RADICAL NEW QUALIFICATION FOR BEING ON THE AIR: HAVE A 'RADIO VOICE'

[Early Byrd]

Yes, folks, at one time, in order to get into radio, you actually had to sound better than the average person...call it a 'radio voice' if you will, but that's how you had to sound to get anywhere in the business...even in a small market situation.

Where did it all change?...especially when it comes to being on the air as a talk-show host? Another topic on this board concerns the voice quality of a soon to be let-go WTTK personality, so it might be a good time to raise this topic.

Sorry, but voice quality does matter to some listeners, including yours truly.

 

[Laurence Glavin]

Several years ago I read Eric Sevareid's autobiography, and he commented almost in amazement that he was hired by Edward R. Murrow NOT because of his newspaper credentials but because of his voice. When sound was introduced into motion pictures, many "stars" of the silent screen couldn't make the grade.

 

[raccoonradio]

And then "video killed the radio star" (as the Buggles song that introduced MTV put it!)

If you have the money you can get on the air though, right, Mr Drew Mortgage Show and/or Bill Kelley?

 

[Don Juannn]

Yes, folks, at one time, in order to get into radio, you actually had to sound better than the average person...call it a 'radio voice' if you will, but that's how you had to sound to get anywhere in the business...even in a small market situation.

Ever heard NPR's Diane Rehm? Dave Finnegan? Peter Meade?

 

[ned]

It used to be that you had to know how to say the letter "W" (as in double-you, not dubba-you) to be on the radio.....times have changed.

 

[Deleted User]

There has always been that running joke about having a face for radio, and there are some people in Boston radio who absolutely have a face for radio, but great pipes.

I do not have a voice for radio, never have, never will, which is why my voice is not heard on any of the legal ID's, promo's or anything else at MRBI. I work with 2 guys with voices far better than mine, and I don't feel the need to be on the radio.

Maybe it is that talk radio listeners are willing to overlook the "radio voice" thing in order to hear what they want from the talent's mouth.

 

[raccoonradio]

A certain "progressive" radio network thought it would be a swell idea to have a former Sat Night Live star as their counter to Rush. Result: even the hardcore followers were upset, for this actor had a droning voice--as one post by a liberal on a liberal messageboard put it, "Sorry, but I can't take the molasses-
draped voice of..."

You guessed it. And now he's a Senator...Al Franken. File under Not Ready For Prime Time Radio

 

[Blackroc]

Rehm? Dave Finnegan? Peter Meade?
All acceptable voices (Rehm had a vocal problem of some kind) for talk. As opposed to a few others I could mention with awful accents (Sunday/96.9) who butcher names (maybe on purpose I don't know).
Their were times on the M&M'D program on FAN when I'd miss a word or two in every sentence.

 

[Don Juannn]

Rehm? Dave Finnegan? Peter Meade?

All acceptable voices (Rehm had a vocal problem of some kind) for talk.

Acceptable to you maybe....but not to others.

Same with McPhee.

The question is can you get the content without the distraction of the voice. For Diane Rehm it's impossible for me....as bright as she might be.

 

[DanStrassberg]

The question is can you get the content without the distraction of the voice. For Diane Rehm it's impossible for me....as bright as she might be.

Well, if it's really Rheem's voice that bothers you (as opposed to, say, what you perceive to be her point-of-view) WBUR counter-programs with On Point, hosted by the golden-voiced Tom Ashbrook. So you can choose the male polymath with the golden voice or the female polymath with the scratchy voice. However, if you want civilized talk in the late morning, both of these hosts (whom I characterize as more centrist than liberal) are far from the right-wing ideologues on the commercial stations. Invective and flames are definitely not the order of the day on either of the public-radio talk shows.

 

[Early Byrd]

My original point in starting this thread was to bring up the fact that over the last 30 years or so, the notion that one had to have a voice that made it at the very least tolerable, and hopefully a lot more pleasant, to listen to for an extended period of time has somehow gone by the wayside.

When I got into the business many years ago I routinely heard from Program Directors that they chose from among two or more equally qualified candidates for an on-air position by the quality of the voice on the aircheck or audition tape they received in the mail for the opening. This was a very important qualification for someone entering the broadcast field. You could be acceptable in every other way, but a below average voice would be a career killer.

