BROADCAST NEWS

• Broadcast journalism is neither better nor worse than print journalism: It's just different.
• Print provides a level of depth, context and sheer information that TV and radio newscasts can't supply.
• Broadcast journalism, through the power of dramatic video and engaging audio, offers emotional appeal, realism and immediacy that print can't.
• Watching or listening to a news broadcast generally requires less intellectual effort than reading a complex news story in a newspaper.
• Broadcast journalism, critics say, treats news as entertainment, evading complex issues while sensationalizing conflicts, crimes, car chases, etc.
• But, whether you're a print journalist or a broadcast reporter, your goal remains the same: Gather all the information you can and then tell your story in a clear, compelling way.

• On radio
• On TV

• Most broadcast news stories are brief, extremely brief.
• Broadcast stories are measured in minutes and seconds.
• Most half-hour newscasts contain fewer words than one typical newspaper page. As a result, broadcast news is concise, but shallow; fast-paced but superficial.
• What's in a half-hour newscast: Results from two major surveys of local TV news

WRITING FOR BROADCAST

• Writing for broadcast is not the same as writing for print. The style and syntax differences are subtle, yet substantial.
• A story with compelling audio or video becomes more newsworthy than one without—no matter how well-written that story is.

• Use a friendlier, more conversational tone.
• Keep it short, simple, and easy to follow.
• Don't structure stories in the inverted-pyramid form.
• Use the present tense as often as possible.
• Contractions are acceptable, even for hard news stories.
• Attributions and quotes require different treatment.
• Add phonetic pronunciation wherever necessary.
• Use punctuation to help—not hinder—the delivery.
• Avoid abbreviations and symbols.
• Numbers: Round them off and spell them out.

• If you're writing a story for someone else to read, your script must be formatted, and formats vary form station to station.

• Radio journalism may be the most challenging form of news reporting.
• You can't rely on graphics and images as TV reporters can.
• You can't write long, descriptive sentences and stories as print reporters can.
• The best radio reporting is snappy, yet eloquent; conversational, yet concise; friendly yet authoritative.

• Write to your bites.
• Make every word count.
• Focus on people.
• Read your stories aloud.
• Record natural sound, too.
• Paint word pictures.

• Record yourself.
• Adjust your delivery.
• The most common problems can be avoided:
  • speaking too quickly or slowly
  • emphasizing the wrong words
  • limiting your vocal range
  • stumbling over words
• Study the pros.
• Practice.

• Important terms and definitions

• A comparison

• It's not simply radio with pictures. TV journalism requires a unique approach.
• In two critical ways, TV reporting differs from all other news media:
  • You talk into a camera. Live, and without notes.
  • You depend on video. Words are crucial, but images rule.

• Collaborate.
• Write to the video.
• Don't overload with facts.
• Engage viewers' emotions.
• Look professional.

• Find a location.
• Get to the point.
• Maintain eye contact.
• Rephrase and re-ask questions.
• Watch for good sound bites.
• Avoid "stepping on" sound bites.
• Remember to shoot cutaways.

• Important terms and definitions

• Reader
• Voice-over (VO)
• Voice-over to sound on tape (VO/SOT)
• Package