Who stands out in your mind as somebody who sounds really great on the radio, especially where the voice sounds like the best possible fit for the type of show being done? Who, in your opinion, sounds like they could seriously use some improvement, either to the quality of the voice or due to the voice sounding like it "doesn't belong" on the program that person is trying to do?

Tim "News God" Riley.

Bill Shonely. Radio play-by-play.

Bill Howlett. News. Maybe I'm biased having been exposed to Bill at a very young age, but he is the gold standard who I compare other news anchor people with.

Tom Peterson. Hawking his own stuff. (See above.)

Rush Limbaugh. (But man, God needs to call back the talent He loaned Limbaugh and give it to someone else!)


Doesn't belong . . .

Leon "The Motorman" Kaplan. I used to enjoy his show a lot, but . . .

Hearing Old Barn read the school lunch menu....Craig in the morning.....Yes Uncle Bill Howlett on the Mighty 91.....Paul Oscar Anderson with the thunder in the pipes.....and when you heard Pat's voice on Kisn you knew damn well it was after midnight......
Don Kennedy (remember him ?)......The ever smooth Tom Micheals.....Bill Cooper painting a picture on the street like no news guy could.....Blackburn & Truitt doing the Beaver games.....Bob Swanson doing mid-days on 1190......I know I have left a huge list....but these will do for now.

Ken Martin and "Rock'n Ricky"

Rush Limbaugh has a great voice, even though I do disagree on some of his opitions.

Casey Kasem is a great one as well!

Gordy Miller could read any crappy copy and make you listen. What a gift. "Gentleman" Jim Rose on any station but especially on 970 KYTE Country and John Erickson can not only deliver a great newscast on a music station but is a very good writer, too. And, of course, all-around cool guy Craig Walker who got props from the audience and deserves even more from his peers. His special talent is kinda like Seinfeld: can make something out of nothing. Not only a natural talent, but something he worked on every day.

When Pat Patee's voice came on KISN...it was time to head home from cruisn' Yaw's and tryin' to hustle chicks!

Just the raw voice talent brings to mind several people that were/are based in the Portland Market and not yet mentioned above....

Tom Dargen...KATU GM but of course was a radio and TV booth announcer in various places along the west coast. I loved the sign off he did for KATU, the one before they changed it to the cool " This is Oregon " ...thing..

Dick Novak of course.

Rod Anders, who could put an aural friendly smile on any piece of production.

Jim Liniger too......

and Bob Brooks...

Barney's lunch menu was priceless...Dick Sheetz was the voice of my "after midnight" should-be-asleep-but-not escapades...

Neal Penland could read the phone book and I'd listen.

I liked Keith Todd very much, and he was a great fit at KUPL.

Iris Harrison, now and with Turner in the mornings. I really loved "Metroscope", too.

Shannon. Ever since 62KGW.

I'll leave the "worst fits" out. They're still doing more radio than I am

Howard Huntley

On the negative side...Bob Hazen on Koin

I'll add the wonderful, deep voice of Ben Marsh at KYXI and KQIV. And, Dick Klinger at KPOJ/KPOK.

You folks need to get out of town a bit more ...

Scott Muni.(interviewing John Lennon

Rosko (Bill Mercer)

Allison Steele, The Night Bird

These are people who I enjoy hearing on the radio.

- Portland News: Tim Riley
- Play-by-Play: Bill Shonley (NBA)
- Play-by-Play: Vin Scully (MLB)
- Play-by-Play: Marty Brennaman (MLB)
- Play-by-Play: Harry Kalas on Westwood One (NFL)
- Host: Phil Hendrie (Actually, I prefer Phil's "guests", but he's cool too.)
- Host: Rick Emerson
- Host: John Rothman, KGO weekends
- Host: Mark Simone, WABC (He has a fantastic voice! He hosts a news show on Saturday morning and an oldies show on Saturday night. Great pipes!)
- Host: John Corby, WTVN (He hosts a show in Columbus, Ohio. He's got a great voice, he's funny and he seems to like his job.)

I like broadcasters that have a sense of humor, are engaging and connect with listeners. And, yes, it helps if they have a nice set of pipes.

I think that Phil Hendrie is one of the top voices on the air today. Even without his versatility at doing all his character voices, Phil's normal voice sounds really great on the air. It projects without sounding like he is yelling or forcing it.

Two bad voices that come to mind are (or were) Tom Leykis and Pastor Sergio Alvarizares (he did a show at KKPZ during my stint as a board-op there). Both of these guys sounded as if they had damaged their vocal cords somehow. I have heard Tom sounding very hoarse on the air in the past; fortunately, he seems to have gotten better. Sergio sounded as if he always had laryngitis; the voice had this thin, wheezy, breathy quality to it. It sounded as if a lot of air came out when he talked, but not very much sound. Sergio had to be careful with his mic technique to avoid breath popping sounds.

