Top 5 Puns Used by Newspaper Columnists About Cell Tower Hearings

Every week, we review hundreds of news stories from across the US to keep abreast on what is happening in the wireless world. Frequently these stories involve NIMBY’s who believe that the tower will cause cancer or that their property values will decline. The stories always discuss the “alternative views” to cell tower safety and public opposition to the tower. Our point is not to comment on what people believe regarding cell towers, but to point out that it seems like newspaper columnists have a rotating list of puns that they use to title the story. The most common and therefore least creative puns we see related to wireless tower stories:

1. Can you hear me now? (Insert angry resident(s)) opposes a tower. The obvious play on the Verizon tag line.  We see this more than anything – probably once a week.
2. Call to (insert wireless carrier): We don’t want the tower.  Notice the creative use of the word “call” when talking about a wireless tower.
3. Cell phone tower proposal makes waves.  I guess the use of the term “waves” is based upon radio waves.
4. County receives Towering Proposal  Towering?  It really doesn’t even make sense.
5. Request for tower blocked (or dropped). A play on a cellular call being dropped or blocked expect applied to a tower proposal.