An announcer is a voice artist who relays information to the audience on a broadcast media programme or live event either on radio or television.

Television and other media

Some announcers work in television production,

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

filmmaking Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in

television commercial A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

s or a guest on a talk show. 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 commentary on the air when presenting news, sports, weather, time, and

s. Occasionally, announcers are also involved in writing the

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

or scripts when one is required. Sometimes announcers also interview guests and moderate panels or discussions. Some provide commentary for the

audience An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), or ...

during sporting events (known as sports announcers), 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. Television and radio announcers generally have a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

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, and 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, 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, 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 A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...

(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 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 games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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.

Footnotes