Studies in different languages have identified a broadcast speaking style, a particular manner that broadcasters have of reading news. This speaking style is characterized by an emphatic intonation with a fast speech rate easily recognizable by listeners.

Some authors have stated that messages in this style are not positively perceived by listeners, as it is repetitive and regular, but to date there has been no empirical data to support this conclusion, nor has the style been analyzed with physiological measures.

The physiological approach is what Dr. Rodero and Cores-Sarría have carried out. This has some advantages, such as a more objective assessment and real-time evaluation. Therefore, with their study, they have aimed to analyze the effectiveness, adequacy, and physiological response of this broadcast style compared to a narrative pattern.

The experiment consisted of fifty-six participants listening to six news pieces in both styles and with two voices, male and female. Then, they had to rate the effectiveness and adequacy of the news while their physiological responses were measured (heart rate and electrodermal activity).

The results, recently published in the journal Communication Research, showed that news conveyed through the broadcast style elicited less cognitive resource allocation and emotional arousal than the narrative pattern.

Reference work:

Rodero E, Cores-Sarría L. Best Prosody for News: A Psychophysiological Study Comparing a Broadcast to a Narrative Speaking Style. Communication Research. December 2021. doi:10.1177/00936502211059360