View Full Version : Network promo announcers, past and present
Dynomite 05-11-2007, 11:10 AM I don't believe we've ever had this discussion before, but here it is. This isn't so much about movie trailer announcers, but it's pretty close to that. I'm talking about TV network promo announcers. If you've paid attention to the network promos, the voices stick in your head. Some of them are known, but all the same, I'm going to start listing them and you can post your favorite, past or present.
1. Don LaFontaine (NBC, Fox & CBS)
2. Joe Cipriano (Fox, CBS)
3. George DelHoyo (Fox, CW)
4. Dave Fennoy (CBS)
5. Mark Elliot (CBS, ABC)
6. Beau Weaver (ABC)
7. Bill Ratner (ABC)
8. Larry Kenney (NBC)
9. Brian Cummings (ABC, Fox)
10. Jim Cummings (NBC, Fox)
11. Peter Cullen (ABC, NBC)
12. Brad Crandall (NBC, CBS)
13. Ernie Anderson (ABC)
14. Danny Dark (NBC, CBS)
15. Bill Wendell (NBC)
16. John Leader (NBC)
17. Gary Owens (NBC, ABC & Fox)
18. Casey Kasem (NBC)
19. Jerry Bishop (ABC, NBC)
20. Les Marshak (NBC)
I know this is a long list, but if you can recognize any of the voices from the broadcast network promos, you would know exactly what I'm talking about. If you know what this topic is about, start chiming in.
KurtfromPitts 05-11-2007, 01:47 PM Mel Brandt, Fred Collins, Vic Robey[NBC]. Also, John Leader also did CBS as well as some early Fox promos as well. And, didn't Casey Kasem voice some ABC Saturday morning ads in the early 70s?
Dynomite 05-11-2007, 04:12 PM Mel Brandt, Fred Collins, Vic Robey[NBC]. Also, John Leader also did CBS as well as some early Fox promos as well. And, didn't Casey Kasem voice some ABC Saturday morning ads in the early 70s?
It never hurts to do a little on-line research as far as Casey Kasem's other network promos is concerned, but you're right on target with the topic. Feel free to expand the list of network promo announcers as each of us individually gets some more information.
treky 05-12-2007, 01:43 AM Ernie Anderson did promos on ABC in the 70s. I can still remember his promos for THE LOVE BOAT where he'd always end them with "....on The Looove Boat".
comedyfreak 05-12-2007, 09:37 AM My ultimate favorite promo announcer is the great Dick Tuffeld. He was the voice of the Robot on Lost In Space, and since the end of the show he's voiced hundreds of shows and cartoons. He has the perfect voice imo.
Dynomite 06-29-2007, 09:05 PM I should've added former CBS staff announcer Chuck Riley to the list. I've just learned he passed away on May 10 at age 66 from kidney failure. At the time of his death, he was still announcing, namely for KABC 7 Eyewitness News broadcasts. It wouldn't be until the early 1980s, when he was finally heard announcing promos on CBS-TV. Before then, he was still both a radio disk jockey and announcer, especially at WIBC radio in Indianapolis. Chuck Riley was unquestionably one of the greats of network promo announcers. It's real sad that he's no longer with us, but at least he's reunited with other greats like Brad Crandall, Ernie Anderson, Danny Dark and Bill Wendell, but others he was, more or less, heard on the same network(s) with, are still with us, namely Don LaFontaine, Mark Elliot, Neilson Ross and Joe Cipriano, among others. Here's a link for more on Chuck Riley:
http://www.voicehunter.com/chuck.htm
Sakaki Onsei 11-26-2007, 04:13 AM Wasn't Larry Kenney also the voice of Lion-O from Thundercats?
