Evening star., 1925-02-13
IDEAL ANNOUNCING
STANDARDS FIXED
Committee Decides Speaker
at Microphone Must Have
Seven Qualifications.

The ideal radio announcer has al
last been described and ella assified
The radio voice technique committee
composed of a large group OF radio
engineers, scientists and radio editor
In, New York. has created demi god
at whose feet the 1.500 or more mem
bers OF the new profession of radio
announcer may sit with reverence
and awe.
The necessary chara cteristics ot the
idea radio announcer were found TO
be seven in number, and the nature
of each was determined by the fol-
lowing seven tests: Average rate,
rate variation, average pitch, pitch
variation, stress variation, formality
and distinctness. The digest of the
decisions CT the committee members
on each test establishes the nature of
the ideal announcer.
115 Words Per Minute.
The ideal announcer should speak
at an average rate of approximately
IFS words per minute.
The ideal radio announcer should
introduce into his announcements
marked changes in rate pace; he
should have a voice of low middle
range; should introduce into his an
nouncements marked pitch variations
troduce marked stress ariations;
should speak in a formal. but friendly
manner, adapting his style to the
general content Of the program, and
should speak with a moderate dis
tinctness.
The committees decision as to the
relative Importance of the. various
characteristics contains some uneX-
pected features. Rats of delivery is
most important; stress variations are
second; distinctness is third; average,
pitch is fourth: pitch variations are
fifth; changes in rate pace are. sixth,
and degree Of formality is least i'm
portant of all.
1t would seem from the comments
made by various members of the COM
mittee that perfect coordination be
tween mind and vocal muscles is
greatly to be desired in any radio an
nouncer, and absolutely essential to
the ideal impressario.
Provincialisms Not lrksOme.
Vowel elongation is very bad is
one terse comment. Provinciaiisms
are not Objectionable in certain cases,
but the majority seem to feel that
proyincialisms from only one part. of
the country-the South-are deSir-
able. Foreign dialects are entirely
out of place" is another brief state
ment. Nasal tone quality and harsh
tone quality are unsuitable, because
the effect is unpleasantly amplifed
in the majority of loud speakers"
would indicate that the loud speaker
has supplanted the ear phone in the
American home and is a considerable
factor in any judgment on radio an
nouncing technique. "Neurotic man
nerisms and lapses are particularly
distressing" is the unanimous opin-
ion of the entire committee.
The committee explains further
that this ideal announcer lacks one
most vital factor, which they are
unable to give him, namely, PERSONAL
ity. The committee presents the
ideal announcer to the entire an
nouncing profession as a technically
correct and perface being: but to the
individual announcers 1t must remain
to Undue him with the spark of per-
sonality. 1t is the earnest hope of
the committee that radio announcers
the country will be able
TO utilize findings to advantage, elimi-
mating those technical faults which
are at present detracting from their
radio personalities"