"announcer speak" in american tv commercials

[DavidNRockies]

So … apparently … Don Lafontaine died.

In a world where Don LaFontaine is dead, it’s hard to imagine anything else really being worth discussing.

Jesus. I’m utterly lugubrious now.

[Robot_Arm]

@Faerie_Nuff

Is Don La Fontaine the “In a world…” guy? I love that. I think every movie trailer should start with “In a world…”

“In a world where every movie trailer starts with ‘in a world…’”

[hogarth]

@curwin

It seems all the announcers on the commercials have this corny, goofy way of talking, kind of short sentences. This was not they way it was back before 96.

Yeah, I miss the old days when announcers weren’t corny or goofy at all.

K-tel Records "Block Buster" Commercial - 1976

[BigT]

[quote=“Kent_Clark, post:16, topic:177727, full:true”]

@BigT

Online commentators are talking to people who specifically called up their content. TV and radio announcers are trying to break through to people who were only half-paying attention in the first place.

I can see that. I was replying to Plait’s claim that it’s supposed to sound more conversational and casual. I just don’t really think it does. To me, it’s just as unnatural, albeit for somewhat different reasons.

Those short sentences sound very affected. That call and response part? That’s very “ad copy” coded. It sounds to me like how a written ad looks on the page. And she is not an outlier: I hear that sound all the time.

It seems odd to me to call this natural speech, and not to actually try something that sounds natural.

[Spoons]

@hogarth

… I miss the old days when announcers weren’t corny or goofy at all.

Beautifully parodied by Dave Thomas as “Harvey K-Tel” on SCTV, back in the day.

[terentii]

I always mute commercials when they come on my TV. They’re one reason why I now do most of my serious watching commercial-free with PBS or over my laptop. My current most hated commercial/promo is “Meet Me in the Middle” for Illinois tourism, which starts with a harpy screeching “BABY!” It replaces the Swifter commercial where the t**t pushing the mop says “It’s a GAME-CHANGER!” in her annoyingly perky voice. (I would love to strangle whoever it was that introduced the phrase “game-changer” into the English language! )

[Robot_Arm]

@terentii

(I would love to strangle whoever it was that introduced the phrase “game-changer” into the English language! )

But, without a game-changer how would we take things to the next level?

[terentii]

@Robot_Arm

But, without a game-changer how would we take things to the next level?

It doesn’t matter, so long as THEY COST NO MORE!

[curwin]

And now I found an example of a Saturday Night Live commercial that uses that voice:

the perfect movie for mother’s day

[digs]

@Faerie_Nuff

Is Don La Fontaine the “In a world…” guy? I love that. I think every movie trailer should start with “In a world…”

“IN A WORLD, where time has no meaning and justice has no champion, ONE MAN has the courage to stand up for what is right. (Coming soon to a theater near you.)”

Well, then you’ll love this …

Comedian (2002) Original Theatrical Trailer [FTD-0589]

[Q.Q.Switcheroo]

And this:

The 3 Trailers - Frank TV

[OldManLogan]

Not to get too far off the beaten path, but without the phrase game-changer we wouldn’t have one of the better current game shows/ excuse for comedians to do funny stuff in Game Changer on Dropout.tv where the game changes every show. The host Sam Reich does affect an older style announcer voice at the beginning of each show so very, very tangential to the thread topic.