Friday, September 11, 2009

Is it me?

I can’t be alone in finding the timbre and inflection of Robert Peston’s voice irritating.

The BBC’s business editor pops up on all forms of the corporation’s digital platform – web, radio and TV – and on each occasion he comes on I find I lose interest in the subject matter because I’m constantly bewildered by the apparent arbitrary nature of his vocal chords.

I detest the rising inflection so beloved of teenagers because of their over-exposure to Aussie soap operas at an early age? I’m at a loss to understand why every sentence they utter should sound like a question?

You know what I mean – admittedly it doesn’t become too apparent in a blog, but we’ve all heard it?

But at least that’s only at the end of a sentence. Peston’s delivery pauses at inappropriate times, stresses words seemingly at random and never gives the impression he’s actually imparting a serious piece of news.

This morning for instance he was talking about the bosses of MG Rover, who awarded themselves an obscene £42m in salaries and bonuses before taking the company down the tubes with the loss of 6,500 jobs.

I know this because I saw it on the
BBC website and not because of Peston. When he spoke on Radio 4 on the subject earlier today I once again found myself mesmerised my his erratic speech patterns while remaining largely ill-informed.

I wonder is there a society out there for like-minded Peston sufferers?
BUNKY

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