Buzz
Regardless of the channel or local station you watch, news anchors all share a key characteristic beyond their professional attire and impeccable grooming. Their voices tend to sound strikingly similar, from their pacing to their clarity, and notably, the absence of any regional accent. What’s the reason behind this?
Broadcast professionals didn’t always speak in a neutral tone. In the early 20th century, many radio personalities and performers adopted the Mid-Atlantic accent, a blend of refined British speech and East Coast American dialect. This polished, formal style was common in 1930s Hollywood films and on the radio, as it conveyed an air of education and sophistication. During a period when America admired British culture, even a slight British influence in speech made one appear intelligent. Figures like William F. Buckley Jr. kept this accent alive even as it gradually waned in popularity in entertainment.
The modern approach to speaking with a neutral tone is commonly called the General American accent, which can be misleading since it lacks a true regional accent. Also known as Standard American, Broadcast English, or Network English, the term General American was first introduced in the 1920s and 1930s by linguists who aimed to identify an accent that was more widespread than the regional New England or Southern dialects. The term was used by George Philip Krapp in his 1925 book The English Language in America and by linguist John Kenyon in his 1930 book American Pronunciation, where he claimed that 90 million Americans spoke General American.
As the 20th century progressed, a broader array of regional accents was acknowledged, making it difficult to generalize between New England, Southern, and General American. While some linguists may disagree on the exact definition of General American, it is generally accepted as a neutral accent that avoids regional characteristics.
So why do news anchors adopt it? One of the main reasons is to ensure greater job prospects. Local anchors delivering the nightly news for affiliate stations often have to relocate, taking positions in various parts of the country, and many networks prefer the neutrality of a General American accent. For instance, if an anchor from the South chose to deliver news with a Southern accent, it’s unlikely a New York station would think viewers would relate to them. Similarly, a Brooklyn accent might seem out of place for Los Angeles audiences.
However, an accent is just one aspect of a broadcaster’s delivery. In broadcasting schools, television journalists are taught to speak at a moderate pace and pronounce every word distinctly. (Unconsciously, newscasters may also mimic the perfect diction of their iconic role models, such as Walter Cronkite or Ted Koppel.) No sounds are omitted. Sentences are structured to make reading off a teleprompter smooth.
Clear speech must also align with the visuals being shown while the anchor is speaking. Irregular inflections could be distracting, although some anchors deliberately stretch certain words (“muur-der”) or use a more somber tone when covering tragic news.
Some anchors have reported being extra cautious with their pronunciation due to the unforgiving nature of broadcast microphones. For example, words starting with the letter P tend to create pops. Broadcasting schools focus on eliminating the informal, conversational tone that doesn't suit the formal requirements of a newscast.
Some linguists argue that it’s impossible to speak without any accent at all. For example, a Southerner trying to eliminate their drawl will inevitably sound different from someone from New England doing the same. We might not notice these distinctions because humans are often poor at detecting subtle accents, particularly in our own speech. News anchors may sound similar because they all focus on clear enunciation and strive for precise articulation. Very few anchors would say “dubya”; they’d say “double-you.” Yet, that rare “dubya” is what creates a unique speech pattern.
And that concludes the news for today.
