sign up for our
NEWSLETTER

Home Shop Subscribe Advertise Articles Directories Classifieds Calendar FAQs Contact Us Login

VO PEOPLE
On Air With Broadcast Journalist & Voice Actor
Michael Schoen At NYC's WCBS Newsradio 880
October 25, 2016

By Lynne Darlington
Voice Actor

My friend Michael Schoen invited me into his WCBS newsroom/studio to see firsthand how he anchors WCBS Newsradio 880.

WCBS 880 is a leading news station that we here in the NY metro area rely on to hear weather and traffic 'on the 8s' as well as sports and late breaking news.

And after spending time with Michael on the job, I can certainly tell you how he does it – effortlessly and seamlessly!

Michael gets to work a couple of hours early and meets with his producer to find out the leading stories of the moment. He then researches the top stories and writes news pieces about them to share LIVE in 2- to 2.5-minute segments.

Sometimes these stories have to be abbreviated on the fly because of time constraints. He also reviews his program log sheet to see what ads will be running.

Once on air, Michael commandeers four computer screens, three mice and a digital audio control console, which many would find most intimidating. News is on one computer screen, commercials are on a separate system, and there is a touch screen that controls the news sound.

SMOOTH TRANSITIONS ...

He smoothly transitions to the weather guy (accu-weather at Penn State University), cutting live to the traffic and sports reporter (out of Rutherford, NJ) to his own news and time updates.

His updates on the day of my visit went from terrorism, to the weekend movie box office numbers, to the financial market and beyond.

On Sundays (a day I visited), he and fellow news anchor Tanya Hansen alternate hourly news coverage from 1 to 9 pm. These two are so relaxed that they enter the studio and assume their anchor chairs sometimes a mere 1.5 minutes before they are on air!

A BROADCASTING SYMPHONY

As I drove home that evening, I found myself listening to the remainder of Michael and Tanya's 880 broadcasts. Thankfully, the traffic piece was not important to me.

I pictured how they were conducting their broadcasting symphony with the beautiful view of the Hudson River as their backdrop.

Thank you, Michael, for your generosity of time and spirit.

As a voice over actor, I was interested in learning how a live program is managed and executed. You made it look so easy - but then again, isn't that what a professional is supposed to do?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MORE ABOUT MICHAEL

Michael Schoen - a college communications major, voice actor and news anchor for WCBS Newsradio 880 in New York City - has been in the news business for over 30 years. An experienced broadcast journalist, he has covered some of the most exciting and dangerous stories of our time, including
reports from the Gulf war for CBS in 1991 - Operation Desert Storm - (pictured) until after allied troops liberated Kuwait. Michael has also covered government, the courts and politics, having anchored election coverage and worked political debates and conventions.
He's had two network stints (CBS news and RKO radio networks) has done major market television (Los Angeles), and WCBS is his third all news station (previously, Philadelphia, Los Angeles). He first met his charming wife, television journalist Diane Dimond, at RKO - where he also changed the language of news writing to make it more conversational (to write the way you talk), which is now the way it's done.

Michael is also a long-time voice actor, starting as a youngster voicing radio commercials, especially for restaurants and car dealers. For many years he has voiced corporate videos for Johnson & Johnson, and today focuses on documentary narrations, corporate videos,and commercials. Clients have included Hilton Garden Inns, Kawasaki Motorcycles, Ace Mouthwash, Jenny Craig, Hunter Douglas, Pet Smart Charities, the Smithsonian Channel, Court TV ,the Weather Channel, plus numerous medical, hospital and pharmaceutical clients.


News Web: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/personality/michael-schoen
Voice Over Web: www.michaelschoen.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT LYNNE
Lynne Darlington is a voice actor and on-camera commercial actor who has worked on hundreds of voice over projects. Career highlights include working with a three-term governor on a project, and working with her dog for an on-camera project. She is currently taking an acting class and is performing in a play festival at her local library.

Email: lynnevoiceover@gmail.com
Web: www.lynnedarlington.com



Your Daily Resource For Voice-Over Success
Tell Us What YOU Think!
Please Note: Since we check for spam, there will be a slight delay in the actual posting of your comment.
Your Name:
Your Email Address (will not be published):
Your Comment:
Your Comment:
Security code:     
Comments (1)
Barbara
1/28/2018 at 9:46 AM
I wonder if this is the Michael Schoen who attended PS73 in the Bronx with me in the 50's and 60's.

Love to hear from you!

Barbara
Back to Articles
On Michael Langsner's Voice-Over Roadmap Podcast
Get your bi-weekly dose here ... all things VO!
With Sean Daeley and Paul Stefano - check it out!
For essential voice-over business strategies