The world of broadcast talent had standards, just like any other profession. Many of us wish it still did.

 

[Laurence Glavin]

Out of all the network announcers from the "Golden Age" of radio, who had the longest-lasting career? Westbrook van Voorhis? Ed Herlihy? Tony Marvin? No! DON PARDO, who was fortunate enough to latch on to that new thingamabob, television.

 

[Don Juannn]

The question is can you get the content without the distraction of the voice. For Diane Rehm it's impossible for me....as bright as she might be.

Well, if it's really Rheem's voice that bothers you (as opposed to, say, what you perceive to be her point-of-view) WBUR counter-programs with On Point, hosted by the golden-voiced Tom Ashbrook.

On Point is a daily stop for me!

I get Diane Rehm when I tune to WGBH-FM at around 11:50 to get ready for Emily Rooney....or when I forget to change the station from the day before.

I can tolerate a voice that is not "golden tones"....but the slow and warbling voice of Ms. Rehm just does something to me. ;-)

 

[Blackroc]

~ I never heard anyone complain about Peter's voice (on 'BZ). He went on to be voice of a major HMO.
~ The Dean used to make fun of David's delivery but that wasn't a voice thing.
~ This is the Rhem problem, there's a name for it:

Without treatment, Rehm's spasmodic dysphonia would only get worse. Every three or four months, she drives her Toyota Avalon to Baltimore for a shot of botulinum toxin – a medicine that comes from the same bacterium that causes botulism in canned foods and honey.WaPost[/quote]

 

[Don Juannn]

~ I never heard anyone complain about Peter's voice (on 'BZ).

Mainly becuause the show's content was more valuable than any distraction in his voice.

~ He went on to be voice of a major HMO.

He went on to be an administrator of a major HMO. (He's a smart guy, no one is questioning that.)

~ This is the Rhem problem, there's a name for it:

Without treatment, Rehm's spasmodic dysphonia would only get worse. Every three or four months, she drives her Toyota Avalon to Baltimore for a shot of botulinum toxin – a medicine that comes from the same bacterium that causes botulism in canned foods and honey.WaPost[

Even if there is a name for it....it still drives many listeners crazy.

 

[EnterCommunicator]

A certain "progressive" radio network thought it would be a swell idea to have a former Sat Night Live star as their counter to Rush. Result: even the hardcore followers were upset, for this actor had a droning voice--as one post by a liberal on a liberal messageboard put it, "Sorry, but I can't take the molasses-
draped voice of..."

You guessed it. And now he's a Senator...Al Franken. File under Not Ready For Prime Time Radio

But Howie Carr's voice is radio magic, right.

 

[Time Traveler]

Unfortunately voice standards have been out the window for at least the past 15 years or so! But than at one time extended periods of dead air would result in job termination. Now...hours of dead air...is just business as usual....

 

[ChrisNH]

These days, the only requirement to get a radio gig is that you be fired from a TV gig. TV news hacks, really unable to secure work anywhere within their industry largely have only one other place to turn: radio. And they steal jobs right from underneath people who study and train solely for radio.

 

[TheBigA]

The voice quality, the dulcet tones, if you will, were mainly a requirement for AM radio. One good test was to run the voice through an osciloscope (yep, one of those old tube types) and look for negative peaks. The more negative peaks, the worse the voice would sound on the radio. Also companies would look for an authoritarian "voice of God" type in order to gain credibility. Radio was a new medium, and they needed to impress listeners with their voice.

All this seemed to go out the window with FM. The screaming DJs were replaced with normal speaking folks. A more human sounding voice worked just fine on FM. In fact, the stentorian approach seemed a bit oppressive on FM. The public radio examples in this thread are perfect. Daniel Zwerdling or Scott Simon weren't hired for their deep pipes. For the first time, women were regulars on the radio, and they didn't need a manly voice to make it.

These days it's not as much the tone of the voice, but the words the voice says, and they way those words are expressed that is important. Pacing, sentence structure, the ability to say things in a memorable way, and speak directly to listeners. These are more the criteria than tone.

 

[Don Juannn]

These days, the only requirement to get a radio gig is that you be fired from a TV gig.

Considering that most of the people on radio have never had a TV gig....your comment is utterly ridiculous. But it's nice to see you back here bashing people ChrisNH.