If anyone has clips of these guys:
Brian Cummings (ABC, Fox)
Jim Cummings (NBC, Fox)
Bill Wendell (NBC)
Jerry Bishop (ABC, NBC)
Les Marshak (NBC)
That would be quite helpful.
snl 70s show fan 11-26-2007, 04:50 AM how about don pardo who has been with nbc since 1944 and longtime cbs staff announcers bern bennett and roy rowan
tv star collector 11-26-2007, 08:57 AM Did George Fenneman ever do any network promos? I know he is best known
for his on-camera work as Groucho Marx's straight man on the quiz show YOU
BET YOUR LIFE, but he was also the announcer on Jack Webb's DRAGNET (and
even did a little acting in one of the MICKEY MOUSE CLUB serials). But did he
ever voice commercials? It seems that he would have been an excellent one.
treky 11-26-2007, 03:50 PM he was also Grouchos (whose real name was Julias, B.T.W.) announcer for "YOU BET YOUR LIFE" on the radio too.
Here are a few others I can think of:
ABC: Ed Jordan, Scott Vincent, Fred Foy, Bill Owen, Bob Lloyd, Tedd Lawrence, Bill Rice, Barbara Korsen
CBS: Wally King, Norm Stevens, Allan Berns, Gaylord Avery, Bill Gilliand, Bob Hite, Dave Campbell, Hal Simms, Don Robertson
NBC: New York - (besides the names already mentioned) Jerry Damon, Howard Reig, Bill Hanrahan, Arthur Gary, Wayne Howell, Fred Facey; Hollywood - Don Stanley, Donald Rickles (not to be confused with the insult comic of the same name), Victor Bozeman, Peggy Taylor
Another NBC New York announcer who was heard all up to the '70's, maybe the start of the '80's (as mentioned above), was Vic Roby. His voice, I've noticed, bore some similarities to Mr. Damon's, in terms of vocal quality and timbre - but there's a world of difference in their delivery. Then there was another voice, dating to the late '30's: Jack Costello.
repeatshistory 04-23-2008, 01:13 AM For a period of time in the early-mid 90s, former Chicago radio disc jockey Jonathan Brandmeier was the voice of ABC. A very strange thing for those of us who listened to his radio show.
KurtfromPitts 04-25-2008, 01:45 PM There was a CBS west coast announcer who intoned "From Television City in Hollywood" at the very start of "All In The Family" when it was based at TV City. I know it wasn't Bern Bennett or Roy Rowan I can tell you.
Jude The Obscure 04-25-2008, 03:22 PM You can add Jerry Houser (best known from the film "Summer of '42" and of course, Wally, Marcia's husband in the various Brady reunions)--CBS.
Until the early 1980's, Joel Crager was the voice of The ABC Sunday/Friday (etc.) Night Movie. He had been an ABC East Coast staffer since the 1950's.
Over on CBS, pre-1971, the voice of the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite was Harry Kramer.
Some of the one-minute NBC News Update / Capsule / Digests from the mid-1970's to the mid-1980's, those which originated from Washington, D.C., boasted the voice of WRC-TV staff announcer Mac McGarry (who, to this day, continues as host of the station's long-running quiz show It's Academic).
Speaking of NBC, another New York staffer who I forgot to mention was Roger Tuttle.
megamanj2004 08-03-2009, 02:52 AM How about some others:
Bill Wolff - he was the primary announcer for the late P&G soap "Another World" on NBC from 1964-87 and also for various other NBC promos after he was let go from "Another World" in 1987.
Hal Simms - he was the voice of CBS during the '60s and part of the '70s and he was also one of the announcers on another late P&G soap in "The Edge of Night" during its final years on CBS and probably even its 1st few years with ABC.
Brian Cummings (ABC, Fox) - he was also the announcer on the 1st season of "The All-New Let's Make a Deal" from 1984-85 and also did various cartoon voiceover work as well as being the announcer on syndicated episodes of "ALF" as well.
Jerry Bishop - he worked on all three of the original Big 3 networks in one form or another. He also did some announcing on "The New $25,000 Pyramid" for CBS during September 16-20, 1983.
Ernie Anderson - this guy was the god of ABC's voiceover department! He was the announcer on AFV w/ Bob Saget and on the syndicated version of "Break the Bank" w/ Jack Barry from Sept. 1976 - Sept. 1977, even though that syndie version did tape at ABC Television Center in Hollywood.
Schmoopie 08-03-2009, 03:37 AM This is a cool thread. Too bad there aren't any sound clips, because hearing these voices again would be a wonderful trip down memory lane!
