Tom Brokaw


Posted by Doris ® , Feb 13,2002,20:18   Archive
I have to jump in here re: the older posts about Tom Brokaw's voice. I made it a point last night to watch him on the evening news and I don't hear what others are hearing. His voice sounded fine to me and I have watched him a few times a week for many years...he sounds just the same to me. I didn't hear any signs of SD...guess I must be missing something!



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Re: Tom Brokaw

Re : Tom Brokaw --- Doris
Posted by Laurie ® , Feb 13,2002,21:29 Top of Thread Archive
Doris,

I agree. I hear no sounds of SD in his voice... not even the mildest of symptoms of SD. I am glad the subject was brought up though as I'm intrigued by figuring out what's wrong (or not) with people's voices these days.

Laurie




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Re: Tom Brokaw

Re : Tom Brokaw --- Doris
Posted by Lib Haywood ® , Feb 14,2002,08:41 Top of Thread Archive
I listen to Tom most every night that I am at home and I have never noticed a voice problem. Maybe it is your TV.



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Re: Tom Brokaw

Re : Tom Brokaw --- Doris
Posted by fancynancy ® , Feb 15,2002,14:57 Top of Thread Archive
I haven't heard him in the last couple of weeks, but when I did hear him (several different broadcasts) he sounded like he'd run out of breath and struggling to push out the last words of sentences. Also like some of his words come out broken/choppy. I suggested a (mild?) possibility of SD (or MTD?) since I have the same problems...running out of air, breathy, choppy, etc. Only mine is much more noticeable. I hope for his sake he doesn't have it. I was also told he had some other speech impediment, so maybe it isn't SD but something else.



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Re: Tom Brokaw

Re : Re: Tom Brokaw --- fancynancy
Posted by Lynne Martinez ® , Feb 15,2002,15:21 Top of Thread Archive
I was the one who mentioned that Tom Brokaw had a speech impediment (trouble with the "L" sound - he can't vocalize a "full L"). I think the reason I've noticed that from the beginning of Tom's broadcasting career is because, eons ago, someone in my Speech class at the university had the same issue so I became attuned to it and developed an "ear" for it.

Interestingly, with this discussion on the Bulletin Board, I mentioned to my dear friend (referred to in another post on this topic) that he had the same problem as Tom Brokaw and, after nearly 60 years of life, he was NOT aware of it at all. But, he has trouble saying "hello." The "L" sound almost turns into a "quasi-W-sound." I can hear it clearly. It's similar (in pathology) to a "sibilant S" but I don't know what the speech experts call a "less-than-functional L" which begins to sound like a "W."

Alot of times (as we all know), we over-compensate for something that is not quite right. Appearance, voice, whatever. I still have not seen Tom on TV, since you surfaced this subject, but I'm sure (if nothing else) there has been some compensating going on, with his lifelong speech impediment. He may be hesitating in order to avoid that sound. Maybe it's getting worse as he gets older? Who ever knows.

This has been an interesting topic of BB conversation.

--Lynne (AD-SD; Northern California)




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Re: Tom Brokaw

Re : Re: Tom Brokaw --- Lynne Martinez
Posted by karen feeley ® , Feb 15,2002,21:57 Top of Thread Archive
I gotta agree with the others. I didn't notice anything different in his voice. I also listened carefully, but didn't notice anything on the L's. However, my husband said that he had also heard that story about hisL sound in the past. To me, though, he speaks perfectly normally.

-Karen (AD/SD; Seattle)




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Re: Tom Brokaw

Re : Re: Tom Brokaw --- karen feeley
Posted by wanda wicker ® , Feb 17,2002,17:02 Top of Thread Archive
Are you talking about the Comentator Tom Brokaw? I see Dr. Koufman as Baptist Hospital in Winston Salem and he said he had operated on Sam Donaldson the Comentator who had SD, and he also said he had operated on Julie Andrews. I will have to listen to Tom and see if I hear any SD in his voice.

Wanda




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Re: Tom Brokaw

Re : Tom Brokaw --- Doris
Posted by pat rambo ® , Feb 20,2002,14:22 Top of Thread Archive
Hi everyone,
I've noticed a distinct tension in Tom Brokaw's voice and do believe there's a possibility he has mild SD or MTD.
He does seem to have some problem with Hs



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Re: Tom Brokaw

Re : Re: Tom Brokaw --- pat rambo
Posted by Shirley A. Prather ® , Feb 20,2002,23:28 Top of Thread Archive
Hi,

I think Tom Brokaw has allergies and sounds nasal often, but that is about it.

S.




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