SYRACUSE -- You're used to seeing Dan Cummings on NewsChannel 9 in the morning, but viewers nationwide recently caught a glimpse of Cummings on Conan O'Brien's late night show on TBS.
Here's the clip:
The bit is a compilation of anchors from local TV stations across the country, saying, "you don't need us to tell you, gas prices are back on the rise." The audience is already chuckling after hearing the line repeated by several anchors, and Cummings gets even more of a laugh for briefly stumbling on the line.
Afterwards, O'Brien comments on how scary it is that so many anchors used the exact same phrasing. Right at the end, sidekick Andy Richter sarcastically comments, "what a coincidence!"
We've learned credit for this "coincidence" goes to CNN Newsource, a subscription service that provides video and scripts to many local TV newsrooms. This particular line was recently provided to affiliates as part of the anchor on-camera introduction to a videotaped package report. Individual stations get to pick and choose which CNN content they will use, and apparently quite a few stations chose to use this same report.
Although most viewers would only see the report in their own home market, it certainly is amusing to see a roundup of different anchors delivering the same line in many different markets. Kudos to the Conan staffers who likely spent hours tracking down all those clips for what amounted to less than a minute of comedy.
That is awesome!
#Fumblerooski!