Andrea
danderson400 10-05-2016, 11:18 PM I should've added former CBS staff announcer Chuck Riley to the list. I've just learned he passed away on May 10 at age 66 from kidney failure. At the time of his death, he was still announcing, namely for KABC 7 Eyewitness News broadcasts. It wouldn't be until the early 1980s, when he was finally heard announcing promos on CBS-TV. Before then, he was still both a radio disk jockey and announcer, especially at WIBC radio in Indianapolis. Chuck Riley was unquestionably one of the greats of network promo announcers. It's real sad that he's no longer with us, but at least he's reunited with other greats like Brad Crandall, Ernie Anderson, Danny Dark and Bill Wendell, but others he was, more or less, heard on the same network(s) with, are still with us, namely Don LaFontaine, Mark Elliot, Neilson Ross and Joe Cipriano, among others. Here's a link for more on Chuck Riley:
http://www.voicehunter.com/chuck.htm
Chuck Riley was the announcer on the game show Trump Card w/Jimmy Cefalo and also the announcer for the courtroom drama show Superior Court. Another great voice who i got to hear regularly.(to be fair i watched Superior Court in reruns on USA Network in the early 90s rather than original broadcast.)
bmasters9 10-06-2016, 06:10 AM How about Don Robertson of CBS Sports? When I was growing up, he was the announcer on The NFL Today w/Brent Musburger, Irv Cross, et al., and he also delivered the billboard on The Prudential College Football Report w/Jim Nantz. In fact, my signature quotes Don's billboard on that Jim Nantz segment, and I've set this clip of a 1986 Ohio St./Washington broadcast to the start of that segment so you can see the opening and hear the billboard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxmc8mGLsKU&t=67m09s
danderson400 10-06-2016, 07:15 AM Bob Warren- was the announcer for The Lawrence Welk Show. May have been a ABC staff announcer too.
Was Dwight Weist a CBS staff announcer too?
mets82 10-06-2016, 07:11 PM Ok, how did I just find out about this thread? Oh, the last post was in 2009. I wasn't on the board then.
Btw, Schoompie is right. Are there any sound clips with these guys?
megamanj2004 10-13-2016, 02:42 PM What about Alan Kalter, best known as the announcer of The Late Show w/ David Letterman for all but its 1st 2-3 years on CBS?
He was the v/o of the USA Network during the 1980s-early/mid 1990s as well as the announcer on To Tell the Truth in the 70s and 1980s and The $50,000 Pyramid in early 1981.
Hawkee 10-14-2016, 02:41 AM Wasn't Joe Cipriano the announcer on Deal Or No Deal? Because I had never heard of Joe until Deal Or No Deal and he was cool on the show. My all time favorite TV announcer is Jonathan Magnum who announces on CBS's Let's Make a Deal because he's really funny and such an awesome announcer and a great comedian and actor not to mention he's really cute too
Bestie
Jamey Greek 01-16-2017, 02:25 PM How about some others:
Bill Wolff - he was the primary announcer for the late P&G soap "Another World" on NBC from 1964-87 and also for various other NBC promos after he was let go from "Another World" in 1987.
Hal Simms - he was the voice of CBS during the '60s and part of the '70s and he was also one of the announcers on another late P&G soap in "The Edge of Night" during its final years on CBS and probably even its 1st few years with ABC.
Brian Cummings (ABC, Fox) - he was also the announcer on the 1st season of "The All-New Let's Make a Deal" from 1984-85 and also did various cartoon voiceover work as well as being the announcer on syndicated episodes of "ALF" as well.
Jerry Bishop - he worked on all three of the original Big 3 networks in one form or another. He also did some announcing on "The New $25,000 Pyramid" for CBS during September 16-20, 1983.
Ernie Anderson - this guy was the god of ABC's voiceover department! He was the announcer on AFV w/ Bob Saget and on the syndicated version of "Break the Bank" w/ Jack Barry from Sept. 1976 - Sept. 1977, even though that syndie version did tape at ABC Television Center in Hollywood.
