Introduction to

Professional Announcing
Meeting 1
English for Broadcasting 2019
Announcer, Talent or Personality

Announcer:
‘‘a person who announces, especially
one who introduces programs,
presents news items, reads
advertisements, and does other
similar assignments over radio or
television.’’
‘‘one who announces, specifically,
one who introduces radio or TV
programs.’’
(New World Dictionary and Thesaurus, 2nd
Edition)

(The Random House Webster’s Unabridged

Dictionary, 2nd Edition)
Announcer, Talent or Personality (cont’d)

Personality: Talent:

a notable or famous person, often in a natural aptitude or superior skill,

the entertainment field, such as a such as a television talent
radio personality
Announcing: A Historical Perspective
Announcing: A Historical Perspective (cont’d)

In the past:

1. We’d probably have to look hard

to find a female announcer
because a deep, bass voice was
considered a basic requirement.

2. Almost every announcer utilized

a very stylized delivery.
Announcing: An Employment Perspective

• U.S. Department of Labor

Statistics: 80% of
announcers work in radio
(8 times as many radio
stations as TV stations)
• Network-level positions in
commercial broadcasting
would usually command
the highest pay.
• Low hazard level and
occupational illness/injury
Announcer Specialization

Music Announcing – interview guests, operate audio

equipment
• Examples: disc jockey (DJ), video – sell commercial time
jockey (VJ) on cable TV, – write commercial or news scripts
announcers for internet music
sites and satellite radios
• Job descriptions:
– provide live or ad-lib material
between music selections
– present news, sports, weather,
commercials, announcements,
Announcer Specialization
– interview guests, operate audio
News Announcing equipment
– sell commercial time
• Examples: anchors and reporters
– write commercial or news scripts
• Job descriptions:
– provide live or ad-lib material
between music selections
– present news, sports, weather,
commercials, announcements,
Announcer Specialization
Sports Announcing
• Examples: the sportscaster, play-by-play
announcer (PBP), and play analyst
• Job descriptions:
– Sportscaster: select and write
sports stories, interview sports
personalities, and provide results of
games played
– Sports broadcast: stands alone on
the radio (a segment of a newscast
TV)
– Play-by-play: the lead announcer
and gives the ‘‘play-by-play’’
action
– Play analyst announcer: a ‘‘color’’
announcer who provides analysis
of the event along with insight
and background into the game or
contest
Announcer Specialization

Specialty Announcers
• Examples: commercial voice-over
announcers, weather forecasters,
narrators, talk show hosts, or television
staff announcers
• Cable television has increased the
importance of specialization (e.g. financial
news, home shopping, cooking, gardening,
and home repair)
Broadcast Announcing Education Requirements

You will be expected to be conversant on Valuable skills:

any number of topics.
• Take courses in art, music, drama,
For example, literature, political science,
• radio DJs are expected to be able to ad- psychology, and as many writing
lib about almost anything courses as you can.
• television news reporters should have an • Have a good mastery of the English
understanding of the history behind language (grammar & spelling)
today’s news stories • Be computer literate.
Key Physical Requirements for Announcers
Voice
• A greater range of voices is accepted
in broadcasting. What is required: a
pleasing voice
• free from any regional accents
• display outstanding word
pronunciation and accurate grammar
usage
Appearance (TV talent)
• an attractive appearance
• well groomed in a conservative
fashion; have straight, nicely spaced
teeth; favor contact lenses over
glasses
• do not have facial scars or acne (or
unusual features)
Key Physical Requirements for Announcers (cont’d)

Stamina An interview with a CBS TV anchor:

• Talent is often required to work long • https://www.youtube.com/
hours and frequently be available at watch?v=jDEaVaYlP50
odd times.
• Broadcast announcers need to be in
good physical condition to maintain
the pace of the business and look.
• Beginning performers should also be
aware that they are most likely to be
the ones working holiday and
weekend shifts.
Announcer Responsibilities

Emotional management skills:

– ability to handle stress under
time deadlines
– read in exactly 30 seconds (stress
and emotion)
– no room for error
– pressure of performing before a
large audience
– a perfectionist attitude
Announcer Responsibilities

Roles of an announcer 1) To entertain:

As a performer, you have a responsibility • Often the DJ is expected to
to entertain, inform, or persuade your project a certain image that goes
audience. with the station’s image or format
Announcer Responsibilities
2) To inform:
• The TV news anchor has a
responsibility to inform, with a small
degree of entertainment
responsibility.
• The announcer needs to understand
the meaning of the message and to
connect that idea with what interests
the audience.
3) To persuade:
• A commercial voice-over announcer
informs the audience about a
product, but also persuades the
listener or viewer to buy that
product.
• Most media outlets have a good
description of their audience and
they need to understand how to
reach them.
Announcer Responsibilities
4) Social Responsibility
The ‘‘status-conferral’’ function of the
mass media: announcers have a certain
degree of influence over their audience
A good broadcast announcer should feel
an obligation to be active in the
community and volunteer to be a part of
whatever is happening there. (Rapport-
building)
5) Ethical concerns
Announcers need to be aware of legal
and ethical concerns, especially in regard
to in decency, libel, and slander laws
(follow professional code of ethics/ an
understanding between the
management of a station and talent)
“I didn’t know” is not accepted as an
excuse
Role Model Announcers
• Paul Harvey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jivF03JahHU
• Jim Rome (The Jim Rome Show):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoPYsbm2Mu0
• Katie Couric: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM7-MiWYKt0
• Al Roker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAU-DDwJI9Q
• Jane Pauley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pt61pw7Sqw
• Howard Stern: https
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3XQe2j4pds