Here’s your chance to vote for “The Voice.”
Not the reality TV show — that can come later — but the friendly, familiar voice of the Denver International Airport “Train Call” announcer. You know: “Hello, and welcome to Denver International Airport.”
When the airport first opened in 1993, the recorded voice duties were shared by the late Pete Smythe, the mayor of “East Tincup, Colorado,” a fictional town brought to life on Denver radio in the 1950s and 1960s, and Reynelda Muse, who in 1969 became the first woman and first African-American television news anchor in Colorado. They were selected, in part, for the familiarity of their voices in Denver and the region.
Since then the “train call,” providing messages and instructions to tens of millions of passengers each year — “The doors are closing, please keep clear and hold on for departure to all A gates — ”who travel on the trains connecting the airport’s concourses and terminal, has been voiced by prominent members of the Denver broadcasting community, DIA said in a news release.
Guest or temporary train announcers have also been brought on board over the years including former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, Colorado Avalanche and NHL All-Star Nate MacKinnon, and Rockies third baseman and MLB All-Star Nolan Arenado.
The current voices, since 2007, are former KUSA 9News anchor Adele Arakawa and Denver sports announcer Alan Roach.
DIA is about to set the refresh button and is seeking the public’s input.
In November, the airport sought and accepted 60 nominations among Denver media. That field has been narrowed to five men and five woman.
And the nominees are:
- Kim Christiansen, KUSA/9
Kathy Walsh, KCNC/4
Kathy Sabine, KUSA/9
Denise Plante, KOSI 101
Anne Trujillo, KMGH/7 - Vic Lombardi, Altitude TV and sports radio
Mike Nelson, KMGH/7
Jeremy Hubbard, KDVR/31
Gary Shapiro, KUSA/9
Alan Roach, Colorado Avalanche and Rapids game announcer
Beginning Monday day, people can vote for their favorite male and female voices by visiting contests.flydenver.com/ DENvoice. Voting, which is open through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25, is limited to one vote per person and requires a valid email address to participate.
The man and woman with the most votes will be invited to a professional recording session and become the new voices of the DIA train.
