NBC's Keith Morrison is the new voice of Waze
LOS ANGELES — It could be a drive like no other, if you adjust your settings to bring NBC’s Keith Morrison along for the ride with you.
The longtime correspondent for NBC’s Dateline crime series is a new voice to give directions for the Waze traffic app, joining other past notables including CBS’s Stephen Colbert, former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, CP30 from Star Wars and Tyler Perry as his character Madea.
Morrison, who has built a cult following online with true crime fans, with social media feeds dedicated to his TV stance (@keithleansonthings) was a dedicated Google Maps user before NBC came to him to suggest the Waze cameo.
“I thought, you’re out of your mind,” says Morrison. “They can’t do that. It turns out they can. And it was kind of fun to do it.”
Waze sent him a long list of commands to record (“red light camera ahead” “you’ve reached your destination”) which he banked in a few hours.
Morrison recorded them in the same place where he voices the bulk of his Dateline voiceovers: in his home bedroom closet, from his iPhone.
“I do it in the closet because there’s lots of clothes in there, and no echo,” he says. “It’s the perfect recording studio.”
He uses a Beyer Dynamic microphone, plugged into an IK Multimedia iRig adapter to fit into an iPhone.
“It’s pretty remarkable,” he says. “When I started at Dateline, in the early 90s, everything had to be done in the studio.” If producers wanted a change, he’d have to drive two hours in to make the change. Then, in the digital age, they gave him a box to use on his remotes, but “it was cumbersome and it would break.”
Now, he just packs his microphone and adapter and takes it with him everywhere he goes.
While the closet is his favorite locale, he’s also used his iPhone and microphone in the car, in an airport, even on an airplane to record his voiceovers. “The quality isn’t as good, but it could be done in a pinch.”
The former Google Maps user has switched to Waze, although “I haven’t heard my voice yet. It would probably make me run in the other direction.”
To bring in Morrison's voice, go to the Tools section of the app, click "Voice Directions," and look for the option to add Morrison. This section also gives you the option of male or female voices, as well as speakers in many languages, including German, Spanish, French, Italian and Russian.
When Waze brings in outside voices, they run for a limited period of time. Morrison's voice will be available through April 2.
Dateline airs Friday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
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