CapriUni -

I think your theory holds up to the test but I would suggest that at least some of the reason that we pay more attention to a story teller is that we can't Tivo them or put them on hold.

I'd like to suggest that you add whales to this select group of storytellers. Scientists have said that each has a unique "song" that can be quite elaborate. Some experiments have been done with specific sounds, like the crow danger signal, that elicited expected results.
Some think that they're just animals and there is no real proof. For some of us its enough to believe.

-- I Want To Live -- John Denver
2nd Verse:

"Have you gazed out on the ocean
seen the breaching of a whale?
Have you watched the dolphins frolic in the foam?
Have you heard the song the humpback hears
five hundred miles away
Telling tales of ancient history
of passages and home"

By the way, a real Coast Guard story always begins with
"This is a no sh*tter"

-- I Want To Live --