Americans Speak Out; Select the Best and Worst Voices in America

AMERICANS SPEAK OUT; SELECT THE "BEST AND WORST VOICES IN AMERICA"Online Polling by the Center for Voice Disorders of Wake Forest University

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- September 10, 2001 -- Results of the first online public opinion poll conducted by the Center for Voice Disorders of Wake Forest University have identified the "Best and Worst Voices in America." News anchors Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer, talk show moderator Sam Donaldson and actress Meg Ryan ranked among the 10 "best" voices in the nation while radio personality Howard Stern, comedians Gilbert Godfried and Joan Rivers and boxer Mike Tyson placed among the 10 "worst."

The results were released today while Dr. James K. Koufman, MD was attending the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery meeting in Denver.

The specific rankings, in order, were:

The Best Voices                    The Worst Voices1.  James Earl Jones             1.  Fran Drescher2.  Sean Connery             2.  Roseanne Barr3.  Julia Roberts             3.  Gilbert Godfried4.  Katie Couric             4.  Bobcat Goldthwaith 5.  Barbra Streisand             5.  Joan Rivers6.  Sam Donaldson             6.  Howard Stern7.  Mel Gibson                     7.  Rosie O'Donnell 8.  Diane Sawyer             8.  Howard Cosell9.  Meg Ryan                 9.  Dick Vitale10. Anthony Hopkins            10. Mike Tyson

The interactive website poll was conducted between March-August 2001. Interestingly, of the nearly 3,000 votes, two-thirds were from females, and the respondents represented each age group (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s) equally.

James Koufman, M.D., director of the Center, says the poll's primary purpose is to understand how human voice affects us and bring greater attention to the problems of voice disorders. Koufman points to the fact that approximately 3 percent of Americans have voice disorders and those with voice disorders are often more disabled than those with hearing loss, a challenge to conventional wisdom. The poll, its results and an analysis will become a yearly part of the Center's public information reporting. The Center is one of the first multi-specialty Voice Centers in the United States, and it is a leader in voice science and medicine.

Acoustical Analysis Finds Americans HavePreference for Melodious, Low-Pitched VoicesAn acoustical analysis of the "best" voices revealed that Americans prefer melodious, relatively low-pitched voices with very little high frequency noise. By contrast, "worst voices" were found to be high-pitched relative to normal for the gender, and they demonstrated high-frequency noise, i.e., a "screechy" quality.

Among the men in the "best" category, the average speaking pitch 126Hz (frequency of vibrations in cycles/second), which is within the normal pitch range for male speakers (normal = 110-130Hz). Sean Connery's pitch was the highest at 158 Hz, and Mel Gibson's was the lowest at 108 Hz. In the "worst"category, the average speaking pitch for men was 242Hz, which is quite high. Gilbert Godfried and Bobcat Goldthwaith had the highest-pitched voices.

The average speaking pitch for the "best" voice among females was 201Hz, which is normal (200-230Hz). Barbra Streisand's speaking voice was highest (228Hz) compared to Julia Roberts' voice, that was the lowest (171 Hz). Among the "worst" of the females the average pitch was 262Hz, a level that is high. Among the women on the list, Roseanne Barr had the highest-pitched voice (377Hz).

Additional FindingsOther findings from the poll include an "honorable mention" category, as well as top vote getters in specific categories, which are noted below. This means that they are among the top 20 in the category.

HONORABLE MENTION

Best                WorstBob Costas, sportscaster    Megan Mullally, "Karen" Will&Grace  Tom Brokaw, newscaster        Jaleel White, actorOprah Winfrey, talk show host    Bill Clinton, former presidentPeter Jennings, newscaster    Richard Simmons, exercise specialistCeline Dion, singer        Rush Limbaugh, radio talk show hostAndrea Bocelli, classical sing.Regis Philbin, TV talk show host

WINNERS BY INDIVIUAL CATEGORY

Voice Category    Male            FemaleBest Overall*    James Earl Jones    Julia RobertsBest Singer    Frank Sinatra        Barbra StreisandBest Actor    Sean Connery        Julia RobertsAnnouncer/Sportscaster    Bob Costas        Katie CouricSexiest        Sean Connery        Kathleen TurnerMost Distinctive    James Earl Jones    Fran DrescherMost Annoying    Gilbert Godfried    Fran DrescherWorst Overall*    Gilbert Godfried    Fran Drescher

*Most total votes (often in more than one category).

Next Year's VotingFollowing in the footsteps of Mr. Blackwell who publishes a "Best and Worst Dressed" list each year, Dr. Koufman will publish the results for voice. Unlike Blackwell, Koufman will base the results not on a personal bias, but on the basis of open, interactive voting on the Voice Center website by the American public.

The 2002 voting will begin in January. To cast your vote log on to The Center for Voice Disorders' website, www.thevoicecenter.com.

***Editor's Note: Dr. Koufman is available to discuss the poll. To book an interview please contact Donna Krupa [email protected] at (703) 967-2751 (cell), the AAO-HNS Newsroom (303) 228-8460, or Mark Wright, WFUBMC at (336) 716-3382 or page him at (336) 806-8373.