Olga Kinsman and Enda Caldwell: New Voices of Beat 102 103

Beat 102 103 commissioned Enda Caldwell to be it’s new voice beginning February 16. Enda has also been the nighttime voice of Dublin’s FM 104, and a favorite of IP Luxemboug Advertising Agency and TM Studios. Today, he shares to us his experience as the new voice of Beat 102 103.

1. What did Beat 102 103 expect from you as the new voice for the station? How do you make sure that the station gets the exact sound they want?

When Leigh Doyle the Head of Station Sound at Beat 102 103 called me up in January he told me that Beat wanted something with attitude and my “style” as heard on FM 104’s The Fridge nightly. In order to ensure that Beat 102 103 got what they were looking for we worked on some basic station sample lines and the station name and getting that right at first plus a promo read that was representative of a typical Beat station promo read. There are always differences with every new project and although the guys asked for something the same as FM 104 it was not fast enough to match some of the stuff they want so I had to just take the tempo up a notch. All these things are worked out right from the start so that a style that “fits” is developed and that becomes the default for the projects that follow from that client. I keep all those notes and refer to them from the initial voice testing process and have them kept safe should I ever need a reminder of the requirements for the project. I keep the initial “test “session files as a reminder too of what does and doesn’t work.

2. Beat102 103 is a top 40 station, and I’m sure producing or imaging CHR stations is a breeze. But how is this project different from all your past top 40 imaging?

It is not too different as such there is just more of it! As the male station imaging voice I am called upon a lot more than with other work in the past.

Where one station might come to me 3 -4 times in the year for the entire imaging on one page for one show, this was several pages upon pages of copy with lots of different styles of read required for each line including whispers and as I call it “enda attitude” which is basically me with no smile and more serious with the middle finger up at the competition! I would not like to meet “enda attitude” on a dark night in a darkened alleyway!!!

It’s just rockin’ out more stuff for me really. CHR is CHR and it’s my home so it’s just got more rooms, a nice lounge, a pool and a children’s play area now that’s all ! (well as Imaging gigs go this is a great rewarding gig!) as a juxtaposition of all the one-bedroom funky stuff from before! More,is really the answer.

3. Beat 102 103 is a big market station,do you feel any pressure in becoming the new male station imaging voice?

Not at all, bring it on! Beat’s great – they are number one in all the ratings and I am their new male station voice. This is what I do for a living, I’d just like new clients to hear my work and pick up on me for their station voice now on even bigger and bigger and bigger stations all over the world. It’s the snowball effect!

4. As far as production and writing are concerned, how involved are you in the process? Like do you just simply voice and produce whatever copy they send you or do you sit down with the staff and join in the brain storming?

Leigh Doyle writes most if not all of the imaging for Beat and it’s all good and well thought out in relation to what he wants the station to do. I myself am a very successful producer and writer of imaging so I think with those hats on too while voicing the sessions rather than a “rip n’ read” situation occurring. The voice is an instrument and it’s all down to how well you get the meaning of those words across in the read.

I have a say in that if something does not sound right I have permission to change it if needed to make it sound better. The stuff is very well written so this never really is an issue and as far as creative or writing input goes with the start up scripts it was a case of redoing existing lines with my voice with my style and just doing as many possible versions of them to make them cut through more on several levels. I also send what I call “idea lines” copy and liners that are stuff on one page that I have written and voiced so they can play around with that and use it or not if they like.

Proof that voice imaging requires more than just reading copies, Enda teaches us that hiring a station voice or becoming THE station voice, requires wearing the personality of the station. Listen to a set of imaging montage here, which also features the voice of Olga Kinsman from OnAirShow.com. Olga is the voice of Belfast’s Number One Hit Music Station 97.4 Cool FM.

Beat Branded Intros Montage

Brekky Montage

Six Mix Montage

There goes our quick chat with Enda Caldwell. He is currently offering FREE voiceover samples for your station. Log on to http://www.endacaldwell.com to listen all his demos or email him at enda@endacaldwell.com