First it was election scripts. Next it was copy on the Hostess bankruptcy. Now, for the third time this month, Conan O’Brien is taking aim at local anchors for using identical language to describe Cyber Monday sales.

“Local news outlets have been reporting on this big day, and each station has their own unique spin,” O’Brien said sarcastically on his late-night program Monday, introducing a video of anchors saying Cyber Monday sales can be enjoyed “from your desk or the couch” (video above).

In what has become a running joke on Conan O’Brien‘s show, the late-night host again poked fun at news anchors on Monday night.

O’Brien played strung-together soundbites of anchors covering last week’s news that Hostess was shutting down. The anchors all used some form of the expression “Twinkie trouble” (video above).

In what has become a running segment on his late-night talk show, Conan O’Brien took local stations to task Monday night over identical scripts about election coverage (video above).

“Luckily for Americans across the country, local news stations are providing their own fresh take as the campaign winds down,” O’Brien said before introducing a clip of 12 local anchors saying “the final days of the campaign can get a little salty.” Read more

“I scream, you scream… well, you know the rest.”

That’s the line dozens of local news anchors across the country read off their teleprompters recently, giving Conan O’Brien plenty of fodder for what has become a regular segment on his show–supercuts of TV anchors saying the exact same thing (video above).  [h/t Romenesko]

Leading up to his recent four-night stint at the Chicago Theatre, Conan O’Brien paid a visit to local CBS station WBBM, where he sat at the anchor desk with Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson and got some pointers on anchoring the news from the legendary duo (video above). Read more

Local newscasters have become the regular butt of jokes on Conan O’Brien‘s show and on Thursday night he took aim at the KTLA morning team.

In a segment titled “Why China Is Kicking Out Ass,” O’Brien played a clip of a recent “dance party Friday” at KTLA (video above).

“Those are news broadcasters,” O’Brien said following the clip. “They’re there to tell us what’s happening in the world.”  (Somewhere WKRC’s Bob Herzog is smiling, or cringing).

In what has become a regular bit on his show, Conan O’Brien aired a supercut this week of local TV anchors from around the country saying the exact same thing. In this edition it’s “Is it time for dogs to have a social network of their own?” (video above).

“Could this be the end of e-mail overload?” That’s the question dozens of stations asked recently in nearly identical stories about the email simplifying service Shortmail.

As he did last November when a slew of local stations used the phrase “push the envelope” in covering his plan to officiate a same-sex wedding, Conan O’Brien created a supercut of anchors repeating the same copy (video above).  The stations include affiliates of CBS, Fox, and NBC.

Conan O’Brien poked fun at content-sharing in local news this week, showing a clip on his show of several anchors repeating the same phrase — “push the envelope” — while reporting on the late night host’s plans to officiate a same-sex wedding on his show.

The original source of the copy was CBS Newspath, according to staffers at two stations featured in the clip. Although “Conan” only showed 18 stations, a search of TVEyes.com reveals that 27 stations reported the story using identical wording (a full list, including markets and affiliations, is after the jump.)

The script was tease copy for Monday’s “Eye on Entertainment” package, filed by CBS Newspath correspondent Sandra Hughes. The full version reads: “Conan O’Brien may be about to push the envelope on late night television. And British songstress Adele seems to have pushed her voice too far. CBS’ Sandra Hughes has those stories and more, in your Monday morning ‘Eye on Entertainment.’”

South Bend’s WSBT, which was featured in the Conan clip, addressed the situation on the 6 a.m. newscast this morning, calling it the “dark secret” of the news business. Read more

Late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien had a little fun at the expense of the local news business on his show last night.

O’Brien is preparing to officiate a same-sex wedding on his TBS show for the show’s costume designer and his partner. When news of the event leaked out, O’Brien said, it got attention from stations nationwide.

The clip O’Brien showed (watch above, beginning at 1:20) features 18 local news anchors reporting on the wedding — using the exact same phrase. So how did this happen? Read more