wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Hands down for me, is the spitting robot woman as I call her, who comes on between segments on NPR.

Well all you haters, you got your wish. The announcer is gone. I thought she was perfect for the job. The politics and editorial choices of NPR's WNYC were reflected in her voice and all the qualities you dislike about it should be applied to the fake, self serving corporate bootlickers that comprise what passes for news. Let's make public radio PUBLIC, no more corporate money.

OCCUPY WNYC!

But wait, aren't there TWO annoying voices?

Beating a dead, awful-sounding horse here, but just stumbled upon this discussion, after googling "annoying WNYC promotions announcer", and, while still incredibly frustrated by that woman's voice (and I could write paragraphs about it), I am very gratified to find such a community of like-minded sufferers.

The woman who does the underwriting spots is named Cindy Rodriguez. Her voice drives me absolutely insane. I can actually gauge my current stress level by seeing how long I can listen to her intensely irritating, garbled, nasal, contrived voice before I turn the radio down or completely off. She's impossible to escape since she comes on every 5-10 minutes. There's some small comfort in knowing that I am not alone.

the robotic woman's voice on underwriting spots is most irritating and annoying. it's seems like she's on every 6 minutes. she has no personality (a prerequisite, it seems) and is, for me, so abrasive i have to tune out as soon as she says her first word. in fact, it's so bad, i find myself listening to other radio stations and therefore missing some of my favorite shows.

The woman announcer on WNYC makes mouth sounds which I find intolerable. I literally turn the station every time she comes on. Please consider making a change. My wife and a couple of friends feel the same way. Sorry to complain, but you may be able to save a couple of listeners.

The underwriting announcer for wnyc. The most cloying, irritating, maddening voice imagineable. Has to be someone's relative. That fake, weirdly babyish and robotic, creepy....I could go on, but i think you get the point......

Mouth noises, kissing, gum chewing, whispering. Someone already mentioned the Kit-Kat commercial which drives me insane, and also the Zoom-Zoom Mazda commercial! That one is just awful!! There is an announcer on one of my favorite radio stations that talks in what I suppose is supposed to be some kind of sexy whisper voice. I refuse to listen when she is on the air! Over the years I have learned to cope fairly well, but...it would be nice if people who know would be considerate rather than thinking it's a joke and making noises on purpose. I'm 50 years old and that response has become quite tiresome.

Everyone's comments here ring true for me, too! Not funny when happening, but absolutely hysterical reading! Wolf Blitzer's monotone voice makes me crazy, as does the speech impediment of Jim Nance, the ABC airline expert.

In the deep South it seems that the gum poppers are older white ladies and black women--particularly the latter. If one is a cashier I have to look for a different line. They probably think I'm prejudiced, but 9 times out of 10, they are smacking gum.

There's a really great person at church who I would really like to be friends with, but she's the noisiest eater I have ever met. I think even "normal" people would be horrified by her. She probably wonders why I keep my distance and I feel bad.

I just want to say that as a copping tool I keep a list of people I can eat with and people I can only drink with. The drinks list is much longer but those people don't know they're on the drinks list. I don't want to tell them their manners are revolting to me. That seems mean. So when they call me to go for dinner, I suggest drinks instead. I suggest drinks often. Now I'm becoming aware that a "friend" has been suggesting I have a drinking problem.

Sadly, I've had to give up most of my WNYC listening these last couple of years. The woman announcer who does the between-segments advertising has pronounced tongue-clicking, and it is impossible for me to bear. I know two others who have stopped listening for the same reason. Pure coincidence that I happened to catch Soundcheck yesterday in my office. Now I know there's a name for this!

The Turning Leaf wine and Kit-Kat commercials and most announcers that chew their words and crowd the mic. When an announcer sounds like they're eating while they talk (Splendid Table). Everyone at my work eats apples like Mr. Ed. These things drive me nuts. Close your mouths you slack jawed yokles.

I find that the way some women speak, where at the end of a phrase or sentence, they seem to run out of air and pronounce their last word or words with a growling, gargling, guttural sound from the back of their throats. An excellent glaring example of this particular vocal technique is NPR's Alix Spiegel. I first noticed this with her work on "This American Life" and it makes me so uncomfortable, I can't listen to the program. (sorry Ira)
I have a sense that this is a remnant of the 1980's Valley Girl affectations?

Very thoughtful comments from Anna

and Bethany, I've often thought about the frequency being the thing that makes different sounds intolerable to different people.

for most westerners one of the most annoying sound is how many Asian people eat.

And also pretty much every Eagles song, especially Hotel California, but excluding Journey of the Sorcerer.

2 words: Kit Kat

That "Gimme-a-break" theme played to "found" sounds on that commercial drives me absolutely bonkers. AHHH!

I have an extreme aversion to some Voice Over Artists who overly contrive and overly articulate unnaturally. I literally turn off the volume when the wnyc underwriter announcer chimes in.

Whoever picks out the music which accompanies virtually all PBS, and public radio promos has tapped into this condition in me! Awful, painful,awful!

Leonard Lopate's voice.