Before television viewers ever saw the stars of a new comedy, drama or game show, they frequently heard Joe Cipriano telling them why they should watc
Before television viewers ever saw the stars of a new comedy, drama or game show, they frequently heard Joe Cipriano telling them why they should watch.
For decades, Cipriano has been one of America’s most recognizable—but not always immediately identifiable—broadcast voices. His energetic, conversational delivery has promoted television programs, introduced major awards broadcasts and added excitement to some of the country’s most popular game and reality shows.
Yet his remarkable career began not in a Hollywood recording studio, but at a small radio station in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Growing Up on the Air
Born David Joseph Cipriano, Joe was only 14 when he contacted WWCO radio personality Jerry Wolf and asked if he could visit the station. The teenager began spending weekends and summers around WWCO, running errands, answering telephones and absorbing everything he could about broadcasting.
By the time he was 16, Cipriano was working on the air. Like many young announcers of the period, he adopted different radio names—including Tom Collins and Dave Donovan—as he learned how to communicate with listeners and develop his own personality.
His ambitions soon carried him from Waterbury to WDRC in Hartford and then to Washington, D.C. At 19, he became one of the youngest FM personalities hired by NBC, working at WKYS. It was at NBC in Washington that he met Ann, a news writer who would become his wife and an important partner throughout his life and career.
Cipriano’s radio journey eventually included WRQX in Washington and several major Los Angeles stations, including KHTZ, KKHR and the legendary KIIS AM/FM. Each position helped him refine the timing, warmth and immediacy that would later distinguish his television work.
Unlike the booming, theatrical announcer voices commonly associated with movie trailers, Cipriano developed a more youthful and approachable sound. He could create excitement without sounding distant or overpowering. His delivery made the listener feel as if an enthusiastic friend were recommending something worth watching.
Joe Cipriano on KIIS FM – Earthquake Live
Joe Cipriano as Dave Donovan on KKHR-FM Los Angeles
Making the Move to Hollywood
While working in radio, Cipriano became fascinated by the announcers who supplied the voices for national television networks. He began studying voice-over, attending workshops and recording a demonstration reel of commercials.
Joe and Ann moved to Los Angeles in 1980 to pursue their respective broadcasting careers—Ann in television news and Joe in radio and voice-over. The move ultimately placed Cipriano at the center of the television industry just as the networks were beginning to seek fresher and more contemporary promotional voices.
His defining opportunity arrived in 1988 when the emerging Fox Broadcasting Company selected him as one of its signature promotional voices. Fox was attempting to establish itself as a genuine fourth television network, competing against ABC, CBS and NBC. Cipriano’s upbeat, youthful sound fit perfectly with Fox’s unconventional attitude and younger audience.
His voice became associated with the network’s identity and with promotions for such programs as The Simpsons, Married… with Children and many other Fox hits. He helped give the network a sound that was lively, confident and noticeably different from its older competitors.
In 1997, CBS also turned to Cipriano as the network worked to modernize its image. His voice became closely associated with CBS comedies including Everybody Loves Raymond, Two and a Half Men and Mike & Molly. He also voiced NBC drama promotions from 2005 through 2007, including campaigns for ER, Heroes and Law & Order. His extensive credits have additionally included ESPN, the Food Network, Hallmark Movie Network, HGTV and Discovery Plus. Joe Cipriano’s official biography documents a career spanning virtually every major area of television promotion.
Here is the Joe Cipriano interview conducted by Jim Hampton
The Voice Inside the Show
Cipriano’s talents extended well beyond short promotional announcements. He became the in-show announcer or narrator for several network programs, including Deal or No Deal, America’s Got Talent, Hollywood Game Night, 1 vs. 100, Candy Crush and Thank God You’re Here.
These assignments required more than a strong voice. A successful game-show announcer must understand pacing, comedy and the emotional rhythm of a program. One moment may call for excitement and spectacle; another may require a lighter, playful touch. Cipriano’s years in live radio gave him the ability to change direction quickly and make carefully written copy sound spontaneous.
He was also heard as the live announcer for some of television’s largest events, including the Grammy Awards and several Primetime Emmy Awards broadcasts. Other live assignments included the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, VH1 Honors, Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert and GQ’s Men of the Year Awards.
Live announcing presents its own challenges. The announcer must be precise, composed and prepared for unexpected changes while millions of viewers are watching. Cipriano’s radio training once again provided the foundation.
Radio Was Never Left Behind
Even after becoming one of network television’s premier voices, Cipriano continued to maintain a strong connection to radio.
From 1993 to 2003, he co-hosted the internationally syndicated World Chart Show, a weekly countdown program carried by approximately 250 stations around the world. He also occasionally filled in for Casey Kasem on American Top 40.
Cipriano produced and hosted L.A. Express and Toyota California Classics, two programs broadcast in Japan between 1987 and 1992. He also became the imaging voice of numerous radio stations in the United States and Canada, providing the sweepers, promotional announcements and station identifications that help create a station’s personality.
For Cipriano, radio was never merely a first step on the way to television. It was the training ground that taught him how to speak to one person at a time—even when the actual audience numbered in the millions.
Living on Air
In 2013, Joe and Ann Cipriano published Living on Air: Adventures in Broadcasting, an affectionate and humorous account of his journey from a teenage radio enthusiast to one of the country’s leading voice-over performers.
The audiobook version received two Voice Arts Awards and was nominated for an Audie Award. The honors were particularly fitting for a man whose career had been built around the expressive possibilities of the human voice.
Cipriano also received the Don LaFontaine Legacy Award, named for his friend and fellow voice-over legend. The award recognizes talent, professionalism, longevity, character and a commitment to helping others. Cipriano was also a founding member of the Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, which provides professional recording facilities and educational opportunities for performers.
In recent years, he has shared his knowledge through classes, private coaching and promotional voice-over workshops. His message to aspiring performers reflects the lessons of his own career: prepare carefully, set goals, remain authentic and never stop learning.
Joe Cipriano Voicing MADtv Promos for Fox
A Voice Built by Radio
Joe Cipriano’s career represents an important link between two eras of broadcasting. He began when young announcers learned their craft inside local radio stations—pulling records, answering request lines, operating control boards and speaking live without a safety net. He carried those lessons into the modern world of network television, where a few seconds of narration can shape the identity of an entire program or network.
His voice has introduced stars, promoted hit shows, opened award ceremonies and invited generations of viewers to stay tuned.
But underneath every network announcement remains the instinct of that teenage disc jockey in Waterbury: speak naturally, create excitement and make a personal connection with the listener.
That is the enduring radio foundation behind the unmistakable voice of Joe Cipriano.
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