Some announcers should not be allowed on radio

THE EDITOR: Speaking is an art/skill that most people don’t possess. Sadly, there are announcer on the electronic media, especially the radio, who are allowed air time, but in my thinking should not be allowed that space.

As a child growing up I listened to the radio to learn how to speak properly. This no longer exists and I wonder at times how some folks could be on the air. To begin with, their pronunciation is poor, as well as their grammar.

Gone are the good old days when you turned on the radio to listen to particular voices that attracted your imagination immediately. Voices such as Ashton Chambers, Trevor McDonald, Russell Winston, Dick Henderson, Eddison Carr, Leo De Leon, Freddy Wharwood, Alfred Aguiton, Raffie Knowles, Jim Sutherland, Brenda De Silva, Sharon Pitt, Barbara Assoon, June Gonzales and Selma Ahye, who were each unique in their own way.

At present, if you need to listen to good broadcasters you switch to Wade Wattley, Stanley Augustus, Harold Thompson, Celia Scott, Camille Salandy, Ria Roopchandsingh, Mark Anthony, Crystal Cunningham, Onika James (former anchor on TV6), Janelle Wilson, Sterling Henderson and Dale Enoch, plus some others.

You can pick a good broadcaster by his or her newscasting ability because some radio personalities are good DJs who would DJ the news, eg Adrian Don Mora, Ken Simmons and Frabrice Francois.

Voice control is a major asset for any announcer, intonation is very important in attaining a good voice, and you must know how to modulate your voice to achieve certain tones and pitch. In this case, the microphone assists in adding that richness.

I was privileged to attain a certificate in broadcasting but was never given the opportunity to be on the air. Maybe it just was not my luck of the draw.

I close by saying that the standard of radio broadcasting has deteriorated to the depths of despair. I can’t understand how some people are allowed on the radio – and it’s not because I was not allowed the opportunity. I am three score and ten, so my time has passed and you must make way for the young folks.

EARL MARTIN

Trincity