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I'm going with the West & Midwest as being closest to the standard used on TV, with subtle differences between them of course, and with certain sub-regions & individuals as exceptions. The West includes the OP's list of "California, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, & the Rockies"; people from these regions mostly sound the same to me, with subtle differences in the CA accent in some individuals (ie. the cartoonish & stereotypical surfer dude accent).
i believe that a section of the midwest has been proven to be the most pleasant for public speaking. a mixture of the chicago area, over to the plains. nebraska, maybe, but you have to be careful around ok and okc. to me, their main dialect is a bit schizoid. you think a bit northern, a bit western, and suddenly a good dose of texas drawl, mixed w/ Appalachian.
however, i would welcome the regional dialect of most media personalities, if they were to use proper spoken english. i don't know what producers, directors, and programming people do, when they allow anchor personalities tv time to report the news, and do it so poorly. no subject-verb agreement, incorrect pronunciation of words, wrong tenses, wrong usage of case (subjective or objective.) incorrect modes, such as myself, john, and somebody went. barry, joan, and myself. if it was me, i would run away. intransitive verbs vs. transitive verbs.
there are more examples, which include the use of improper flat adverbs or the improper use of adverbs, altogether. these mistakes occur, not just w/ local newscasters, but w/ major news anchors. some of the more common errors: he is commentating on..., instead of, he is commenting on.... i was disorientated instead of the proper i was disoriented. the improper use of the word disrespecting...he was disrespecting me, instead of he was being disrespectful to me...do not be disrespectful of others, instead of...don't be disrespecting me.
the big ones, however, are the misused adjectives, etc. by the highly educated. i have heard harvard graduates, including obama, misuse disorientating and commentating. bill o'rielly, rick perry, larry king, brian williams, and many others.
I believe the Midwest might also suffice, though there's too much variation with Canadian sounding accents in areas and Southern sounding accents in other areas.
I would agree with California. The accent there is so subtle that one can barely hear it. The mid-west on the other hand it is easy to pick up on a Wisconsin or Iowa accent.
It's opposite. Television is slowly shaping the American accent regardless of geographic location. I am reminded of this often when I meet someone from Tennessee or Boston or Texas and am surprised that they are from those places because their voices don't reflect geography.
that "r" sound drops down in several regions of the u.s. our neighbor had a maid who always said warsh and clure (for clear), and they are born and bred in tn. my grandparents and the neighbors in the community spoke w/ old southern drawls, saying words like hoss for horse, soft or non-existent r's in words like church, father, powder. my grandfather always began grace w/ the salutation: Ouwh Gracious (deep round a's) Heavenly (soft e sound on "ly", and Fatha, ah after f and very soft and short a on the end.
boston, parts of rhode island, long island, and philly, baton rouge, and new orleans drop extra harsh r sounds in words. one person, in particular, is emril. many in ok say layg for leg, ayeg for egg, etc. it is interesting how dialects and accents can be so dramatically different.
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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California or Iowa.
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