An announcer is a
voice artist
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
who relays information to the audience of a
broadcast media
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...
programme or live event.
Television and other media
Some announcers work in
television production
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
,
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
or
filmmaking
Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, cast ...
, usually providing
narration
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...
s,
news
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. N ...
updates,
station identification
Station identification (ident, network ID or channel ID or bumper) is the practice of radio and television stations and networks identifying themselves on-air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name (sometimes known, particularly in th ...
, or an introduction of a product in
television commercial
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
s or a guest on a
talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...
.
Music television announcers were also called video jockeys (VJ).
Announcers are often voice actors who read prepared scripts, but in some cases, they have to
ad-lib
In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; from Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation.
The r ...
commentary on the air when presenting news, sports,
weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmos ...
, time, and
television commercial
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
s. Occasionally, announcers are also involved in writing the
screenplay or
script
Script may refer to:
Writing systems
* Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire
* Script (styles of handwriting)
** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...
s when one is required. Sometimes announcers also
interview
An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...
guests and moderate
panel
Panel may refer to:
Arts and media Visual arts
* Panel (comics), a single image in a comic book, comic strip or cartoon; also, a comic strip containing one such image
*Panel painting, in art, either one element of a multi-element piece of art ...
s or discussions. Some provide commentary for the
audience during sporting events known as
sports announcer
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
s,
parades, and other events.
Announcers perform a variety of tasks including presenting news, sports, weather, traffic, and music. Other duties include interviewing guests, making public appearances at promotional events, announcing station programming information.
Announcers are also sometimes responsible for operating studio equipment and producing/selling advertisements. It is becoming more common to use social media networking sites to keep listeners up to date. In 2010, the median salary of an announcer in the United States was $27,010. Television and radio announcers generally have a
bachelor’s degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six y ...
in communications, broadcasting, or journalism. Some announcers cross "fields" by working in multiple media, such as television, radio, and commercials. For example, Bob Eubanks was in radio, then became a television game show host, occasionally doing both jobs at the same time. David Mark started in radio, then moved to television, then became a "free-lance" voice-over announcer voicing commercials all over the world. Townsend Coleman III started in radio, then became a free-lance voice-over announcer and went on to voice cartoons.
Radio
The role of the announcer in radio stations on air
In some radio stations (mainly news), the announcers must have special skill, dexterity and agility when transmitting information.
An example of this is the news station
Radio Reloj
Radio Reloj (Spanish for ''Radio Clock'') is an internationally broadcast Spanish-language radio station, located in Cuba. It currently carries an all-news format. The station is noted for the sound of a ticking clock in the background, and annou ...
, where the pages of two voices must have between 15 and 16 lines written, and those of one voice, between 13 and 15. If the information meets that requirement and the announcer from the beginning reads at an appropriate pace, must conclude at the exact minute. However, it may happen that some minutes the editors leave them a little long. Faced with this situation, the speaker accelerates the pace of his reading, in order to finish the text on time. Sometimes when the news is short, the announcer completes it with the so-called queues, which are important ephemeris, curious facts, congratulations to personalities. It may also be the case that information has the lines, in correspondence with its format, but has several points and followed. This implies that the announcer pauses, and has to speed up the reading rhythm to finish on the exact minute. In fact
Mauricio Lomonte
Mauricio Alberto Lomonte Suárez (born 10 June 1982), known professionally as Mauricio Lomonte, is a Cuban radio announcer and television host.
Lomonte started his broadcasting career in 2000 and later branched into television as host. He curre ...
, an announcer for this station, said:
Others
Radio announcers are often known as disc jockeys (DJs). While some read from scripts, others completely ad-lib. These DJs’ tasks consist of on-air interviewing, taking/responding to listener requests, running contests, and making remarks about various subjects like the weather, traffic, sports, and other news. Most radio announcers announce the artists and titles of songs, but don't necessarily choose what song airs on the radio. Many stations have a management teams who select the songs ahead of time. Today radio stations have DJs update the station’s website with music, guest interviews, show schedules, and photos. Radio announcers are also known radio jockeys (RJ).
Live events
Public address (PA) announcers work in physical locations, including
sporting venues. They will give the attendees information about performing acts, speakers, players, score (such as a goal or touchdown), infractions, or the results of the event.
Announcers may be specialized according to sport; for instance, a
horse race announcer provides a rapid-fire second-by-second account of the race (as well as introducing the entries before the race), while a
horse show
A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer ...
announcer is the "voice of management" and helps keep the show moving, plays select music and makes announcements during the show. A
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
announcer may simply introduce the next batter or recap the previous half-
inning.
[ ] Public address announcers may be notable due to their longevity, or tenure with a popular team or venue. Some announcers, particularly in horse racing, may also be known for television or radio work.
See also
*
Announcer's test
An announcer's test is a test sometimes given to those wanting to be a radio or television announcer. The tests usually involve retention, memory, repetition, enunciation, diction, and using every letter in the alphabet a variety of times.
History ...
*
Continuity announcer
In broadcasting, continuity or presentation (or station break in the U.S. and Canada) is announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes. It typically includes programme schedules, announcement of the ...
*
Sportscaster
*
News presenter
A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...
*
List of American public address announcers
*
List of Japanese announcers
This is a list of announcers on Japanese television and radio.
TV Stations in Tokyo
Nippon Television Network Corporation - NTV
* Men
** Tomonori Yamashita
** Takahiko Fujii, host of morning show "Zoom-In Saturday!".
** Shinichi Hatori, host ...
Footnotes
{{Authority control
Broadcasting occupations