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Morgan Freeman Now Intro's the CBS Evening News With Katie Couric

R

radiojjh

Guest
Thought the voice sounded familiar......heard him to the credit cards....now CBS has dumped Walter Cronkite for Morgan Freeman....interesting choice.....

The story I read on VU.com was pretty much this:


Source:CBS News early six months after his death, Walter Cronkite's voice is leaving the "CBS Evening News." The CBS News legend recorded a voiceover introducing current anchor Katie Couric when she started on the job in 2006. CBS kept Cronkite's voice on the broadcast even after he died in July. With a new year, CBS replaced Cronkite's voice Monday with that of actor Morgan Freeman.…

He certantly is a brilliant actor....now intro'ing CBS News.....impressive....but I can't believe this was his BEST read.....sounds a little too casual.

Then again I was surprised to hear Michael Douglas(the actor) doing the intro for NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.....wonder who ABC will get to do theirs, hmmm?

Here's the link so you can check it out for yourself on you tube.......


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omQoM6NH5qg

Link here for NBC with Michael Douglas: he doesn't say "news" correct...it's NOT NOOZ....it's NEWS like brand new.....YIKES!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoyiQanFJ2s



:cool:

JJHemingway/Your Spokane Radio Pal.....
 
Now all Fox News needs is Homer Simpson introing the Shepard Smith news hour! :D
 
too bad Rod Roddy or Johnny Olson was not around to record it...

"Katie Couric, Come On Down!
You're the next contestant on the Increasingly Irrelevant Metamucil Sales Hour!"
;)

....or James Earl Jones...
"Diane, I am your Father.....uuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
 
Morgan Freeman should introduce Katie in his Easy Reader persona or even better as DJ Mel Mounds from "The Electric Company". :D

That would be slick, hip and OUTTA SIGHT!
 
Robnoxious said:
Morgan Freeman should introduce Katie in his Easy Reader persona or even better as DJ Mel Mounds from "The Electric Company". :D

That would be slick, hip and OUTTA SIGHT!

As long as we're being ridiculous - I suggest Casey Kasem...as Shaggy from Scooby Doo.
 
Lkeller said:
Robnoxious said:
Morgan Freeman should introduce Katie in his Easy Reader persona or even better as DJ Mel Mounds from "The Electric Company". :D

That would be slick, hip and OUTTA SIGHT!

As long as we're being ridiculous - I suggest Casey Kasem...as Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

Shaggy: "Like zoinks Scoob!" "It's the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric!"
Scooby: "Ruh Roh" :D
 
Why doesn't someone use Elmer Fudd?? 

"Da Cowumbia Bwoadcasting System Pwesents Da CBS Evening Nooz wit Katie Couwic!!!" ;D
 
How about Samuel L. Jackson doing the intros for Countdown With Keith Olbermann?
;D
 
landtuna said:
Does the public really care about voice-overs?

Probably not. But "the public" probably doesn't care about 70% of what the TV and Radio geeks talk about on these discussion boards...so what's your point?

About a decade ago, it was much more fashionable for big-time actors like Freeman to do voice-overs - especially on commercials. That trend was waned somewhat, though I notice that Gene Hackman still voices the Lowe's commercials.

At that time, the advertising agencies said that it was a plus for them that viewers were hearing familiar voices that sounded real and sincere. But they didn't care if the public recognized the voice or not...that wasn't the point.
 
Lkeller said:
landtuna said:
Does the public really care about voice-overs?

Probably not. But "the public" probably doesn't care about 70% of what the TV and Radio geeks talk about on these discussion boards...so what's your point?

About a decade ago, it was much more fashionable for big-time actors like Freeman to do voice-overs - especially on commercials. That trend was waned somewhat, though I notice that Gene Hackman still voices the Lowe's commercials.

At that time, the advertising agencies said that it was a plus for them that viewers were hearing familiar voices that sounded real and sincere. But they didn't care if the public recognized the voice or not...that wasn't the point.

I seem to have stepped on someone's foot there Dude.

I fully realize the people on this board are very different from the listener/viewer-on-the-street. That's why I said the "public" and not "everyone". My point being that I can remember one, only one, voice-over that the majority of listeners/viewers remembered and that was James Earl Jones. And that apparently came directly out of his part in Star Wars. But if that same voice had been on radio without the earlier movie exposure I doubt he would have anything like the same recognition.

For those of us whose occupations are in the industry or are otherwise involved from a hobby standpoint it is fun and somewhat a contest to see if we can identify the voice behind. I think the general public listens to voice-overs about as carefully as they hear commercials; that is, not very well or not at all (unless the voice is very distinctive ala JEJ as mentioned earlier).

If my opinion is on target it is surprising to me that expensive voice-overs are purchased for somewhat utilitarian purposes such as news intros. I guess though it could be a fail-safe. If the campaign doesn't do well the "voice of god" could be held responsible and thus the marketing guy lives to fight another day. ;D
 
landtuna said:
Lkeller said:
landtuna said:
Does the public really care about voice-overs?

Probably not. But "the public" probably doesn't care about 70% of what the TV and Radio geeks talk about on these discussion boards...so what's your point?

About a decade ago, it was much more fashionable for big-time actors like Freeman to do voice-overs - especially on commercials. That trend was waned somewhat, though I notice that Gene Hackman still voices the Lowe's commercials.

At that time, the advertising agencies said that it was a plus for them that viewers were hearing familiar voices that sounded real and sincere. But they didn't care if the public recognized the voice or not...that wasn't the point.

I seem to have stepped on someone's foot there Dude.

I fully realize the people on this board are very different from the listener/viewer-on-the-street. That's why I said the "public" and not "everyone". My point being that I can remember one, only one, voice-over that the majority of listeners/viewers remembered and that was James Earl Jones. And that apparently came directly out of his part in Star Wars. But if that same voice had been on radio without the earlier movie exposure I doubt he would have anything like the same recognition.

For those of us whose occupations are in the industry or are otherwise involved from a hobby standpoint it is fun and somewhat a contest to see if we can identify the voice behind. I think the general public listens to voice-overs about as carefully as they hear commercials; that is, not very well or not at all (unless the voice is very distinctive ala JEJ as mentioned earlier).

If my opinion is on target it is surprising to me that expensive voice-overs are purchased for somewhat utilitarian purposes such as news intros. I guess though it could be a fail-safe. If the campaign doesn't do well the "voice of god" could be held responsible and thus the marketing guy lives to fight another day. ;D

You didn't step on my foot, uh...dude...I was making the point that there's a reason they hire celebrities to do VOs. Getting back to a decade ago, when it was a bigger trend - there was an article or two about it. As I remember, most of the celebs were doing it as sort of a lark, and because it was fashionable among celebrities to do VOs. But it was my impression that they weren't making big bucks to do it - just the regular fee that any top-tier VO person would be getting...which ain't too shabby, by the way.

The best non-celebrity VO people - some of whom we've never heard of - have become very wealthy people.
 
Just to amplify your last point, go to Don Morrow's
"Wild World Of Voiceovers" website and look for "the
house that voiceover built," a fancy thing in a rural
area outside Danbury, CT. And he has said that one
commercial can bring in as much as $50,000. He's not
exactly a household word; a lot of us know him from
"Camouflage" in the '60s but I usually have to identify
him as the Shell Answer Man before people know who
I'm talking about.

And I wonder how much his protege, the late Don LaFontaine,
made off movie trailers.
 
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