Writing for broadcast

BROADCAST WRITING

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THE SIX Cs CLEAR

simple, understandable, express NOT impress

CONCISE

get to the main point

CONVERSATIONAL

―for the ear‖

COMPLETE

5 Ws

CURRENT

timely copy in content and sound

CORRECT

free of factual errors, spelling & grammar

BROADCAST PRINCIPLES

It is SPOKEN

It is IMMEDIATE

It is PERSON TO PERSON

It is HEARD ONLY ONCE

It is SOUND ONLY

BROADCAST PRINCIPLES CONT‘D

It is SPOKEN

Nagtahan bridge is not motorable.

Nagtahan Bridge is closed to traffic.

It is IMMEDIATE

The President said today the country‘s economy

was booming.

President Aquino says the country‘s economy is on the road

to recovery.


It is HEARD ONLY ONCE

The Representative of the Philippines and the

Representative of Vietnam, under a bilateral

agreement, have agreed to expand their 2-way trade,

with the latter assuring the former that it will not extend any

support, financial or otherwise to the local communist

movement.

The Philippines and Vietnam today agreed to expand their

trade relations by signing a trade agreement. Vietnam

assured the Philippines that it will not support the local

communist movement.

It is SOUND ONLY

The building was built by a local builder.

A local company built the house.


It is PERSON TO PERSON

The office of Consular Services of the Dept. of Foreign

Affairs in coordination with other offices under the

department has started streamlining its passport-issuing

function to the public.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has now made it easier

for people to get their passports.

BROADCAST GUIDELINES

Use everyday language

Write short sentences

Use one idea to a sentence

Use the present tense if possible

Usually confine stories to one major theme

BROADCAST NEWS STRUCTURE

o read

o inverted pyramid

o 700 words

o Formal English

o permanent

heard

upright pyramid

75 – 80 words

Informal English

transitory

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THE CRAFT OF BROADCAST NEWS WRITING

ATTRIBUTION—Broadcast puts attribution at beginning of

sentences for better flow

Newspaper: Sennett lost control of his motorcycle, crossed

over the center line and collided with the oncoming pickup

truck, Midcity Police Department Public Information Officer

David M. Cohen reported. (note attribution is at the end)

Broadcast: Midcity police spokesman David Cohen says

Sennett lost control of his motorcycle, crossed the center

line and collided with the oncoming pickup truck. (note

attribution is at beginning, long job title is shortened, and

middle initial not used)

THE CRAFT OF BROADCAST NEWS WRITING CONT‘D

ATTRIBUTION—Use when a statement is opinionated,

questionable, controversial, and when it would better establish

the credibility of the statement. Attribution is not necessary to use

when the statement is a known and indisputable fact.

Examples of when attribution not needed:

A jet crashed at the Midcity Municipal Airport

Three men died in the traffic accident

World War II ended in 1945.

Example of when attribution is needed:

Most college students party too much.

The oil companies are ripping off the public.

Pilot error caused the plane crash.


TIME ELEMENT—Broadcast strives for immediacy. Avoid

―yesterday/last night‖ in leads. Instead, update the story to say

what is happening now or today.

Newspapers: Charles O. Sennett, 24, of Midcity, died last night

when his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck on

Magnolia Avenue.

Broadcast: A motorcycle accident has claimed the life of a

24-year-old Midcity man.


USE OF NAMES WITH TITLES OR POSITIONS AND AGE—broadcast

puts titles and ages before names for better flow and so the

listener can better assess the credibility of the source

Newspaper: Dr. William P. Bates, an EPO research chemist, said…

Broadcast: E-P-O research chemist Dr. William Bates says…

Newspapers: Mary R. Carter, 21, a College of Charleston senior,

won the lottery.

Broadcast: Twenty-one-year-old College of Charleston senior

Mary Carter won the lottery. (note: always spell out

numbers when they begin sentences)


APPROXIMATIONS OR ROUNDING OFF NUMBERS —broadcast

rounds off big numbers for better listener comprehension

Newspaper: School is out for 76,212 Midcity students.

Broadcast: School is out for more than 76-thousand Midcity

students.


USE OF QUOTES —Broadcast stories include ―…and this is a

direct quote‖ wording

Newspaper: ―I will not allow the Morris Island Lighthouse

to collapse into the sea,‖ the governor said.

