Announcers
In the eight decades of its Saturday broadcasts, the Met has been introduced by the voices of only three permanent announcers. Veteran NBC announcer Milton Cross served for 43 seasons, from the inaugural 1931 broadcast until his death in 1975. He was succeeded by Peter Allen, who presided for 29 years through the 2003-04 season. Margaret Juntwait began her tenure as host the following season. Since September 2006, Juntwait has also served as host for all of the live and recorded broadcasts on the Met's Sirius XM satellite radio channel, Metropolitan Opera Radio.
Other announcers have included veteran classical music announcer Lloyd Moss, who twice substituted for Milton Cross, and Deems Taylor, who was heard briefly as co-host during the early years. In recent seasons, author William Berger and opera singer and director Ira Siff have been heard as commentators along with Juntwait.
The announcer introduces each broadcast with cast information and background about the week's opera, and then introduces each act with a plot summary. Since 2006, the announcer has been joined by a commentator who adds additional background information and personal observations to the conversation.
Read more about this topic: Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcasts