An intercept message is a telephone recording informing the caller that the call cannot be completed, for any of a number of reasons ranging from local congestion, to disconnection of the destination phone, number dial errors or network trouble along the route. Background Before automation, calls to a disconnected or non-working number would be diverted to an intercept operator. The operator would ask what number the subscriber was attempting to call, determine the reason for the intercept and relay the information to the calling party. The first automatic intercept systems used rotating magnetic drums containing multiple recorded phrases, with a computer or mechanical control system playing phrases in the proper sequence. Initially, the caller was given the option to remain on the line for a live operator after the announcement was completed; this has since been removed. These messages are generally performed by female voices, although male voices are used as well. Jane Barbe, Pat Fleet, and Joyce Gordon are well known for being the voices behind many intercept messages originating in the United States. Many of these recordings end with the phrase "This is a recording" to let the callers know that they have not reached a live operator. Message wording The precise wording of intercept messages is left to the discretion of each local telephone company, except that most such messages nowadays start with one of several special information tones, standardized by Telcordia when it was still called Bellcore. In the 1970s, for example, New York Telephone used the following: Bell of Pennsylvania used the following: In rural areas, the name of the town from which the exchange service is furnished was often included in the message; this was especially true if the telephone company providing the service was not part of the Bell System. Generic message adopted By the 1980s, a standardized generic message was adopted, and is in use in a vast majority of localities in America today. It reads as follows: Customized message The option also exists to replace the generic message with a customized message, as applicable, such as in cases where a subscriber's telephone number has changed, usually due to relocation. This service is known in America as Number Referral Service, and in Britain as Ceased Number Intercept. An example of a Number Referral Service intercept message is: Message triggers Cancelled service When a customer moves and cancels their telephone service, an intercept