Radio stations using androgynous voices to reach both sexes?

[Kendall]

I've noticed in several different markets now, radio station personalities on popular or alt rock stations do not typically have the male or female vocal characteristics. You know it, that nasally, high-pitched, fast-talking voice often accompanied by shrill but short-lived laughter. Personally, I find it nauseating, but that's not the point today.

My marketer's mind assumes this is done to reach both sexes, not alienating the other due to our subconsious "attraction/unattraction" to voices of the same sex.

Let your mind decide who you are listening to, but is there any substantiated/documented truth to this theory?

Taken from http://ask.metafilter.com/23421/Androgynous-Radio-Personalities

Thinking about androgynous voices this past day since finishing the body shape post, I found this.

First of all, do you think its true or false?
And if true or false why?
What are (or should be) the characteristics of an androgynous voice?

[Jet]

I'm not sure how the characteristics are, but it does make sense, to a degree... as it lets the listener decide who they are listening to... removing the risk of bias over one gender over another.

[angelsgirl]

I wonder if the listener makes a quick assumption based on the voice or if they struggle to figure out if it's a guy or a girl talking to them. I say this because one the first things people do in order to respond to somebody (by that I'm talking about a psychological reaction rather than speech) is to categorize them into one of the genders. It's really a very ingrained thing.  I wonder if it would bother me if I were listening to an androgynous voice (Where singing is concerned I kind of like the blended sound an androgynous voice has) but I can't say that I've experienced listening that type of speaking voice (unless I have and didn't realize it).  Hmmm...now I'm way too curious to see if I'd like better. I might. Those radio personalities can be really grating on the ears.

[Kendall]

I do notice a difference of voices of Pop and alt rock like the article says, versus Classic Rock, Oldies, and even Adult Contemporary.

Lets take the voice of Ryan Seacrest who is a pop DJ at KIIS FM as well as American Idol host and E Network CoHost. Certainly people like his voice in the pop world. Is he more masculine than feminine, more feminine than masculine, or is he more androgynous in his communications / style.

He does have a similar voice to the ones I hear here in Hattiesburg on WNSL 100.3- SL100 (Pop music) and similar to the style of Seattle's KUBE 93.3 (Rhythmic Contemporary Hits) , KBKS-FM 106.1 (Contemporary Hits/Top-40) , and KNDD 107.7 (alternative) .