Did you really just say this?

Most of us are familiar with the old list of things one isn't allowed to say on the air. It served a purpose, protecting tender ears and minds against language not suitable for everyone.
But now a new threat is coming at us via the airwaves, and that is the threat of language mutilated by people who don't seem to care that they sound like idiots. This includes news desk personnel, talk show hosts, ad designers and pretty much everyone else bold enough to speak to the public.To aid in combating this epidemic, I have put together a new list of things that shouldn't be said on the air.

I COULD CARE LESS
Nothing says "I'm putting on a good act but deep down inside I'm an illiterate moron" like this sentence does. If you use this statement you have absolutely no idea what it is you're trying to say, and you are only repeating something you heard from some other dimwit . What you should be saying is "I couldn't care less". There isn't enough time or space here to explain to you why this is so; you just have to trust me.

WE ALSO REPORTED ON THIS AS WELL....
Please don't use "also" and "as well" in the same sentence. They mean the same thing, and what you're saying here is "we also reported on this also...."

THEY ARE BASED OUT OF...
Where did that one come from? Who was the first person to think this sounded right? Things or persons are based IN, not OUT OF. The correct phrase is "they are based in..."

WE ARE HONING IN ON THIS STORY....
This just gets worse and worse. Whoever started that one clearly had to idea what honing means. One can hone a tool, a razor, or one's skills, as "to hone" means "to sharpen." "We're sharpening in on this story" sounds idiotic, so please stop using it!

WE'RE ROOTING YOU ON.....
Is there no end to it? We can either root for someone, or we can cheer them on, but to root them on is not a third option.

WE OPENED OFF THIS SHOW...
Another unhappy mix of two statements. We can either open up a show or start it off, but never can we open it off.

EXETERA
This one has become a biggie and needs to be stamped out right now! Another example of people mindlessly repeating rubbish without knowing what they're saying. The correct phrase is, of course, "et cetera", which is Latin and means "and so on", or "and so forth". I don't expect any better from the undereducated masses, but people I used to respect use this phrase all the time, and I say "Enough!"

ANXIENT
There is no such word, really. There is "anxious" and there is "ancient", the former meaning distressed or troubled, the latter meaning very old. They have nothing to do with each other and cannot be combined to make a new word.

HEIGHTH
Last but not least, this one is a fairly recent but rapidly spreading addition to my list of most annoying language blunders. It's just HEIGHT, no H added at the end. I know we have WIDTH, but HEIGHTH is not its correct companion.

I could go on for a good bit longer, but I'm done for today. It's sad that there are folks whose profession consists of speaking to us on a daily basis and yet no one makes them speak correctly. Are we really being overrun by idiots? And worse, idiots who just don't care?