a baby in a saucer, walk into the room and their mother quickly retrieves them.) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Mh4f9AYRCZY/hqdefault.jpg "Children interrupt BBC News interview - BBC News") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh4f9AYRCZY) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/54 "2020-04-10T09:39:00Z")
[quote=“nearwildheaven, post:53, topic:851358”] [/QUOTE] 😃 ---
**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:** [April 10, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/55 "2020-04-10T16:33:00Z")
Bookshelves on any type of show get my attention. Not just newscasters. Eg…, Amy Farrah Fowler on _The Big Bang Theory_ had on her shelf [one](https://www.amazon.com/Clinical-diagnosis-laboratory-methods-Campbell/dp/0721629229) of **Mrs. FtG** ’s reference “Bibles” from 40 years ago that we have in the house now that she’s retired. A good movie/TV show about computing will have many recognizable [books](https://youtu.be/4U9MI0u2VIE) in it. But newscasters are boooring. Bios/history. Meh. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/56 "2020-04-10T17:19:30Z")
SCORE! This morning a newscaster from DC had on display 2 books that I own: “Cosmos” by Carl Sagan and “1776” by David McCullough. 6 points! (for a moment I thought I also spied “Live from New York” (an SNL compendium) but I was wrong) mmm ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/57 "2020-04-10T17:28:31Z")
[quote=“nearwildheaven, post:53, topic:851358”] Does anyone remember this? Definitely SFW. (Dad’s doing a live interview at home, and his two kids, a preschooler and a baby in a saucer, walk into the room and their mother quickly retrieves them.) [/QUOTE] Colbert recommended that newbies to broadcasting from home keep a dog handy to wander in during those awkward moments when you don't know what to do next. ---
**Author:** ![road\_lobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d78d45/32.png) [@road\_lobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/road_lobo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2020, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/58 "2020-04-12T07:11:08Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > I can’t believe that simply having the title/author of a book, in a bookcase, visible onscreen requires a legal team and clearances and stuff. Does that mean that a lawyer somewhere passed judgment and filled out forms and requested and obtained clearances for every book I’ve ever seen in every movie and television show I’ve ever watched? > > It just seems really unlikely to me. I don’t think it’s clearances. It’s to prevent “free” advertising of products/brands. Same reason stickers are sometimes placed over logos on laptops with lids facing the camera. It’s hard to charge for product placement when you’re giving it away for free. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/59 "2020-04-12T13:31:24Z")
Seth Meyers (I know, not a newscaster) had two books on a table by his chair on an episode last week that we watched last night. The bottom one isn’t clear, but the top one is _The Thorn Birds._ What? I can’t imagine Meyers being enough of a fan of that to display it so highly. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2020, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358/60 "2020-04-13T07:35:27Z")
> [@Fugazi](#): > > John Iadarola from TYT sits in front of a shelf full of board games. People requested a clear shot of his shelf so he posted this on instagram. [https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Py0LtBJ3t/](https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Py0LtBJ3t/) Some good games there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-newscasters-working-from-home-and-their-bookshelves/851358.md?page=4)