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

[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.