Broadcast: The governor says…and these are his exact words…I

will not allow the Morris Island Lighthouse to collapse into

the sea. (note: don’t use quotation marks)

You can also paraphrase: The governor says he will not allow the

Morris Island Lighthouse to collapse into the sea.


ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE—Broadcast uses active voice for flow

and to sound more immediate and punchy. The passive voice

can slow the flow and add unnecessary wordiness.

Newspaper: Midcity University was awarded a $500,000 grant by

the Ford Foundation.

Broadcast: The Ford Foundation has awarded a 500-thousand-

dollar grant to Midcity University.


CONTRACTIONS—Broadcast uses more contractions than print

because they are conversational. Broadcast writing is more informal

than print writing.

Newspaper: Doctors say there is a ―significant cancer hazard.‖

Broadcast: Doctors say there‘s a quote…significant cancer hazard.


MIDDLE INITIALS—Broadcast is more informal and doesn‘t

use middle initialsunless they are part of a well known person‘s

name-- Edward R. Murrow or Michael J. Fox for example.

Newspaper: Officers Marc P. Waxton and Regina S. Moreno are

credited…

Broadcast: Officers Marc Waxton and Regina Moreno are

credited…


Verb Tenses —Broadcast uses present tenses (―says‖ instead of

―said,‖ ―is‖ instead of ―was‖ for example) to sound more

immediate, current and timely

Newspaper: The residents said the storm was the worst they‘ve

ever seen.

Broadcast: The residents say the storm was the worst they‘ve

ever seen.


SYMBOLS—Broadcast spells out symbols such as $ and %

Newspaper: Revenue grew by 10% to $50 million.

Broadcast: Revenue grew by 10 percent to 50-million-dollars.


ABBREVIATIONS—Don‘t use in broadcast copy; use hyphens to

separate initials

Newspaper: 7621 Ramsgate Blvd. EPA research chemist

Broadcast: 76-21 Ramsgate Boulevard E-P-A research chemist


DOZEN DEADLY SINS

1. Don’t start a story with ―as expected‖

(Don‘t listeners tune in to hear the ―unexpected‖?)

2. Don’t start a story with ―in a surprise move‖

(Isn‘t news full of ―surprises‖?)

3. Don’t start a story by saying someone ―is making news,‖ ―is in

the news,‖ or ―is dominating the news‖

• Just tell what‘s happening

• Isn‘t everyone you mention in the newscast ―making

news,‖ etc.?

DOZEN DEADLY SINS CONT‘D

4. Don’t start a story by saying, ―A new development tonight in

the....‖

(If it‘s not new, or a new development, it probably

isn‘t news)

5. Don’t characterize news as ―good,‖ ―bad,‖ ―interesting,‖ or

―disturbing‖

• Let your listener decide if it‘s good, bad, etc.

• Was the plunge in oil prices good news for folks in Texas?


6. Don’t start a story with a participial phrase or a

dependent clause

• We don‘t talk that way

• It can cause copy to become ―weak and murky‖

• Can cause confusion

• S-V-O (subject-verb-object) order is the best

pattern for your first sentence

7. Don’t start a story with a quotation

(Your listeners will presume the words are those of

the announcer)


8. Don’t start a story with any form of the verb ―to be‖

• They‘re dead phrases that employ linking verbs

• Use active verbs in the active voice

9. Don’t start a story with the name of an unknown or

unfamiliar person

• Is the unknown person the reason you‘re telling

the story?

• Most stories don‘t even need a name


10. Don’t start a story with a personal pronoun

(―It‖ is a ―premature‖ (vague) pronoun)

11. Don’t write a first sentence that uses ―yesterday‖

(Yesterday is gone ... update that lead to read

from today‘s perspective)


12. Don’t write a first sentence that uses the verb

―continues‖

(It doesn‘t tell your listener anything new)

13. Don’t start a story with ―another,‖ ―more,‖ or ―once

again‖

(Why listen to more of the same?)


