tried out the bbc mandarin news service and found it jarring - it's not the pronunciation - that's standard beijing - but the delivery that bothers me. the rhythms are slightly unnatural - and there is a downward drive instead of an upward lilt, turning what should be an even-paced walk turned into a heavy-footed march. got curious so tried radio france's chinese news - which is a lot closer to singapore chinese news in delivery. also, the moment i heard radio france's announcer i knew what was bothering me about the bbc. the announcer's voice is too low pitched! not that she can necessarily help that, but really news ought to be delivered in serious but not sombre tones. it's a function of both culture and language i suppose, that higher pitches almost always automatically sound more mellifluous and acceptable in chinese, whereas it's the other way round in english isn't it? higher pitches lack the proper gravity and are more comic than elegant. hmm.