ANNOUNCER RESPONSIBILITIES

As you can tell, radio amounting is hard work. The listening audience may associate the word glamorous with the broadcast industry, but the fact is - radio (like television) is an exacting business and announcing emphasizes professionalism.

For every announcer who has made it to the "big time" and who has become a celebrity in the civilian world, there are 100 good announcers who, in addition to their on-airtime, perform many other station duties. There are announcers in a lot of small stations who work the audio consoles, write last-minute commercials, rewrite news copy, check equipment and do anything else required of them to make the station work well. This is exactly what will be asked of you as a Navy broadcaster - you must be a generalist.

Furthermore, during your on-air experiences, you will realize that an isolated slip or flubbed line is almost inevitable. This is true even for the veteran announcer. However, if you make (too many errors, you will be looking for anew job. The key to success is experience, and a good announcer drills diligently in the never-ending quest for perfection.

Required Qualities

The qualities usually considered necessary in a professional radio announcer are a good voice, little or no regional accent, clear diction and accurate pronunciation. Quite often, your voice affects the audience's opinions about programs.

A resonant voice, the best diction, and even the best pronunciation will not help the announcer who mechanically reads lines and fails to project a feeling of sincerity. In effect, the announcer must have a good radio personality and make his voice reflect such.

Adaptability

Your personality is reflected in your voice. If you are not genuine, the listener will take note quickly. Changes throughout the program day make it essential that an announcer be capable of changing his delivery to fit the content and mood of the particular program.

No matter the type of program or its theme, most listeners enjoy hearing a voice that offers friendliness, naturalness, sincerity, integrity and vitality. Announcers, of course, usually seek to work in an area where they perform best. Some announcers are best at news, some at country and western music, some at rock 'n' roll, and soon. In short, you must be like a chameleon. You must be able to conform to the many variations of style that the average broadcast day will demand of you. You should set high standards for voice control, diction and pronunciation; then strive constantly to live up to those standards. This is a never-ending, ever-learning process. However, the satisfaction you will get from being an effective announcer is well worth the effort.