An interesting voice is Dr. Demento. It is very appropriate for the show that he does, but it would be inappropriate almost anywhere else on the radio. Today, it sounds, to my ears, as if the good Doctor has to force this falsetto, whereas when I first heard him in the 1980s, it seemed to come a lot more naturally. I can remember wondering, when I was 12 or 13, if Dr. Demento were gay (as at that age, I thought that if a grown man had a squeaky voice, it was a good indication that he was a homosexual).

Art Bell has a great voice. I always liked Jim Bickel too. Also, I can't leave out The Big BA back in the day on KGON. He had to get tired of me requesting Journey, but he played them everytime.

I like Art Bell's voice, although it took me a little while to get used to his sound and delivery. When I first heard Bell in 1995, my first reaction was, "oh, here's this little old man talking about aliens and paranormal stuff." As I listened more and more to his shows (back then, he had a late night weekday program and a Sunday eveing show), I started to hear the magic, especially in the way that he could take a caller or guest who felt uncomfortable being on the radio and coax a good-sounding story out of that person.

Another guy with great pipes (I'm listening to him now) is Dr. Bill Wattenberg.

...And a lady with great pipes is KXL's Barbara Voigt. Her voice sounds very full and rich on the air.

Thank you, Andy: John Lennon on KHJ! If you've heard the tape, you know what I mean. Not only did he introduce all the songs for a shift but actually did "live" spots and took calls. He was hysterical and sounded as if it were his regular job!

Anessa (kink) has the best female pipes in PDX

Sheryl Stewart deserves a mention here as well as my very biased opinion of my wife Barb Hughes.

The guy who used to do IDs for KVOS back in the 80s(sorry, that's TV, but he always impressed me as having the best pipes).

One very interesting aspect of hearing the old American Top 40 from the 1970s on Sunday mornings on K-HITS is being reminded how Casey Kasem's voice used to sound. If you compare that with how Casey sounds today, there is a HUGE change. There is NO denying the aging process -- although it doesn't appear to have made much of a difference with Bill Schonely's voice!

Even though I'm not inclined to agree with him on much politically, I was thinking this past week that Thom Hartman on KPOJ has an excellent voice for radio.

And on the other side of the political spectrum, Lars Larson has a fine radio voice. (He also has quipped more than once on air that he has a face made for radio..:-)

I'll tell you one radio voice I DON'T enjoy at all -- the guy who does the promos on K-HITS. He sounds WAAAAY too, uhh, geeky. But maybe that's intentional for some reason on the part of management..?

Although they are not professional radio people, I must mention three other voices that stand out because of their commercials. Two of them negatively -- Hayes Barnard of Paramount Equity Mortgage and Tom Shane of Shane and Co. Jewelers. On the positive side, I always enjoy the AFLAC duck....:-)

Speaking of 'out of town voices' ever heard of John Miller? I think he still does MLB play by play and does his own color for ESPN. At least I heard and saw him last season.... He has a great voice and delivery...Anyway...

Back in 76' I worked for KYXI which was an NBC affiliate during the first year or so of 'All News Radio", that, before NBS's N.I.S went Banko. I was an engineer for the most part. There was some play off Basketball game between USF ( I think ?? ) and the University of Portland.

KNBR 68 wanted to air this for the Bay Area. John Miller worked for the " 6-eightylady as we used to refer to KNBR. KYXI had agreed , as the local NBC affiliate then, to engineer the radio patch down the telephone line. I was the goat to get to do this. No big deal really. But I wasnt used to John Miller ! We were all a lot younger then and he was all hyped up raving about here and there and so was I but an outwordly calm way. I was used to setting up at the Coliseum as we did Winterhawks. Anyhow here is John Miller with our real fine DIAL TELEPHONE on a 6 KC bandwidth phone line oh did that sound real FINE on the 680 lady..

Long story short, in the first quarter of the BB game, I tripped over the telephone line...duh..and we had 50KW of DIAL tone on KNBR courtesy of " yours truly"..John had no talk back line and it was all about him timing the spot sets and breaks, it was a real cheap ass rinky dink set up to begin with and I MADE THINGS WORSE...

I quickly got the phone number and dialed up KNBR's studio and we reconnected after about 4 minutes I think it was... there was a lot of hassle about the breaks because I caused this disruption for more confusion ....what a deal,..John gave me about 6 dirty looks and just friggin freaking out even worse than he did before...so my face was red and I felt like a DORK...then I got a brain storm...watch out now...

