You probably hear their voices every single day. You might even hear several versions of their voices every day. But do you know the faces behind them? The Ticker tracks down perhaps the two best known radio voiceover professionals.

Northern Broadcasting's Charlie Ferguson injured his vocal cords in a singing contest as a kid, so he already had a voiceover advantage - even if he hadn't realized it yet.

"I couldn't speak for two weeks, and when my voice returned, I was a VERY deep-voiced 11-year-old," Ferguson laughs. "When that coach heard me talking, he suggested I get my radiotelephone license and work at the station part-time. I took the FCC test, and here I am!"

Ferguson is the voice of ESPN Radio Northern Michigan, as well as promo guy for WKLT, The FOX FM, and "literally hundreds of commercials and personal appearances each year."

Commercials were part of Ferguson's work even back in the early days, and he still utilizes the late-night infomercial vocal style that was so popular back then. "One of my favorite ads of all time was for these plastic sleds that rolled up, that were sold to people hauling firewood into their homes during the winter," Ferguson recalls. "I think they cost about $1.35 to make, and they sold for $19.95, plus shipping and handling. The ad started with 'IT'S FINALLY HERE - THE AMAAAZING HANDI-SLED!'"

Piepkorn Industries, he says, made millions, while Ferguson got $100 and a free Handi-Sled.

You might have heard him as Bill Clinton, Porky Pig, or as one half of The Grumpy Old Men morning show with Rich Nadeau. He says his favorite voice work is some of the loudest. "I love doing big, hard-sell racing ads, sport promos, and concert ads," he says.

Ferguson says he's just accepted a position with a Springfield, Ill. station.

Steve Cook's work in radio began as a Minneapolis traffic reporter. After a few radio stints around Michigan, he eventually settled in as WTCM production director in 1986 - and he's been there ever since.

"My intro to voiceover, though, came from George Japp, a guy only Traverse City old-timers will remember," Cook says. "I think he had only one client, Wilhelm's Clothing Store in TC, where the AT&T store is now." Japp had a bad cold and needed a commercial recorded, and asked Cook to fill in.

"He was a tough director," Cook recalls, "I must have cut that spot 30 times! But I learned a lot from him about inflection and delivery."

With his "old school" voice ("deep, resonant, and very precise with diction"), Cook finds challenge in dialects, which are trickier than they seem.

"There are probably 15 different Southern dialects alone - I can do a fair Texan, a passable Cajun, and a Tennessee good ol' boy," he says. "I can do a film noir gangster and an angry boss, too," he laughs.

But what he likes best is the more simple approach. "By far, my favorite voice is the natural conversational delivery of a well-crafted, deeply moving message," he says. But Cook is sure why most people his voice.

"More than anything else, people will recognize me as the voice of 'The Legend,' the song about the Michigan Dogman which has played on WTCM every fall since 1987."

Extending his radio longevity, Cook is launching Midwestern Production next year with Jordan Anderson, to expand the marketing and advertising abilities of WTCM's parent company.