I love being the imaging voice of my local BBC radio station. While I personally can’t stand the sound of my own voice, at least for this gig I get to use my natural northern vowels. BBC Radio Manchester wanted my natural voice but with the northern-ness ratcheted up a notch. For this package, I sound *slightly* more Stretford than Sale, more Ancoats than Altrincham. It’s a generic Greater Manchester voice encompassing the city as well as the ‘burbs.
For those of you who don’t know what an imaging voice is, it’s the radio station’s audio branding. You’ll hear a voiceover saying the name of the radio station, announcing the presenters, the promos, the features and the frequency along with other important listener info. This is usually delivered atop a beautifully crafted bit of music or even (cue drumroll) the glory of a SUNG JINGLE!
I’ve voiced for all sorts of stations all over the world from classical, spoken word, adult-contemporary music, dance music, even birdsong. Each imaging job needs a slightly different voice. This is because each radio station is in a different location and will be aimed at a specific audience. It’s the imaging voiceover’s job to (literally) speak to those listeners to keep them tuned in. To learn more about the station imaging I’ve done for BBC Radio Manchester, read more here.
Selecting the right voice to do a station’s imaging is no easy task. The voiceover has to become the corporate identity, the audio logo of that brand. Everything has to match up – the style, the music, the vibe. All of it.
I’ve worked with the team at BBC Radio Manchester for about 307 years now and they’re bloody great and an absolute joy to work with. Have a listen to a smattering of our most recent festive offering.
To hear more station imaging, click here.
To hear stuff I’ve voiced that defies description, click here.
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