STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Some other news. There will soon be a new public-address announcer at Logan Airport in Boston. Management is looking for an authentic local voice. Craig LeMoult of member station GBH went to an open casting call at Logan's Terminal A.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ELIZABETH THOMAS: Welcome to Boston Logan International Airport.
CRAIG LEMOULT, BYLINE: Hundreds of people waited in line for their shot to read from a prepared script extolling Boston's virtues to visitors from around the world.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SCOTT GRIMES: This city runs on iced coffee, raw ambition.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: And unbeatable team spirit.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: So let's go.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Whether you're grabbing a lobster roll by the harbor.
ANTHONY SMITH: Waiting in line for a cannoli in the North End.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: Or paying your respects to the Green Monster like it's a sacred landmark.
GRIMES: We're wicked glad you're here.
LEMOULT: For anyone who doesn't know, the Green Monster is the left-field wall at Fenway Park. Rich Davies (ph) heads Massport, the agency that oversees Logan.
RICH DAVEY: We decided that we should have a more distinctive Boston voice that is welcoming people here at Boston Logan and also giving them instructions about how to get around.
LEMOULT: There are different thoughts about what it takes to be the voice of Logan. Here's Scott Grimes of Beverly, Mass.
GRIMES: You got to have the Boston accent. If you have too many Rs in there, it's a no-go.
LEMOULT: But Anthony Smith of Boston says there's more to the city than just that sound.
SMITH: There's a lot of different voices. There's a lot of different cultures. And, you know, Boston is - it's like new now. It's like the new Boston.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SMITH: Welcome to Boston Logan International Airport, front door to the capital.
LEMOULT: One thing people had in common here was a lot of enthusiasm. But maybe not all as much as Elizabeth Thomas, who lives in Milton, Mass.
THOMAS: I'm so excited.
LEMOULT: You got your Red Sox hat on. You got...
THOMAS: I have.
LEMOULT: ...Your Red Sox shirt on.
THOMAS: I have my Dunkin' cap.
LEMOULT: You got your dip (ph).
THOMAS: I am - I have all the props.
LEMOULT: Benjamin Rabinovitz of Hingham had just heard about the contest and says he was inspired to come because his mother passed away two months ago to the day.
BENJAMIN RABINOVITZ: And she always encouraged me to do the scary things in life and make sure to take that leap of faith every time the opportunity presents itself.
LEMOULT: Cammy Jackson was about to start a shift at Logan as a ramp agent.
CAMMY JACKSON: I'm the one helping load up the bags and stuff.
LEMOULT: She says working here at Logan and hearing her own voice over the speakers would feel good.
JACKSON: Honestly, it would almost kind of be like second nature because whenever I do project my voice and I do talk, people listen. They turn - it turns heads.
LEMOULT: And that's what they're looking for here at Logan - a voice that turns heads.
For NPR News, I'm Craig LeMoult in Boston.
(SOUNDBITE OF SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE'S "RESERVOIR") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
