Many VO talent, upon hearing the phrase Radio Imaging, immediately think; “This isn’t for me. I have no experience in radio.” It likely is ‘for you’ & a lack of broadcasting knowledge is not a problem. If fact, in might be a plus.
Yes, to become a great radio imaging talent there is a necessary amount of radio knowledge you must absorb. However imaging is not part of the DJ job description. Radio stations want skilled voiceover actors. They only consider radio personalities for their imaging when they are dealing with a tight budget or no budget. So “Radio voices” need not apply. Few if any stations still use big, old-timey, phony, unnatural voices for their imaging. That sound is actually made fun of – profusely!
So what the hell is radio imaging? Imaging is all the pre-recorded, produced, station identifiers that you hear between songs on the radio. Identifying radio imaging from other station elements is easy. Listen for a distinct voice that stands out from the other station elements. That voice will usually be heavily effected and surrounded by lots of sound effects and noises. They are the voice of the station and this voiceover genre is heavily related to TV Promo.
Radio Imaging voices promote, brand and enforce the over-all message of the station. Stations invest a lot of time and money into their own marketing efforts and strive to personify a listener’s lifestyle. Imaging completes the total radio experience by creating a more personal relationship for the listener.
For most stations, their imaging is an effective way to quickly deliver station related information, powerfully. Everything from new artists to events and concerts are publicized via a station’s imaging. Imaging is aired so frequently that it acts almost like an audio ticker for the station.
This is the future of radio! Traditional, terrestrial radio still has a lot of life left and new forms of broadcasting like satellite and internet have only recently become mainstream. Voiceover talent are an essential part of the broadcasting experience and as DJs fall more and more out of fashion, voiceover applications like imaging will take their place.
Imaging offers a freedom not found in other types of VO. Not only can you change the copy a station sends you; you can adlib, embellish and re-write all, or part of it, whenever you want! Yes, you read that right. Station’s LOVE creative input from their voiceover talent and they welcome the copy suggestions we make.
I have a serious potty mouth, a twisted sense of humor and a pretty unconventional outlook on life. Most of the rock, country & CHR station’s I work for hire me for those very reasons. It’s not just my voice they are interested in, it’s my personality too. That never happens in other areas of voiceover where we must “stick to the script”. Radio Imaging by comparison is voiceover anarchy!
704-674-8294 / GabrielleNistico.com / gabby@voiceovervixen.com
Gabrielle Nistico, Gabby Nistico, The Voiceover Vixen, The Business First VO Coach, #VoiceoverVixen #VoiceOnFire #BusinessFirstVOCoach Voiceover, Success, Entrepreneur, Marketing Strategies, Income, Home Studio, Recording, Microphone, Professional, Coaching, Voiceover Coaching, VO Coaching, Voiceover Coaches, Working Actors, Radio Imaging, Los Angeles, New York, Charlotte, North Carolina, VO Demo, Voiceover Demo, Demo Producer, Radio, Radio DJ, Studio, On Air, Talent