Jerry Bishop also announced Crosswits (Jack Clark version)
Jamey Greek 01-16-2017, 02:27 PM Wasn't Joe Cipriano the announcer on Deal Or No Deal? Because I had never heard of Joe until Deal Or No Deal and he was cool on the show. My all time favorite TV announcer is Jonathan Magnum who announces on CBS's Let's Make a Deal because he's really funny and such an awesome announcer and a great comedian and actor not to mention he's really cute too
Bestie
Yes and he did promos for NBC's drama series to open
treky 01-17-2017, 01:49 AM Ernie Anderson did ABC promos in the 70s and 80s and was also the announcer for "THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW" on CBS.
Ernie Anderson on ABC was the best. I could watch and listen to his promos all day. I also liked Danny Dark on NBC. He did the Unsolved Mysteries disclaimer.
The voice behind ABC's biggest hit shows does some dramatic readings on demand.
(From "Late Night," air date: 3/21/83)
u3TmBdHUiy8
dErRrsUTaEk
1tGA4LBiul8
Jamey Greek 07-02-2022, 05:01 PM Wasn't Joe Cipriano the announcer on Deal Or No Deal? Because I had never heard of Joe until Deal Or No Deal and he was cool on the show. My all time favorite TV announcer is Jonathan Magnum who announces on CBS's Let's Make a Deal because he's really funny and such an awesome announcer and a great comedian and actor not to mention he's really cute too
Bestie
Yes, and he also announced the short-lived version of Pictionary from 1987-88 hosted by Alan Thicke.
Jamey Greek 07-02-2022, 05:03 PM How about some others:
Bill Wolff - he was the primary announcer for the late P&G soap "Another World" on NBC from 1964-87 and also for various other NBC promos after he was let go from "Another World" in 1987.
Hal Simms - he was the voice of CBS during the '60s and part of the '70s and he was also one of the announcers on another late P&G soap in "The Edge of Night" during its final years on CBS and probably even its 1st few years with ABC.
Brian Cummings (ABC, Fox) - he was also the announcer on the 1st season of "The All-New Let's Make a Deal" from 1984-85 and also did various cartoon voiceover work as well as being the announcer on syndicated episodes of "ALF" as well.
Jerry Bishop - he worked on all three of the original Big 3 networks in one form or another. He also did some announcing on "The New $25,000 Pyramid" for CBS during September 16-20, 1983.
Ernie Anderson - this guy was the god of ABC's voiceover department! He was the announcer on AFV w/ Bob Saget and on the syndicated version of "Break the Bank" w/ Jack Barry from Sept. 1976 - Sept. 1977, even though that syndie version did tape at ABC Television Center in Hollywood.
Jerry Bishop also announced Judge Judy. From the premiere until it's cancellation.
Jamey Greek 07-06-2022, 11:51 PM I should've added former CBS staff announcer Chuck Riley to the list. I've just learned he passed away on May 10 at age 66 from kidney failure. At the time of his death, he was still announcing, namely for KABC 7 Eyewitness News broadcasts. It wouldn't be until the early 1980s, when he was finally heard announcing promos on CBS-TV. Before then, he was still both a radio disk jockey and announcer, especially at WIBC radio in Indianapolis. Chuck Riley was unquestionably one of the greats of network promo announcers. It's real sad that he's no longer with us, but at least he's reunited with other greats like Brad Crandall, Ernie Anderson, Danny Dark and Bill Wendell, but others he was, more or less, heard on the same network(s) with, are still with us, namely Don LaFontaine, Mark Elliot, Neilson Ross and Joe Cipriano, among others. Here's a link for more on Chuck Riley:
http://www.voicehunter.com/chuck.htm
Chuck Riley's brother Michael.Hanks also became a TV/Radio voiceover himself.
Hawkee 03-15-2023, 04:21 AM Is Les Marshak the current announcer of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Because I had never heard of him before then and how long has he been at NBC? Also did Mark Elliott die? Because he was the announcer for Disney movies and parades and shows and was also featured in the 90's Rice-A Roni commercials as the voiceover too
Bestie
KurtfromPitts 03-15-2023, 10:36 AM I have been wondering if Hank (not Hal) Simms of Quinn Martin fame was an ABC staff announcer (based in LA) at some point in his career. He did a lot of alphabet net promos in the early 1960s and also voiced some billboards for a few ABC shows, even non-QM ones in the '60s.
merlinjones 03-15-2023, 10:46 AM Ernie Andserson on ABC is the voice of the 1970s!
