01/20/2006

By MYRA LOPEZ  / Associated Press

Hundreds of would-be subway announcers are now waiting to learn if they'll be the new voice of Metrorail.

Friday was the deadline for getting tapes to Metro headquarters in Northwest Washington for the transit agency's "Doors Closing Voice 2006" contest.

By Thursday, the agency already had received more than 550 audio tapes and CDs. But on Friday alone, 413 more poured in by the afternoon.

"We're really pleased by the number of people who wanted to be the new voice of Metro," said Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith. She warned that Metro was sticking to its deadline.

"We're on a tight time schedule to get the decisions," Smith said.

So far, the judges like the sound of many of the tapes they've already listened to.

"They were pleasantly surprised that so many were so good," said Lisa Farbstein, another Metro spokeswoman.

Smith said some people were disqualified because they sent in their professional voiceover resume tapes, as opposed to reading the scripts Metro provided on its Web site. Others were scrapped because the person slurred their words, stuttered or mispronounced Grosvenor or L'Enfant Plaza.

"That'll get you booted out," Smith said.

Early next week the judges will pick the top 10 voices. They will be invited to go into a studio and make professional recordings. From those recordings a winner and runner-up will be picked. The winner will likely be announced the first week of February.

Smith said the new "doors closing" voice will be heard on select trains at the end of next month.

Metro launched its contest to get a fresh voice and new sound that would make rail riders take notice, and, in turn, help the train boarding and exiting process to improve the ride for Metrorail passengers.

The winner won't get any financial compensation, just bragging rights.

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On the Net:

Metro: http://www.wmata.com