Somewhere Between Ted Baxter and Ira Glass is where you’ll find my ideal of a proper newscaster/reporter voice.
I was a very young child watching the Mary Tyler Moore Show but I was savvy enough to be in on the joke. The bombastic baritone voice of news anchor Ted Baxter was a blustery cover for a man who did not truly understand what he was reading.
Fast forward a few decades and I now take issue with the casual, I can barely produce enough energy to say this full sentence, delivery of some National Public Radio reporters and hosts. A recent New York Times article highlights this phenomena. ‘NPR Voice’ Has Taken Over the Airwaves is reporter Teddy Wayne’s account of what he terms “looser language…and a speaker who employs pauses and, particularly at the end of sentences, emphatic inflection…A result is the suggestion of spontaneous speech and unadulterated emotion. The irony is that such presentations are highly rehearsed, with each caesura calculated and every syllable stressed in advance.”
Wayne suggests the host of This American Life, Ira Glass, is a leader in this style of vocal delivery. He quotes Glass as stating,
“Any story hits you harder if the person delivering it doesn’t sound like a news robot but, in fact, sounds like a real person having the reactions a real person would.”
I’m pleased we no longer need the false bravado and persnickety enunciation employed by newscasters in the past. Still, I don’t truly endorse Glass’ methods and the broadcast experience it produces. I feel there is artifice and distraction in the style Glass advocates. What I want is authenticity and professionalism.
I feel I can speak about this with some authority as I have experience as a broadcast professional and as a teacher of future broadcast journalists.
Delivering a professional newscast is not natural or easy. I worked hard to achieve proficiency when delivering the news. I wanted my voice to be pleasant—but not too perky. I wanted my listeners to hear the information and not focus too much on my delivery. Most importantly, I aimed to connect my voice and my brain. These are tricky skills and I try to make sure my students are introduced to these ideas.
In some of my classes I ask students to write a 1-minute newscast with 15-seconds of weather at the end. We record and critique these newscasts. We talk about pauses, breathing, pacing, and word emphasis. Then I ask them—“What’s the weather going to be like tomorrow?” Most students give me a “deer in the headlights” look of confusion. I reply, “You just read the weather forecast out loud—what did you say?” The students try to sneak a peek at their scripts and finally admit they can’t remember what they said. That’s my opportunity for a “teachable moment.” I point out this is an example of a newscaster not digesting the information and not truly connecting their brain with their voice.
I ask the students to look at the weather forecast again so they can answer someone who inquires about the weather. A few minutes later we rerecord their newscasts and weather reports. The students can hear for themselves the difference it makes when brains and voices are connected.
It’s the difference between reading and telling. (It’s also a lesson they remember.)
Some students share their concerns that they don’t have “the perfect broadcast voice.” I assure them that they can and will succeed. It takes hard work, practice, and time to develop the skill. If you are authentic and listeners know your brain is engaged they will accept quirkiness in your delivery. If you doubt this just listen to old broadcasts of Tom Brokaw and Barbara Walters.
Now don’t get me started on the “vocal fry” delivered by the Kardashian clan and others. That’s an annoyance for another day.
Photo Credit: MTM Enterprises