Nearly every week for the past 25 years, Lloyd Newell has stood at the microphone and presented a message of inspiration to people in all corners of the world. The announcer for Music & the Spoken Word, the longest continuously running weekly network program in broadcast history, Newell welcomes listeners and viewers to the half-hour program as well as sharing a message—one that he usually writes himself.

The broadcast is a gift to people everywhere. The messages are filled with hope, universal principles, and good news. Newell reads all the time looking for stories, examples, hints, and commentary that will appeal to listeners and help them.

A former news anchor for CNN and WSEE-TV in Pennsylvania, Newell started out with the Choir broadcast as the interim announcer. After months of filling in, he was asked by LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley to serve on a permanent basis. November 29 marked 25 years serving in a position Newell never imagined would last a quarter of a century.

Newell, who is a volunteer in his post, as are the Choir members, is a professor at Brigham Young University. It’s his day job, but his heart is with the Choir. He tours with the Choir as well as serving as the announcer for the broadcast. He usually meets six weeks in advance with Mack Wilberg, music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, to correlate the message of the Spoken Word with the music. Sometimes there is an obvious connection with the music; sometimes not. Whichever way it comes together, the program’s seamless presentation lifts the spirits of all who are listening.