14. Don’t start a story with a sentence that has a

―no‖ or ―not‖

• People respond more positively to positive

statements

• ―Recast‖ the negative into a positive

15. Don’t cram too much information into a story

(Your audience simply cannot process the

constant flow of facts)


16. Don’t use newspaper constructions

(Attribution before assertion)

17. Don’t lose or fail to reach a listener

• Talk to your listener, not at him

• Understand that good writing is hard work

• ―Easy writing, hard listening. Hard writing, easy

listening.‖

18. Don’t make a factual error

(Causes a loss of authority and credibility)

VENIAL SINS

1. Don’t use pre-fabricated phrases – they quickly

become boring and trite

• ―It‘s official,‖ ―It shouldn‘t come as any

surprise,‖ ―Believe it or not,‖ etc.

• ―Police are investigating,‖ ―Only time will tell,‖

―Don‘t count him out yet,‖ etc.

• ―In a prepared statement,‖ ―In an abrupt

about-face,‖ ―None the worse for wear,‖ etc.

VENIAL SINS CONT‘D

2. Don’t waste words – it’s a waste of time and waters

down what you say

• ―‘literally‘ walked off the field

• ―‘suddenly‘ fell off the bridge‖

• ―‘flatly‘ denied‖

3. Don’t use non-broadcast words

• Don‘t use a word that‘s not likely to be readily

understood by almost all listeners

• If you suspect a word is a ―non-broadcast‖

word, you‘re probably right.


4. Don’t use hollow words – they do nothing but take

up time

• ―the shooting ‗incident‘‖ is just ―the shooting‖

• ―thunderstorm ‗activity‘‖ is better stated

―thunderstorms‖

5. Don’t use vague words

(if someone is ―involved‖ in the crime, did they

commit it or are they the victim?)


6. Don’t use weasel words

(If a rape occurred, be specific ... call it a rape,

not an ―attack‖)

7. Don’t use windy words

• Find the simple synonym

• ―commence‖ becomes ―start‖

• ―city‖ for ―metropolis‖

• ―use‖ instead of ―utilize‖.


8. Don’t use weary words

• A weary word is one that‘s been ―used up‖

• ―Controversy‖ and ―controversial‖ are two

examples

9. Don’t use wrong words

• Ensure you know what a word means before

you use it

• A ―dilemma‖ is two alternatives, equally

undesirable, not a problem, plight, or

predicament.


10. Don’t use foreign words and phrases

(Many people have a hard enough time

understanding English)

11. Don’t resort to clichés

• One cliché is not worth a thousand words

• Do the police really ―have their work ‗cut out‘

for them‖?

• Do people really ―‘huddle‘ behind

closed doors‘?.


12. Don’t stretch for synonyms for words that are easily

understood

• Even if it does mean using the same word

twice in a story, or even a sentence

• Do ―explains‖ and ―says‖ really mean

the same?

13. Don’t ―hotrod‖

(―Hotrodding‖ is ―high power‖ writing).

TOP TIPS OF THE TRADE

1. Start strong. ―Well begun is half done.‖

(Your first words may determine if your listeners keep

listening)

2. Read — and understand — your source copy.

(Ensure you understand something BEFORE you use it)

3. Underline or circle key facts.

(Allows you to instantly see what‘s important & keep

track of important facts)

4. Don’t write yet. Think.

(Take time to think — even if it‘s just for 30 seconds).

TOP TIPS OF THE TRADE CONT‘D

5. Write the way you talk – unless you’re from the Bronx!

(Use straight forward manner, without zigzags)

6. Apply the rules for broadcast newswriting.

(Don‘t try to cram the five ―w‘s‖ up front)

7. Have the courage to write simply.

8. Refrain from wordy windups.

(Tell your stories; don‘t write them)


9. Put attribution before assertion.

(Let your listeners know who‘s behind the assertions at

the outset)

10. Go with S-V-O: subject—verb—object.

(That‘s the way we speak)

11. Limit a sentence to one idea.

(This helps reduce difficult, complex stories to their

essence)

12. Use short words and short sentences.

(The words most of us use most frequently are short)


13. Use familiar words in familiar combinations.

(That‘s the way the audience is accustom to hearing them)

14. People-ize your copy.

(Write about people, not personnel ... people want to hear

about people)

15. Activate your copy.

(Use verbs that move (action verbs) and avoid passive voice)

16. Avoid a first sentence whose main verb is any form of ―to be‖

(It conveys no action)


17. Avoid may, might, could, should, seems.

(These linking verbs are even weaker than the ―to be‖

family)

18. Put your sentences in a positive form.

(Accentuate the positive ... try to avoid ―no‖ and ―not‖)

19. Use present tense verbs where appropriate.

(The verb that you can most often use in the present

tense is say)

20. Don’t start with a quotation or a question.

(Your listener may think the words are your own)


21. Use connectives — and, also, but, so, because — to

link sentences.

