Microphone English Should Sound the Same Through Any "Mike"

Radio Record, 14 April 1938, Page 6

Microphone English Should Sound the Same Through Any "Mike"

U NIFORMITY of announcing policy between a national and commercial broadcasting service is a Utopian ideal, but in this thoughtful article, E.R.B. makes a very reasonable appeal for modification by both parties.

m Wy VY ILL it ever be % ¥ / possible for the a two big broadcasting services in New Zealand to attain something like uniformity in announcing? The word

‘uniformity’ does not infer a stereotyped style, but rather a distinctive manner of microphone speech, so that listeners overseas will be able to recognise at once the fact that they are listening to the Dominion of New Zealand. Listeners to-day find themselves in a curious position. From most of the YA stations, and at most times, they get pure English in cultured intonation, but, for all that, announcing is 90 per cent. of the time dull and lifeless. From the commercial stations there is definite predeliction for brightness-often only ‘‘so-called’"’ brightness. Thus, as I see it, there is a very definite line of demarcation between announcers coloured NBS and flaunting the old school tie, and the freshmen of the NCBS, whose verbal blazers are, like Jacob’s coat, of many colours. When the commercials came on the air in a wholesale fashion they captured the fancy of the crowd by, laudable variety, but, encouraged by success, there were one or two cases of acute pep-hysteria. However, after a few weeks, they settled down and curbed their sense of the dramatic with the reins of experience. But even to-day there are announcers who tell lis-

teners what o'clock it is with all the dramatic erfect. of a butler announcing the arrival at the palace of Baron and Baroness Whosit. And, as to the _ name of the station, well, y

at might be the Fuehrer telling the crowd that a swas~ * tika had been desecrated! To have several announcers chipping in one after the other is sound business when it comes to variety, but it can, like many other things, be overdone. No sooner do listeners become pleased with the voice of one man when somebody else takes up the running and the dial-twiddler says ‘"‘Shucks!"’ So much for that. While the commercials have every much of it, indeed, is well worth while exploitingthe YA men find the boot on the other foot. Astonishingly long hours are worked by YA folk in charge of announcing departments. ‘Theirs is a work of going through long sessions, with different sectional interests, and they are expected to bring to each portion a tone appropriate to the matter in hand. In other words, the really successful national announcer to-day must be something of a ventriloquist. Half a leaf taken from the commercials’ book might, with good reason, be inserted in the national volume for reference. "Take, for instance, the announcer who spends the afternoon with a concert session of fair to medium light works, follows up with news about anything from racing results to the description of a lost child, and then, in the evening, is asked to be heavy and academic and vastly informative about some great musical (Cont. on next page.)

(Continued from previous page.) work. Such a man cannot do his work adequately, strive however he may. Both services realise that a really first-grade announcer, possessing all the virtues, is difficult to find. He must be, of course, a man of the highest education, for thousands of people regurd the radio speaker as their Bible, in the matter of pronunciaion aud of accuracy in information. How often have I heard a ZB fan say, "Oh, let’s switch over to a YA station and get something restful," or, a YA listener say. "to blazes with this ditchwater solemnity, what about a bit of ‘pep'?? ¢ {omplete uniformity of announcing le is. of course, impossible, because (ims two services are intrinsically different, but one feels that both would benefit if each were to learn from the other. Even if the NBS does believe that aunouncers are a "uecessary evil," people listen to and take notice of them. They will be better pleased and nore receptive if they are deluded into the belief that the announcer has an interest in what he is saying and in those listening. And the Commercials would increase the wide, wide circle of their friends if there was a more rigid insistence on uniform pronunciation and the restraint of dignity applied to "brightness." As the old recipe books are su fond of saying-‘Take a little of this, a little of that, let simmer-not boiltill well done. ‘Then serve in moderation for the stomach’s sake."