Alan Kalter: American television announcer and voice artist

Early life and education

Kalter was born in New York City on March 21, 1943, and grew up in Brooklyn. He attended Hobart College in upstate New York, where he developed an interest in broadcasting. Those formative years in the New York media market set the stage for a long career in radio and television announcing.

Career and announcing style

Kalter worked for many years as a voice-over artist and announcer for television and radio before joining Letterman's program in 1995. As the show's announcer he performed standard announcer duties—introducing the host, guests and musical acts—while also participating in comedic sketches and occasional on-camera banter. He was praised for a dry, authoritative tone that lent contrast to the program's humor, and for the flexibility to move between straight announcing and comic surprises.

Notable duties and examples

• Regularly introduced the host and show segments with a concise, resonant voice.
• Appeared in recurring comedic bits that allowed the announcer to become a performer rather than just a voice.
• Performed voice-over work beyond the Late Show, applying his skills to commercials and other television programs.

Personal life, retirement and death

Kalter's personal life included two marriages; he was previously married to Carol Cepler and in 2003 married Peggy Masterson. After announcing his retirement from the Late Show in 2015, he stepped away from regular television work. Kalter died on October 4, 2021, at a hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, at the age of 78.

Legacy

In the role of announcer, Kalter exemplified how an off-screen voice can become an integral part of a program's identity. His work illustrates the announcer's dual function: to inform viewers and to contribute to a show's comedic texture. For a generation of viewers his voice remains associated with one of late-night television's long-running programs and with the distinctive pacing of American late-night talk shows.

More information about announcers and broadcasting can be found through general resources on television history and media studies; for specific information related to Kalter's career and the shows he worked on, see listings and biographies in broadcast archives and entertainment references. For a concise tag of his profession, see television announcer.

Further context about the city where he was born is available via general references to New York City; for regional background on his college and early life, see sources related to New York and Brooklyn.

Obituaries and retrospectives published after his death discuss his two decades on the Late Show and his contributions to television announcing; archival footage and episode credits remain useful for studying his delivery and role on the program.