Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

IN THE EARLY DAYS OF RADIO, AN ANNOUNCER WAS lORCKl) To I SK AN UNWIELDY STUDIO MICROPHONE WHEN ASSIGNED TO REMOTE BROADCASTS. cause I felt that Huskies were the best in the world!" Today's announcer must be as great a master of the "ad-lib" as he ever was. but not for the same reasons. In the days when i)lanes taking off for Europe and the dock- ing of big liners made headlines, the .special-events announcer was a busy man. On-the-spot coverage was made of happenings which to- day would rate only a couple of newspaper lines. At the launching ceremonies of the S. S. America, George Putnam, star NBC newscaster-announcer, more than justified his title. A moment after Putnam opened the half-hour broadcast a gust of wind swept his script, containing all sta- tistics on the event, into the river. Undaunted, Putnam, subtly ex- tracted facts, figures and "color" concerning the giant ship from at- tending notables. Microphone in- terviews completed, and the shij) safely down the ways, he then treated his eoast-to-coast audience to a polished ten-minute summary of the proceedings. Perhaps the longest ad-lib job in NBC announcing history was exe- cuted by Charley O'Connor, who was sent out in an airplane to cover the arrival from England of the Mollison plane. When the Molli- sons failed to show up O'Connor circled Long Island Sound in the dark for forty-five minutes, telling his aiuiience anything and every- thing he could think of. While incidents like these sel- dom, if ever, occur in the present- day pattern of perfectly-timed and wel!-i)repared broadcasts, our an- nouncers must have clear, level heads and be always on their toes. They never know when the unex- pected will happen. Good Voice Only One Requirement A good voice is but one of the many prere(|uisites which the man who Would stand behind the mike must have. His ability to use that voice, give feeling to words, and project his personality into the printed word is what really counts. This ability does not just exist in a man: it is the result of a combina- tion of many factors. The would-be announcer must bi- alert and versa- tile; he must have initiative and, most important of all, background. This means poise, an easy, dignified .ipproach, knowledge of music and languages, familiarity with foreign names, places, titles, blended on a generally broad cultural base. How background is acquired matters little. The career records of many of our most noted announcers make a colorful list, representative of nearly all walks of life. Graham McNamee was a salesman and con- cert baritone; Jimmy Wallington, who once aspired to be a minister, studied medicine, geology, litera- ture, and finally sang with the Rochester American Opera Com- pany; Ed Thorgersen tried his hand as a seaman, cowboy, journal- ist and organist; Alwyn Bach, con- cert baritone and choral conductor, spent some time in the printing l)usiness; Ford Bond, who directed choral groups, was also a news- paper reporter, and George Hicks served as a deckhand, lumberjack and member of the U. S. Diplomatic Service before he entered radio. Most unusual of all, perhaps, is the career of Kelvin Keech who once taught the Prince of Wales to strum a uklele. Keech studied voice, graduated as a chemical en- gineer, entered vaudeville, served in the Signal Corps during World War 1, and later led a jazz liand around the capitals of Europe. A mingled marine, engineering and stage ca- reer preceded my own entrance into broadcasting. Experience if a Requisite When enthusiastic young men come into my office, convinced that they are qualified to be announcers, I try to imi)ress on them the impor- tance of experience and back- ground. In order to give an intelli- gent performance on any subject, a man must have a liberal arts edu- cation in music, art and current events, or ecpiivalent experience. It is also difficult to convince some aspirants that many voices which are pleasing to the ear may sound entirely different coming out of a loudspeaker, since amplification af- fects both the pitch and timbre of a voice. Although we have had about six different women announc- ers over the years, their careers were short-lived for the reason th.'\t most radio listeners prefer a low sjioaking voice — even in men. [24 RADIO AGE]