sound bite

n.
A brief statement, as by a politician, taken from an audiotape or videotape and broadcast especially during a news report: "The box has been spitting forth maddening nine-second sound bites" (Mary McGrory).

A short, striking, quotable statement well suited to a television news program. For example, He's extremely good at sound bites, but a really substantive speech is beyond him. This slangy expression, first recorded in 1980, originated in political campaigns in which candidates tried to get across a particular message or get publicity by having it picked up in newscasts.

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Origin: 1973

How long is a sound bite, "a brief broadcast appearance in which an expert or politician or citizen comments on an issue of the day"? In a paid political advertisement, it could be as long as thirty seconds, as in a 1987 Newsweek comment on presidential candidate Gary Hart: "Hart's refusal to reduce himself to a 30-second sound bite is an admirable--and difficult-- stance in an age of media politics." But in TV news, fifteen seconds is more like it, as in a newspaper article from September 1988: "During the debate, the candidates want to accomplish at least two major goals--avoid major mistakes and provide some quotable comments, particularly those that can be used for a 15-second sound bite for television news shows." Even that is longer than ordinary citizens ordinarily get. Time magazine commented in 1985, "TV's formula these days is perhaps 100 words from the reporter, and a 'sound bite' of 15 or 20 words from the speaker."

In comparison, the fifteen minutes of fame that artist Andy Warhol said comes to everyone seems an eternity. We would say more but--our time is up, so on to the next word.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - lydklip

Français (French)
n. - extrait d'une interview enregistrée, slogan/phrase d'un discours (répété dans les médias)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Kurzausschnitt aus einem aufgenommenen Interview

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σύντομη δήλωση στα ΜΜΕ

Italiano (Italian)
battuta ad effetto, poche note

Português (Portuguese)
n. - declaração (f) breve gravada para apresentação em um noticiário de TV (TV)

Русский (Russian)
отрывок из речи политического деятеля, передаваемый в новостях

Español (Spanish)
n. - extracto de una entrevista grabada escogida por su causticidad

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - ljudklipp

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
采访中抽出的短句, 插在新闻简要广播中播出的一个短文

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 採訪中抽出的短句, 插在新聞簡要廣播中播出的一個短文

한국어 (Korean)
n. - (정치가 등의 발언 따위를) 방송용으로 발췌한 명료한 말, (뉴스 프로그램에서) 사건을 단적으로 전하는 영상

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 音の交わり, 音の交信, 音の行き来

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קטע קצר וקולע מראיון מוקלט‬

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