In my car I had a Panasonic AM-FM radio, tape player...and so I used this thing all the time for winterhawks games for an air monitor..I knew that KNBR had a real good night time signal into Portland , especially between November and March. So I went out to my car, turned on my AM reciever and KNBR was Loud and proud and I was lisenting to John. So I got my Panasonic, and my mini headphones, walzed back up to the play by play table plugged in the radio, found KNBR easily even *inside* the Memorial Col...and when John was in a lull I put the headphones on him...and there he had an air monitor...YOU SHOULDA SEEN his face....Now he liked me again...all of a sudden he could hear his breaks and hit it all tight and bright...he went on and on about the amazing power of KNBR 68 650 miles from San Francisco...and all that jazz...

From rags to the Ritz in 30 minutes

> I'll tell you one radio voice I DON'T enjoy at all -- the guy who does
> the promos on K-HITS.

This is a related question that I wanted to pose: how should radio personalities sound? There is a school of thought, espoused by Lee Abrams and very likely by the people responsible for the K-HITS imaging, that says that the public wants to hear people that sound like them (the listeners) rather than the "authoritative" voices often associated with radio.

Best voices- Stacey Lynne
Inessa


Most annoying voice- The Voice guy on K-hits! he is terrible!

Alfredo-

You make a great point. Look at the Letterman show or Leno. David and Jay have the personality, the guys that introduce them have the "voices." Who do people remember the most. People with personality. If that person also happens to have a great voice it's an added bonus.

But you can look at today's broadcasters and find people like Barbara Walters and Tom Brokaw. Walters never let her speech impediment stop her. Tom would talk in the back of his throat from time to time. But the bottom line they made it work.

You don't need the voice of God anymore go to be in broadcasting, it's about relating to the audience.

For football and basketball: Bill King (no longer living but broadcast Raider football, Warriors basketball and even A's baseball for years in the SF area)
for baseball: Vin Scully
for college football: Keith Jackson (I know he mostly did TV, but he had a great football voice and a quick wit that made games fun to watch)
other great voices: John Miller (still does the SF Giants when not doing ESPN Sunday night broadcasts), Al Michaels (he did radio for years in the SF area), Russ Hodges (never actually heard him "live" but on tape many times.
My favorite radio baseball broadcast team was the LA Dodgers in the 70s and 80s... Vin Scully, Jerry Doggett, and Ross Porter.

For those who listen to Christian radio, there is a syndicated show out of Wheaton, IL called "Nightsounds" that is hosted by Bill Pierce. What a tremendous radio voice...

I hear Tommy Chong in K-HITS breaks all the time and I think he is right for the format and an icon from the 60's and 70's. The so-called "image" I thought was all wrong was the dude with attitude that did the liners on the first months of automated Charlie...I think it has gotten better, but when I heard him regularly bad-mouth the inclusion of "commercials," I thought this line of thought was disrespectful of the station's source of operating income. I could never see how a radio station could accept advertising revenue from local sponsors, then made negative comments about the fact that the music flow had to be interrupted to run a stop set.

What's the name of the gentleman that did the commercials for GI Joes for years back in the '70s and '80s? Good inflection, energy, and it would always catch your ear.

I agree with Bob, that Charlie guy was awful. It was more his smirky attitude I disliked than his voice per se. In my imagination at least, he seemed almost to be mocking those of us who preferred the previous format. At least his breaks were mercifully short.

"What's the name of the gentleman that did the commercials for GI Joes for years back in the '70s and '80s?"

Answer: Ed Collier.

No one mentioned Skippy? How any PD would put that voice on the air blows my mind. I cant listen.

Howard Huntley, KXL-FM during the 1980's.


Michael O'Brien, KPAM [among other stations] during the 1970's.

Bob-It's not always about the voice. It's the personality behind the voice. Which is of course subjective depending on your tastes.

Oregonradioguy mentioned some sports voices.

I've got to include the late Lakers voice Chick Hearn. Great voice and delivery, and sparkling descriptions of games. Mariners PBP man, Dave Niehaus has a similar sound, albeit a bit slower.

I like Joe Morgan's way of describing a baseball game.

Ed Collier...wasn't he a prof at Pacific U in Forest Grove for years? Maybe still.
I too always thought he was really distinctive and right for GI Joe's.

Those ads were also well-written...
Go For It! Seize the Weekend!

I had the pleasure of producing some radio PSA's with Robert "Pete" Randall. He has done a lot of spots for various clients, but he left his mark in the hey day of Stereo Super Stores. They wanted Mr. Excitement and they got it. He said he did have to correct some of the language in the ads...like "regularly" instead of "regular." Before Tom Peterson bought the place, they took a turn from sell-sell-sell to a low-key "educate the consumer" plan. Big mistake, especially for a company that was primarily a liquidator. Then there is Tom himself...somebody advised him early on to make it a Tom Peterson store..and boy did he!

Hey, nobody has mentioned Scott Thomason. Made his mark on the Portland commercial scene in several ways..at first with the one line, "If you don't see me today....Then those TV ads like that black and white Perry Mason-style courtroom TV ad complete with the witness pointing..."It was HIM..He did it!!!"

