voices

I’ve become enamored with a voice before. But it’s been a long time. Most mornings, in the car on the way to work, I listen to National Public Radio (NPR). It’s partially because as I’ve grown older I care more about what’s going on in the world. And it’s partially because of Renee Montagne, one of the hosts of Morning Edition. I like Steve Inskeep too. They’re a good team, and what’s amazing is that they run the show from opposite sides of the country. Renee is in Los Angeles and Steve is in Washington DC, but they sound like they’re sitting together in the same room.

Radio personalities have to have an attractive voice—that’s just part of qualifying for the job in the first place. And for me there is something vulnerable and soft about the voice of Renee Montagne. Television newscasters in particular have this monotone with timed emphasis that I assume they learn in communications school, but Renee talks like you’re chatting on the phone with her. I appreciate her inflections, her question tone, and especially her giggle, which you can catch every once in a while. I can tell when she has a cold, and I’m a bit disappointed when someone else fills in for her. In essence, she has a voice to be enamored by. Feel free to listen.