"The Looo-ooooove Boat"
"Laveeeernnnne and Shirleeeey"
"HAPpy Daaaaays''
"Wonder WOOOman"
"The BIIIII-onic Wooooman"
"The Six MILLLLLIONNNNN Dollar MAnn"
"Charlie's ANNNNNgels"
Jamey Greek 03-17-2023, 11:23 AM Is Les Marshak the current announcer of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Because I had never heard of him before then and how long has he been at NBC? Also did Mark Elliott die? Because he was the announcer for Disney movies and parades and shows and was also featured in the 90's Rice-A Roni commercials as the voiceover too
Bestie
Yes Mark Elliot.did die. not so.sure on Les Marshak though
I have been wondering if Hank (not Hal) Simms of Quinn Martin fame was an ABC staff announcer (based in LA) at some point in his career. He did a lot of alphabet net promos in the early 1960s and also voiced some billboards for a few ABC shows, even non-QM ones in the '60s.
I thought Hank Simms also did a few billboards for non-ABC shows. Wasn't he heard doing same, for example, on CBS's Mission: Impossible?
Hawkee 08-12-2023, 02:41 AM I was doing my favorite routine of watching classic Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades on Youtube and I noticed a guy named Joel Goddard is the current announcer for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades now and I want to know if you have heard of this guy? He started announcing Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades in 2008 and he was finally seen in person in the 2017 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Joel is one amazing announcer and not to mention he looked handsome and happy. Has Joel Goddard done announcing for other shows as well and what was his very first show he announced on?
bmasters9 08-13-2023, 01:40 PM Ernie Andserson on ABC is the voice of the 1970s!
"The Looo-ooooove Boat"
"Laveeeernnnne and Shirleeeey"
"HAPpy Daaaaays''
"Wonder WOOOman"
"The BIIIII-onic Wooooman"
"The Six MILLLLLIONNNNN Dollar MAnn"
"Charlie's ANNNNNgels"
And on Eyewitness News on many ABC stations as well (not just KABC and WABC, but also non-O&Os like WEWS in Cleveland and WPLG in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), and KOMO News 4 on that Seattle ABC station.
KurtfromPitts 08-16-2023, 10:51 AM I always thought Bill Hanrahan and Fred Facey sounded an awful lot alike, yet Facey's voice was more authoritative sounding than Hanrahan's.
Mario500 08-16-2023, 02:07 PM Yes Mark Elliot.did die. not so.sure on Les Marshak though
"Les Marshak - IMDb" (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0550695)
factsoflife 08-25-2023, 09:36 PM Hal Douglas, to me best known as the iconic voice behind the WB Network's promos is the first name that came to mind.
Jamey Greek 08-25-2023, 09:47 PM Fred Melamed the voice of CBS Spoets, USA Nefwork, and Boar's Head
James28 01-20-2024, 02:00 AM There are two current promo announcers for NBC: One is for NBC's drama division, and one is for The Tonight Show. So far, I couldn't identify either.
Jamey Greek 01-20-2024, 04:12 AM There are two current promo announcers for NBC: One is for NBC's drama division, and one is for The Tonight Show. So far, I couldn't identify either.
The one for the drama department is actor Dorian Harewood. He also voices commercials for Michelob Beer.
I always thought Bill Hanrahan and Fred Facey sounded an awful lot alike, yet Facey's voice was more authoritative sounding than Hanrahan's.
I always thought, about Mr. Facey, in terms of his tone, timbre and delivery, he sounded more like a cross between Mr. Hanrahan and another veteran NBC announcer, Arthur Gary.
One who sounded alarmingly similar to Mr. Facey, though, was an announcer for NBC's Chicago station WMAQ-TV, Jim Hill.
Willbo 09-05-2024, 08:45 AM I enjoyed William Schallert voicing the ABC promo's from the late 60's and early 70's. You can find some of them on Youtube. He played the father on The Patty Duke Show.
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