Joe Morgan definitely has an interesting way of describing a baseball game. It's almost like he never played it, doesnt understand it, and wants to sound cool. Oh wait, those arent good things...LOL...i do think he's the only announcer i can think of who the desire to see him fired has spawned its own website (www.firejoemorgan.com). He must be an acquired taste, because i am more likely to sync up my TV with ESPN radio on Sunday nights than listen to him. Which is a shame, cause Jon Miller is pretty good without him.........

Sports voices I like ... a mixture of national and local.

Multi-sport guys:
Howard David
Gary Thorne (incredible PxP of hockey)

Football:
Bob Robertson
Keith Jackson

Baseball:
Dave Neihaus (who rightfully is being inducted into Cooperstown this year!)
Harry Kalas
Jon Miller
Joe Morgan
Vin Scully

Basketball:
Kevin Calabro
Chuck Swirsky

Each sport has its own style I like, i.e. baseball I prefer more deliberate and slowed-down ... great orators like Scully and Neihaus are perfect for baseball, and Harry Kalas just has that set of God-given pipes. Bob Robertson and Keith Jackson are both legends, and I just like their no-nonsense way of calling a football game, and their announciation adds to it. Basektball is fast paced, and fun ... and both Calabro and Swirsky make it more fun, catch sayings and the energy it takes. With Calabro, add that deep voice.

Chris_taylor sez~

"...It's not always about the voice. It's the personality behind the voice. Which is of course subjective depending on your tastes."

And at that, I also need to mention Hayes Barnard in those commercials for that Paramount Equity company. His voice strikes me as representing the personality of somebody you'd be more likely to meet in a smokey dimly-lit run-down tavern over the pool tables, or in a dark alley downtown really late at night (trying to offer you a Deal Of A Lifetime, of course) than a mortgage company.........!!

Made his mark on the Portland commercial scene in several ways..at first with the one line, "If you don't see me today...."

I remember when he started those ads on late-late-night Portland television, with the tag line "If you don't come see me tomorrow, I can't save you any money." When he became more successful and was able to start running daytime ads, he had to change the wording of his slogan. But I had already grown used to the "tomorrow" version, so the "today" version always sounded odd to me.

> or in a dark alley downtown really late at night (trying to offer you a Deal Of A Lifetime, of
> course)

...But it's "the biggest no-brainer in the history of Earth!"

Terri Gross from Fresh Aire. I love listening to her.

That voice guy on KHITS, I think his name is Poindexter. He and his partner Harriett. Those two make me change stations regularly.

But, I think the voice that is most lame is that "Angry White Guy" voice almost every station uses. To me, that's a radio cliché, even for the audience!

The guy filling in for Victoria Taft on KPAM this week (Chris Kroc?) is working overtime on the angry white guy sound. He sounds like he is on the verge of losing his mind!

My absolute favorite voice on radio is former ABC News radio anchor Mary Margaret Meyers. She has a beautiful voice – and I was totally captivated by her and her voice. Years ago, AOL has a section devoted to ABC Radio in its keyword section. She had a very loyal following at keyword ABC Radio.

Recently, I found her profiled on Sally Jesse Raphael’s website, working with SJR as a correspondent on her internet radio program.

How about the greatest lady of Rock and Roll, Iris Harrison. Always friendly with the listeners and a pleasure to tune into every day. Theres just someting in her voice that says she enjoys her job and has fun with it every day. It's contagious to listen to someone having fun on air like that. It is refreshing and can really make your day.

Long May She Rock!

Russ McDonald had a great delivery.

Good point Chris. His personality makes it extra annoying. (for me)

I do what I can Bob.

"The guy filling in for Victoria Taft on KPAM this week (Chris Kroc?) is working overtime on the angry white guy sound. He sounds like he is on the verge of losing his mind!"

I heard him yesterday for a while. Terrible is all I can say. He is trying too hard with his theatrics. He is also not interested in conversation unless you agree with him. He will hear your first point, talk over you, thank you for the call and continue his preaching. That's it..... He is preaching to you. Case in point was his topic of "kids in restaurants". Also his Sam Adams bridge comments. And Hillary should quit comments. He sounds like a little kid whining away.

Time to push the button on the radio. Sorry I didn't do it earlier.

When I heard Mr. Kroc on KPAM, the first person I thought of was a former regular on the politics side of this board. Hint: he had received the nickname Double-D's. Mr. Kroc, like some of the politics board participants, don't want discussion; they want preachin'!

Bob Brooks...still a Portland & national classic voice. How about Dan "nightflight" Foley? Another great set of pipes

Bob Brooks, doesn't he do all of those Bowflex commercials?

yes! The last of the real pros

I second that !

I think Tara on 94.7 has a great voice, and of course Daria has great....pipes.

...but really, for me, it's between G. Gordon Liddy and Tim Riley