The term announcer is the name given to the person who is dedicated to the presentation and announcement of people, situations, advertisements, events in mass media such as radio, television or even in public shows. The voice over career is an official career in many countries, although it also happens as with many things in the entertainment world that there are many people who exercise it without having the title or without being fully prepared for it.
Although it may seem like a simple activity, the task of the announcer requires a lot of preparation and dedication, especially when it comes to handling the voice, timing, silences and sounds.
The word announcer comes from Latin and literally means the speaker. In this sense, there are several derived words, such as interlocutor, speaker or ventriloquist.
It is common to find announcers on many television programs, on all radio programs, and at many public events where the presenters are also announcers. One of the most notable characteristics of an announcer is the use of a very particular voice register, with excellent diction, bass tones and a lot of facility to highlight, accentuate or make each word striking in a different way. However, it is common for them to occupy a secondary role in many programs since they are not usually seen and they remain hidden or off camera.
The radio professional
This professional activity is normally carried out by a journalist. On the radio, the announcer has to read news, moderate debates or do interviews with all kinds of characters. Your voice and language skills are your main work tools. Whoever is engaged in this activity has to read fluently, as if he were telling something with total ease.
It is advisable for this professional to have a suggestive voice and a clear diction. With regard to language, in most cases a standard form of a language is used and no slang or vulgar or colloquial expressions are used. To carry out his work, the announcer normally uses a script in which the different sections of the program are indicated.
Television voice
In this communication medium, all the characteristics of radio can be applied. However, as it is a visual medium, it is necessary for the announcer to have a good image in front of the cameras.
In television it is not usual to use the word announcer, since the term presenter is used more.
Sports announcers are part of the show
Sport is a spectacle and to talk about it it is very convenient for the announcer to incorporate a passionate element in his narration. The professionals do not limit themselves to describing what happens in a dispassionate and objective way, but they try to energize the show in a vibrant and energetic way.
Sports announcers have to be agile in their appreciations, original in the description of the plays and quick when analyzing the sets of a match or sporting event. These qualities are of special importance in radio, since the listener must see the sporting discipline through the words of the announcer.
In the world of football, these professionals resort to exclamations and screams full of emotional intensity and a simple goal can become a gooooool full of energy and vitalism.
Because each speaker manages a particular voice register and their way of expressing themselves, it is easy to distinguish each one after a while of listening. Announcers are very important when it comes to the presentation of programs, events, as well as issues such as advertisements, phenomena for which they are usually called upon because they have much more capacity to attract the attention of the public. Announcers may also have the task of having to translate live from one language to another and have the same ideas communicated.