(This makes it easier to follow the thread of your story)

22. Put the word or words you want to emphasize at the

end of your sentence.

(A word placed at the sentence‘s end gains emphasis

and is remembered)

23. Use contractions — with caution.

(They‘re conversational, but may cause confusion, e.g.,

can‘t, which might be heard as can.)


24. Pep up your copy with words like new, now, but, says.

(They signal a listener he‘s hearing news and can

compress a mouthful into one word)

25. Watch out for I, we, our, here, up, down.

(They can confuse)

26. Omit needless words.

(You can often delete words with no loss in meaning and

gain clarity)


27. Hit only the main points; trash the trivia.

(Ensure every word you use is essential)

28. Don’t parrot source copy.

(Rewrite news stories in your own words)

29. When in doubt, leave it out.

(Deal only in facts, not in conjecture)


31. Don’t raise questions you don’t answer.

(Don‘t include a fact that is unclear)

32. Read your copy aloud. If it sounds like writing,

rewrite it.

(What matters is how your copy sounds, not how it looks

on paper)

33. Rewrite. The art of writing lies in rewriting what

you’ve already written.

(Check facts; get rid of clutter; ensure the words are in

the right order, etc.)

WRITE COMPELLING LEADS

GOAL: to identify the story topic & begin the flow of information with the most important details

immediately identify for the audience why the story is

important to them

WRITE COMPELLING LEADS CONT‘D

Four general categories of stories and leads:

the content is of importance to the viewer in their

everyday life

the story is close in proximity to them (their life, job, family/friends, home, etc.)

the topic or people in the story are prominent

the story is interesting to the listener


The lead is to grab attention and draw the listener

into the story.

Generally, ask, what is it about this story that is:

important, proximate, prominent, or interesting.

Then include the what and where information about

the story.


Avoid spectacular wording.

Do not use clichés.

Keep to the facts.

Do not include the 5 W‘s in the lead.

Do not ask questions as a lead.

Do not use quotes as a lead.

Ask, why is this story important to the listener and

what information will draw them into the story.

FOLLOW A LOGICAL ORDER IN WRITING THE SCRIPT

• After the lead (which usually includes the what and

where information,) the writer focuses on the who

and why. Unless very important to the story, the

when is often ignored.

• Often times, a writer will organize a story in

chronological order. Most likely, this is not advisable.

Seldom do the important elements of a story occur in

order. Other, more valuable approaches to writing a

story include the particular-to-general order or the

cause and effect order.

STRUCTURE THE SCRIPT

• Commas and other punctuation are also great aids to a presenter who is going to read the script out

loud.

• Break-up sentences into short, easy-to-comprehend

units.

• A long sentence is not only a challenge for the

presenter (who will have to take a breath sometime!)

but also for the listener, who tends to get lost while

trying to understand it.

STRUCTURE THE SCRIPT CONT’D

• Use double-spacing at all times when writing for

broadcast. Please waste paper! Many writers

(especially students!) obviously like to economise, but

in the world of broadcasting, it is important to space

out words clearly. This not only means large fonts and

double-spacing, but also means greater use of short,

clear paragraphs. Essentially the writer tries to make

it as easy as possible for the presenter to read. Small

fonts, single spacing and long paragraphs are very

difficult to read on the air. Many presenters will like to

make small additions to your script (see: MARKING

FOR PRESENTATION) and a dense format will make it

difficult for them to do so.


• Don‘t use capital letters throughout.

• Conventional writing has the advantage of making

the capitalisation of certain names (e.g. President

Sam Nujoma) clear to the reader, rather than

PRESIDENT SAM NUJOMA.


• Each story in a news bulletin or an actuality

programme (such as World at Six) will also have to be

written on a separate page.

• This is also to enable an editor to change the order of

a bulletin, or even add a late breaking story at the

last minute.

