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Queens Women is the new voice of the subway


trainfan22

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There's a new voice on the subway — and it's not another passenger complaining about delays.

Queens native Velina Mitchell's voice is being pumped into subway stations and high-tech train cars with messages to help riders make their commutes safer and more tolerable.

Mitchell, 56, has recorded 16 announcements, with more to come. The new scripts from transit officials aim for a kinder style of communicating with the riding public — a departure from the gruff, direct orders piped into train cars.

"We did try to put a new spin on it, to sound more friendlier, while instructing," Mitchell said in an interview with the Daily News. "We don't want to yell at people anymore. That's what we're trying to change."

Riders have complained that the announcements are difficult to hear above the din of the subway, but Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Jon Weinstein said the volume will be adjusted.

 

Mitchell has had a knack for public speaking going back to her school days.

The Corona-East Elmhurst native said she's found herself in front of audiences during school plays and church recitals.

"It's a natural talent that I had," she said.

In fact, her first post at the MTA 25 years ago was as a conductor making announcements from her train car's cab

 

Link to rest of the article: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens-woman-giving-voice-new-subway-announcements-article-1.3993858

 

Snippet of one of her new announcements in the tweet below...

 

 

 

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36 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

I think its pretty cool how that room shes in has signs from the various NTT car classes posted up in there.

 

 

I heard the new announcements on some cars, TBH its way to low and you can barely hear it.

I can barely hear the video posted here. But I guess it'll be spread out on the NTTs soon enough.

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I like the fact that instead of announcements using America's version of RP English, they're using someone with a New York accent. Kinda makes the subway experience echo that of being in NYC when the Redbirds ran and conductors announced everything.

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10 hours ago, Deucey said:

I like the fact that instead of announcements using America's version of RP English, they're using someone with a New York accent. Kinda makes the subway experience echo that of being in NYC when the Redbirds ran and conductors announced everything.

I don't know who does/did the announcements for the (4) train, but I used to always laugh to myself when Wall Street came up, because the lady said "Wall Street" as if she was angry or became anxious. The next stop is WALL STREET!! :lol:  Mosholu Parkway is another one that sounds funny.

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13 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

I think its pretty cool how that room shes in has signs from the various NTT car classes posted up in there.

What I want to know is, the room is entirely filled with car electronic signage and power supplies for such - and a microwave oven on the shelf right behind her. What's the microwave for anyway? Doesn't seem like it's the place where people ought to be eating.

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3 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I don't know who does/did the announcements for the (4) train, but I used to always laugh to myself when Wall Street came up, because the lady said "Wall Street" as if she was angry or became anxious. The next stop is WALL STREET!! :lol:  Mosholu Parkway is another one that sounds funny.

Family been in the Bx all my life, and it wasn't until I heard the (4) call it "Mosh-a-lew" that I learned how to say it. California English, it'd be "Mo-Show-Lew". And then I don't know a single person that says Schermerhorn any way but Schemer-horn. California, it's the former.

But then I was such a foreigner in NY back in 2013 folks had to tell me it's not pronounced "Hop-pedge" or "Puh-cho-gie." (Hauppage and Patchogue, respectively)

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2 minutes ago, Deucey said:

Family been in the Bx all my life, and it wasn't until I heard the (4) call it "Mosh-a-lew" that I learned how to say it. California English, it'd be "Mo-Show-Lew". And then I don't know a single person that says Schermerhorn any way but Schemer-horn. California, it's the former.

But then I was such a foreigner in NY back in 2013 folks had to tell me it's not pronounced "Hop-pedge" or "Puh-cho-gie." (Hauppage and Patchogue, respectively)

Growing up in Brooklyn, I always heard "Skimmerhorn" instead of "Skermerhorn" as it's pronounced on the subway... :lol:

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On 5/17/2018 at 11:30 AM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Growing up in Brooklyn, I always heard "Skimmerhorn" instead of "Skermerhorn" as it's pronounced on the subway... :lol:

 

On 5/17/2018 at 11:30 AM, Deucey said:

The NTTs say it as "Shur-mer-Horn". I was shocked.

 

On 5/17/2018 at 11:33 AM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Yes, that's what it sounds like.  The other one that's really funny is "Nostrand Avenue".  They say Nawstrand Avenue. :lol:

You think those lily-white 1010WINS reporters ever hung out in Brooklyn on their own? :P

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1 hour ago, KK 6 Ave Local said:

I always thought Houston Street was pronounced Hew-stuhn but it's pronounced How-stuhn. 

I always pronounced it House-ton. Didn't know why some people got Hew-stuhn considering it's mentioned so often... do that many people pronounce it wrong?

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13 hours ago, R68OnBroadway said:

I always pronounced it House-ton. Didn't know why some people got Hew-stuhn considering it's mentioned so often... do that many people pronounce it wrong?

Probably the ones from Texas...😉

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On ‎5‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 10:28 AM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I don't know who does/did the announcements for the (4) train, but I used to always laugh to myself when Wall Street came up, because the lady said "Wall Street" as if she was angry or became anxious. The next stop is WALL STREET!! :lol:  Mosholu Parkway is another one that sounds funny.

Maybe she has some investments she's really concerned about. :D

Seriously though, that's what happens when announcement recordings are done years apart with little concern on how the newer recordings will mesh with the older ones.

On ‎5‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 9:51 PM, R68OnBroadway said:

I always pronounced it House-ton. Didn't know why some people got Hew-stuhn considering it's mentioned so often... do that many people pronounce it wrong?

Most likely out of towners. People are way more familiar with Houston, TX than they are with little old Houston St in Manhattan.

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Speaking of annunciations, how many 'a's are supposed to be in-between the 'N' & the 'L' in Canal street? Jesus Christ..... I thought it was only one, but have the person (orating Canal street on the announcements) tell it, there's like 10 of them shits :lol:

This is... Canaaaaaaaaaaaal street.

Everytime I hear it, I'm like, why is there this added enthusiasm for Canal st. for? 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/21/2018 at 10:07 AM, B35 via Church said:

Speaking of annunciations, how many 'a's are supposed to be in-between the 'N' & the 'L' in Canal street? Jesus Christ..... I thought it was only one, but have the person (orating Canal street on the announcements) tell it, there's like 10 of them shits :lol:

This is... Canaaaaaaaaaaaal street.

Everytime I hear it, I'm like, why is there this added enthusiasm for Canal st. for? 

I hear a normal Canal

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On 5/21/2018 at 10:07 AM, B35 via Church said:

Speaking of annunciations, how many 'a's are supposed to be in-between the 'N' & the 'L' in Canal street? Jesus Christ..... I thought it was only one, but have the person (orating Canal street on the announcements) tell it, there's like 10 of them shits :lol:

This is... Canaaaaaaaaaaaal street.

Everytime I hear it, I'm like, why is there this added enthusiasm for Canal st. for? 

The Canal St announcement on the (B) sounds exactly like that.

 

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