# TV Announcers' Voices

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-announcers-voices/610486>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 24, 2012, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-announcers-voices/610486 "2012-01-24T08:26:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-announcers-voices/610486/1 "2012-01-24T08:26:20Z")

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Why do announcers on TV–giving promos for TV-program episodes or movie-ad voice-overs–tend to speak in a dramatic whispered or breathy voice? It sounds like the kind of voice you’d expect to hear from a stalker calling you late at night…:eek:

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-announcers-voices/610486/2 "2012-01-24T13:47:07Z")

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It gets attention.

I remember back in the 70s, when the ABC staff announcer always had either _Looove_ or _murdeeeer_ in every single promo, said in the same tone of voice each time.

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**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-announcers-voices/610486/3 "2012-01-24T13:58:00Z")

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That was Pride of Cleveland Ernie Anderson, aka Ghoulardi.

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**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-announcers-voices/610486/4 "2012-01-24T16:01:12Z")

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> [@Sigmagirl](#):
>
> That was Pride of Cleveland Ernie Anderson, aka Ghoulardi.

And father of director Paul Thomas Anderson.

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-announcers-voices/610486/5 "2012-01-25T22:58:10Z")

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Just wanted to note that one of the classic TV announcers, Dick Tufeld, [just passed away](http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-dick-tufeld-20120125,0,7332046.story).

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**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-announcers-voices/610486/6 "2012-01-26T03:10:30Z")

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I think they’re all trying to sound like Clint Eastwood.