Scott Chapin was the voice at WHDH-TV 7 News for over 15 years before he stepped down from daily voiceover work to "smell the roses" at the end of 2010. Chapin was also the voice of sister station WSVN-TV in Miami, FL, where Sunbeam Television first started using him when they rebranded as they became a Fox affiliate in 1988. He was also a voice artist for many other stations across the country, but said he would "only do image and promo campaigns and only for a select few clients" when he went into semi-retirement.
Well, after a 4 year absence, Chapin has announced he is coming back as the voice of 7 News.
"Yep, I am coming back" Chapin told New England One in an email.
He continued "coming back to WHDH feels as comfortable as a favorite pair of jeans. I cut my teeth doing that style, and it's great to be back!"
Chapin is one of the most famous voices in some of the local television markets across the country, yet viewers never see his face.
With advances in high-quality audio transmissions, professional voice-over announcers like Chapin don't have to be locally based to speak for the stations they represent. Full-time vocal artists represent a small pool of TV news announcers of about 100, nationwide, says Frank Frederick, a voice-over professional based in Utah, where he records news promos for 19 TV stations nationwide, including one in Rhode Island.
Other Boston TV stations rely on anchors or on-air talent to promote breaking stories at the top of the each newscast. 7 News is different because they mostly rely on a voice artist who captures your attention. Paul Turner has been the voice of WHDH and WSVN since 2011, after Chapin stepped down.
Chapin, a Wisconsin native, got his start in radio working as a DJ and production manager at several radio stations across the country. He eventually landed in Miami to work as production director for a rock radio station, which was next door to WSVN. In 1989, when WSVN became a Fox affiliate and sought to rebrand itself, station officials tapped Chapin for voice-over work for their if-it-bleeds-it-leads reincarnation. As other news stations began to take notice of WSVN's dramatic approach, Chapin amassed a TV news following. He began getting offers for voice-over work nationwide. He hired an agent in New York City to help him secure deals.
"I was at the right place at the right time," Chapin told The Boston Globe in 2008, who eventually moved to Detroit and then to Albuquerque, where he lives with his wife, Susan. The couple, who have been married for 39 years, have three grown children.
When WSVN's owner, Sunbeam Television Corp., bought WHDH in 1993, they imported Chapin's voice to Boston.
Chapin will mark his return to the Boston airwaves in the New Year.
He tells us "I have already started recording elements for the station."
The changes are expected by 1st.
New promo featuring Scott Chapin for a story about the drone debate:
Updated to include new promo featuring Chapin
Scott Chapin Returning as the Voice of 7 News - UPDATED
Typography
- Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
- Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times
- Reading Mode
