Writing for Broadcast Chapter 18

Print/Broadcast Differences Print news is written for readers scanning a page with their eyes Print stories can be reread Most people like newspapers for their detailed information Prints stories are written based on word count and column inches Broadcast news is written for listeners and viewers tuning in with their ears and eyes (for TV) Broadcast words, once spoken, are gone forever People like broadcast news for quick, up-to-date info Broadcast stories are written for length of time: 30 sec., 2 min., etc.

Print/Broadcast Similarities Although the writing styles for print and broadcast are different, the types of stories chosen are not The best stories for print and broadcast are also the best stories in print Reporting and newsgathering are similar too: identifying central point, finding the best story angle, doing background research, conducting interviews, identifying best quotes/soundbites, writing well, and adhering to journalistic principles of accuracy, fairness, balance, and objectivity

Broadcast Writing Guidelines Adopt a conversational, informal and relaxed style Write short sentences that are to the point and limited to one idea per sentence Present information in an up-to-date format Use present-tense verbs Round off numbers and give them meaning Shorten long titles Never put an unfamiliar name first in a story Omit a person’s middle initial Place the description, age, job title, and other identification before a person’s name not after as done in print Leave out ages and addresses if they are not important to the story Place the attribution before what is said: “who said what” Avoid pronouns: may be unclear who you are referring to

Broadcast Writing Tips Add phonetic spelling to ensure proper pronunciation: Bow-fort, North Carolina; Beuw-fort, South Carolina Spell out numbers up to and including eleven Use numerals for 12 to 999 Use “says” instead of “said” to sound more current and now Use a combination of numerals and words for large numbers Use words instead of abbreviations Spell out figures, signs and symbols Use hyphens for numbers and letters to be read individually: C-B-S Avoid alliterations or tongue twisters

Pyramid vs. Inverted Pyramid The best broadcast leads are short: 12 words or so Broadcast uses a pyramid style body of the story organization: complete story is written for time given, say 30 seconds But like the inverted pyramid, the story often puts information in descending order of importance

Scripting Broadcast Stories Broadcast story “scripts” have more narrow left and right margins and are double spaced for readability Corrections can be neatly made on script using block-style editing See script example on page 496 Another example is on our website: