I hear my voice on the radio all the time now.
I do the weather, the news, and ballgames and I’m comfortable with what it sounds like, for the most part.
I interview people. I have this bad habit of starting a sentence when I have no idea what I’m about to ask, but it usually works out…in the end…when I…finally figure out why…I started to…talk.
I also do advertisements for all kinds of stuff. This is where I have a problem sometimes.
Certain kinds of ads are okay, like one’s for the local auto parts place. But I had to do an ad for an investment firm recently and I don’t think my voice measures up.
The copy is about planning for the future. It calls for a fatherly tone and a calming influence that tells the listener that retirement is for the long term and don’t worry, you’ll be just fine with Investment Firm X. But my voice is sounds more like the guy who tries to convince you to liquidate your 401K and buy a deep-sea fishing boat or to go to Vegas and enter the World Series of Poker.
A friend of mine in college had a great radio voice. One of his theories was that voice quality was helped by smoking cigarettes.
(If you ever were in a radio station during the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s, it would be hard to argue anyone disagreed with that theory…it also seemed the theory involved keeping alot of old coffee cups around with the station logo on them)
But anyway...if you need me, I’ll be around back having a smoke.