• Note that each page of a bulletin should contain

important information at the top, including: the date

on which it was written, the author/reporter and a

‗slug‘ (a short identifier – for instance: SAM FISH for a

story about President Nujoma opening a fishing

factory).

STYLES OF NEWS WRITING

• NBC Radio uses a very formal, but old-fashioned

approach. The entire news bulletin script is written out and read by one person. Very few broadcasters,

even the BBC, use this approach. However, because

of the need for translation of each bulletin, NBC in a

way is still forced to use this method. Listen to NBC

National Radio for examples of this approach – their

major bulletins are at 07:00, 08:00, 13:00 and 19:00

daily.

STYLES OF NEWS WRITING CONT’D

• Most common throughout the world today, including

VOA and BBC World Service, is the use of ‗sound

bites.‘ In other words, the bulletin, although read by

one person, will contain within it a number of reports

or other sounds (for instance, an interview). Rather

than simply reading out the fact that 100 people died

in Nigerian riots, the reporter on the scene has a lot

more impact if he or she describes it in their own

words. It also has the advantage of breaking up the

monotony of one person‘s voice talking for ten

minutes without any break. Listen to VOA news on

Radio 99 as well as some of the Word Radio Network

broadcasters (each evening on UNAM Radio 97.4) for

examples of this approach.

STYLES OF NEWS WRITING CONT’D

• Also note that the commercial broadcasters require

Namibian news content. However, the choice of

story will obviously be different with more focus on

entertainment news, sports items or novelty items.

The style of writing will be more informal with more

slang being acceptable. Listen to Radio Wave (96.7) for examples of this style of writing.

MARKING FOR PRESENTATION

• Use some marks (/) throughout the script in order to

break it up in to ‗sense blocks‘. This will help make

sense of the script when it is presented.

• Write out difficult words in full on the script. In the

heat of the moment Ngarikatuke Tjiriange can be

quite a mouthful. So writing it out, as it sounds, in big

letters somewhere (NGARI-KA-TU-KE TJI-RI-AN-GE) will

really help a presenter when they are live with the red

light on.

MARKING FOR PRESENTATION

• Use underlining to indicate that the presenter is to

give emphasis to pronunciation or to words. For

example, emphasizing Ja in Rio de Janeiro may use

correct pronunciation but the emphasis all wrong. So

underline the part of the word that will give correct

emphasis – Rio de Janeiro.

• Consider using some kind of squiggly line under those

parts of the script that might present a problem. This

technique can signal a presenter to slow down and

take more care over these difficult words or

sentences.

HOW THE VISUAL STRUCTURE SHOULD CLOSELY

MATCH THE WRITTEN STRUCTURE

The following is the opening sequence from a CNN report on the kidnapping of an Indian politician. Note how every line in the script is strictly matched by complementary visual material. Also note how, in writing for television especially, colloquial English is often used rather than formal English.

Thus, the first sentence should read: ―Bangalore is a city on edge, as police …‖ However, being television, don’t tell the viewers what they can already see (in this case a caption under the image would confirm that the shots are of Bangalore).

―A city on edge, as police nervously patrol the centre ….‖ (SHOTS OF CITY CENTRE – POLICE IN FOREGROUND)

―The politician was kidnapped three months ago..‖ (SHOTS OF DEAD POLITICIAN)

―His kidnapper, a 42 year old Bangladeshi national.‖ (SHOTS OF KIDNAPPER)

―However, the government says ….‖ (INTERVIEW WITH GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN)

REFERENCES RETRIEVED FROM:

Malinao, A. (1991). Journalism for Filipinos. National Bookstore.

Rahorn, R & Toni, E. (2011). Broadcast writing style guide. Retrieved on Sept. 3,

2015 from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/dod/broadcast_writi

ng.pdf

The Craft of Broadcast News Writing. Retrieved on Sept. 1, 2015 from

http://harwoodp.people.cofc.edu/BroacastNewsWriting12Differences.pdf

Tyson, R. & Moore, R. (____). Broadcast Writing. Retrieved Sept. 5, 2015 from

http://users.etown.edu/m/moorerc/Ch%2027%20Broadcast%20Writing.htm

http://web.stanford.edu/~jonahw/PWR2-F07/BroadvsPrint.html

http://jdhr.org/publications/media-and-development/Broadcast%20Script%20Writing.pdf

Writing for broadcast

Education