What Does Your Favorite Podcast Host Look Like?

 Have you ever heard the expression that he or she has "a face for radio?" According to Urban Dictionary, that phrase means "one with commendable broadcasting abilities, yet an appearance of far lesser appreciation." The second and crueler definition is "a polite and indirect way of saying ugly."

I read that phrase several days ago in an unflattering and mean-spirited review of a podcast and its host. But that semantic savagery did get me thinking about my favorite podcast hosts.

What do they look like?

I decided to do some investigation and check out the photos of some of my favorite podcast hosts and match their physical appearance to the expectations that my ears and brain has sculpted.

Eyes meet ears. 

I know this exercise is fraught with danger. This is my trigger warning to you. 

Roman Mars -- 99% Invisible

 No surprise here, for me anyway. Mars looked like I envisioned. Intellectual (no, not just because of his glasses), artistic, with eyes that can see through any material except lead and that seamless sapience that projects curiosity without judgment. The gray flecks in his beard convey experience, and his neatly trimmed retreating hairline reveals an acceptance of the inevitability of change. Mars' deep, sonorous tones match his features.

99% Invisible Host Roman Mars

 

The Daily -- Michael Barbaro

Barbaro's appearance synchronizes with his on-air persona. His porthole glasses convey unconventional clarity of vision and his wavy, lush hair matches the gentle undulations of his voice and his carefully calibrated tone.

The Daily Host Michael Barbaro

Serial -- Sarah Koenig

What does a true-crime podcaster look like? Someone packing a gun and handcuffs and that "they'll never get away with this" scowl? By contrast, Sarah Koenig seems to embody a true-crime podcaster with probing eyes that seek truth amid a sea of deception. Koenig's angular features and a disarming smile belie a relentless quest for the narrative that matches the evidence, not the preconceived notions of the justice system.

 

Serial host Sarah Koenig

Dr. Titi Shodiya / Dr. Zakiya Whatley-- Dope Labs

 Some explanation is needed, since this podcast may not be as well known as others mentioned so far. Dope Labs is co-hosted by Dr. Titi Shodiya and Dr. Zakiya Whatley, Duke University graduates, "rising star experts and women of color disrupting the STEM space" who self-identify as "two of the dopest scientists and best friends you will ever meet."

Shodiya and Whatley sport enthusiastic and playful smiles that match the lively tone of their science podcast. Both scientists are young, and they convey youth and vitality via their luminescence and vibrant eyes.

Dope Labs co-hosts Dr. Titi Shodiya & Dr. Zakiya Whatley

Stephen Dubner / Angela Duckworth -- No Stupid Questions 

Stephen Dubner has a Malcolm Gladwell quality about him, with rebellious hair that approximates his cerebral effusiveness. His prominent cheeks, and probing eyebrows match the observational acuity of the podcast. 

No Stupid Questions co-host Stephen Dubner

 Duckworth's podcast voice -- confident, nimble, and suffused with an inherent inquisitiveness -- synchronizes with her engaging features.

No Stupid Questions co-host Angela Duckworth

 Amy Westervelt -- Drilled & Rigged

Amy Westervelt is a gunslinger, ready and able to shoot it out with prevaricating energy companies and speak truth to the open spigot of misinformation  and disinformation. Westervelt's soft-edged features possess a prosecutorial intensity that fits her voice that radiates indignation against injustice.

Drilled & Rigged host Amy Westervelt

Seam Rameswaram -- Today, Explained

Rameswaram's smile and angular features convey lightness of being and strength of character. His brightly-lit eyes reveal a probing curiosity, and his resonant voice injects meaning into every word.

Today, Explained host Sean Rameswaram

 

Dallas Taylor -- Twenty Thousand Hertz

When you host a podcast about sound, you better have a damn good podcast voice. Dallas Taylor passes with flying colors with a voice that injects meaning and expressiveness into every phrase. Taylor's well-manicured features match the precision by which he imbues insight into the science of sound.

Twenty Thousand Hertz host Dallas Taylor

So what did I learn from this exercise?

First, every host I covered has the physical looks to be on TV. There was no "face fit for radio" in the bunch. So, no, podcasting isn’t where you go when you don’t look like you can handle the “Red Carpet.”

Second, podcast voices seem to approximate the physical appearance of the hosts. I think that is because podcast hosts often express an audio honesty and straightforwardness that at times does not exist in other mediums like TV or radio. Radio hosts still adopt those over-the-top DJ voices. Local TV news broadcast still employ fake happy talk, and TikTok is too often just performance art.

Finally, there is a youth and vitality to podcasting that powers the medium. 

Have you checked out a photo of your favorite podcast hosts? What do you think?