Back in the Day

A long time ago, just after Marconi invented it, I worked in radio: mainly commercial radio! Often, we announcers had to speak commercials, promos and trails live on air. And announcing is how most people presented that stuff (and almost universally do to this day). I came from an acting background, and rather than announcing, I tried to make it sound natural, as if I was thinking on the hoof.

I remember one weekly announcers’ meeting where the program director singled me out to the others as an example of how to do it. My head swelled as he said that he couldn’t bring the words alive in the way I did, and then he told the others they couldn’t either! Although it was a great compliment, I just wanted to slide under the table in embarrassment about him dissing the others in that way. He went on to say that maybe it was something to do with me having been an actor. He was right.

That’s when it really started, my fascination with making the written word sound spontaneous.