This web site contains a great deal of information for both journalism instructors and students. 
By the end of this chapter, the student should understand this demand for condensation and brevity that is made on the broadcast writer. The student should also understand the essential differences and similarities that exist between writing for broadcast and writing for print.
Key terms and concepts
Students should understand the following terms and concepts :
Selection of news — While many of the basic news values are still at work in the selection of broadcast news, the broadcast journalist works with an additional set of considerations. Timeliness is one of the most important of those considerations. Broadcast news emphasizes immediacy; the news that is the latest is often the news that is mentioned first. The emphasis on information rather than explanation is another of those considerations. Students should understand that the broadcast medium is generally not one that allows time for a full and complete development of a story. Getting information to listeners and viewers is of primary importance. The audio or visual impact of a story is another important consideration in the selection of news for broadcast. A story that has good pictures or compelling audio is likely to be used over a story that does not.
In going over these considerations with your students, you may want to review the news values discussed in Chapter 4 and talk with them about how these values are changed or enhanced by the considerations of a broadcast journalist.
Differences in style — Throughout this chapter a number of differences in writing style between broadcast writing and writing for print are mentioned. Style rules in broadcast writing are designed primarily to make it easy on a news reader to read out loud. Sentences are short, and punctuation should be kept to a minimum.
Writing for the ear, not the eye — This is the key difference between writing for broadcast and writing for print. Students need to understand that what they are writing will be read aloud, not read silently. The listener has no opportunity to go back and “re-hear” a news broadcast to see what he or she has missed. In that regard, clarity in writing becomes one of the chief goals of the writer.
Dramatic unity — The most common story structure for the broadcast news story is dramatic unity with its three parts: climax, cause and effect. Students should also understand the importance of an attention-getting lead in making sure that listeners hear and understand their stories. Such leads require a deft touch on the part of the writer. They may look easy to produce at first glance, but they are more difficult to do well than they appear.
Phonetic spelling — Broadcast writers should learn how and when to use phonetic spellings for words or names that will be unfamiliar to the reader. Students should remember that broadcast copy is often written on deadline, and news readers may not have time to practice reading their copy before they go on the air. A good exercise for students is to have them spell their names phonetically.
Broadcast news writing. Although this site is intended for high school students, it is suitable for any beginning broadcast writer. This link directs visitors to 16 tips for making broadcast writing strong and sound. Also on the site are “handouts” of the process of broadcasting, from video production to interviewing.
Newswriting for the radio. Don’t forget about the radio. Broadcast writing is just as important, if not more so, to radio broadcasters. This site offers advice and tips on all types of radio stories including in-depth and vivid styles.
Successful television news: jobs and resources. If you want a job in the television industry, this site offers commentary on the current events of TV journalism, links to jobs and other resources for broadcasters.
Boom goes the dynamite. This is a must see for aspiring broadcast students. No matter how hard you try, you are bound to make mistakes along the way. Hopefully, you won’t ever have a broadcast go as badly as this one did for a college sportscaster.
Cybercollege. A good Cybercollege site on production values.
Newslab. This site argues for improved quality in television newscasts.
The following are some additional broadcast writing assignments provided by Mark Harmon, the author of the chapter.
Assignment 1, Health matters: You are working as an intern at WATE, Knoxville, Tennessee. The anchor, Lori Tucker, normally does a health report called “Health Matters,” but today has to be out of the station for a dental appointment. She has assigned you to write for her a V/S/V from the following material. She says it should run between 30 and 60 seconds.
From ABC NewsOne Satellite Feed Interview with Michele Murphy / Patient: “It's very hard to walk. It's hard to go shopping. It's hard to stand on your heels because your heel is always in pain. I tried stretching exercises, shoe insets, anti-inflammatory drugs, even cortisone shots. The only thing that really worked was wearing a very low heel and a shoe with lots of room for my toes. It only took a few minutes to get used to it, and I’m walking without pain for the first time in months.”
Download the whole assignment.
Assignment 2, Ship seizure: You are the reporter for this package. You are working for CNN. Your notes, interviews and available video are below. You recorded no stand-up. Script a package. You should turn in two different scripts, an edit script and a toss/tag script. The package should run no longer than 1:20; total time with toss (and optional tag) should run no longer than 1:45. Tape number 237. Anchor: Kim Fox.
Download the whole assignment.
Assignment 3, Stocks package: You are to create a package from the attached material. Remember you must create two scripts: 1) an edit script of how the piece should be edited, 2) a toss script that includes the anchor introduction and the needed supers.
You may choose to create one or more graphics for inclusion in the package. Sample wording is below. You may choose to highlight something else. This sample is solely to demonstrate form.
Download the whole assignment.
Chapter notes
Breaking in. Want to advise your students as to how they can get into broadcasting? The Poynter Institute (which has a whole section on broadcasting journalism) has a timely article on tips on getting started in broadcast journalism. Here's how it starts:
Dig hard, write well, and maybe even sweep a few floors.
Broadcast professionals say that's what young journalists should do if they're serious about pursuing a career in the competitive field of news broadcasting.
Television and radio students who want to stand out from the crowd must become enterprising, information-sniffing archaeologists, said Al Tompkins, Poynter's broadcast journalism group leader.
You can find the entire article at the Poynter web site.
Poynter has a wide variety of articles about all phases of journalism. The people at Poynter also respond daily to the major issues and controversies facing the profession.
Broadcast writing tips. If you learned to write for print first (and most of us did), you may have a bit of trouble switching to writing in broadcast style. Laurie Lattimore has compiled a list of tips for making the switch. That list is on the JPROF.com web site.
Network news sites. Each of the major television news networks maintains extensive news web sites. That makes it convenient to see how each is covering a news story. Select a major news story of the day and go to each of these sites to see what they have said about it. Does one site have more or different information than another. This is a good project to do when there is a big, breaking news story.
• CNN
• CBS News
• ABC News
• MSNBC
• FOX News
VOA News. One of the best broadcast news sites is that of the Voice of America. VOA is operated by the U.S. government and broadcasts news around the world in more than 50 languages. VOA has a tradition of presenting the news in an unbiased way -- even when the news is not favorable or is embarrassing to the government. An additional benefit of the VOA news web site is that you can hear the broadcasts in various languages as well as read the news in those languages. If you are trying to learn a language, the VOA news site might be of great help to you.
RTNDA. One of the best ways to keep up with the state of broadcast news is at the Radio and Television News Directors Association web site. The foundation for the organization produces an extensive report each year on broadcast news and the public's reaction to it. Those reports are usually in PDF forms, and they may take a while to download, but they contain some excellent information.
War News Radio. Students at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania have created an Internet radio station devoted to covering the war in Iraq. But their station, called War News Radio, is different. Instead of gathering Associated Press and other news service reports and repackaging them, they are creating their own reports using sources that are not often heard from and technology that is not often used by news organizations. The students troll the web for sources of information about Iraq – many of them in Iraq itself. Then they use an Internet telephone service called Skype to call these folks up, interview them and put together their stories. The result is something you would not hear on most radio news broadcasts, even National Public Radio, which, by the way, did a story about War News Radio in January and interviewed two of its producers. Another story about War News Radio has just appeared in the Los Angeles Times. War News Radio is the product of some innovative thinking and initiative, and it could happen anywhere.
