Behind the Microphone

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 9, 13 September 1929, Page 10

Behind the Microphone

The Official Voice

ROM the point of view of the. listener, one of the most interesting broadcasting institutions is that of the announcer, says "Radio Times." In the official voice there lies the satisfaction of many tastes. One may admire the purity of its "well of Bnglish undefiled," or one may rail against its real or imagined accents. One may study it psychologically or aesthetically, and some listeners who haye seen the rare pictures of its owners may even thrill a little at its sartorial glory! The real value of the announcer lies in the fact that he is: indeed "a disents bodied voice," In the business of: acy eepting the bouquets and brickbats of critical listeners he is equanimity personified. In spite of his profession, he must be more silent than the Sphinx and more philosophical than the Grand Lama. The vocal asceticism of the announcer is not the effortless thing it sounds. It is a heavy task to introduce a thousand and one unrelated topics in a sympathetic.and winning way, yet, so fa. as personal taste is concerned, to remain "icily regular splendidly null." There is perhaps a responsibility all unguessed at resting with the men who do this work. . ' §till, it is not to be thought that the announcer is 2 mere automaton. If he may not express personal opinions overmuch, he can yet do much towards maintaining the enthusiasm of listeners by the tone in which he addresses them. It is only rarely that the listener is able to catch & glimpse behind the scenes of announcing. No doubt in spite of the austere nature of the work there is humour in it. When that humour is the product of some little bit of forgetfulness in the studio-serv-ing to show up the "human" side of announcing-it is all the more delightful. It is good to hear the announcer come to the microphone with laughter in his voice-laughter occasioned by some "studio aside’ maybe. It is even better when the announcer forgets that the little red light which indicates that the world may listen is still burning while he. proceeds to address others in the studio in a bysinesslike tone. One can almost see the look of dismay on his face when, after some conversation on the fact that "this person has finished too soon," he notices that"~ the microphone is "open" or "on," whatever such an instrument is, when broadcasting is in progress. Listeners may chuckle, but he has no need to worry, for the announcer is probably the ‘most popular figure in broadecasting, and the listening public will laugh with him a hundred times before they will laugh at him once. cd