RADIO NEWS WRITING

Characteristics of Radio as a Medium for Masses

It is audio or sound needs listening use of Ear speed speed increases risk of Error.

Because of use of sound, words, music and Ear Radio has its own requirements of Broadcast and writing - what are these ? Listener can not go back or refer to you broadcast or announcement No chance of referring back like Print medium Once words have gone over the listeners, gone for ever No going back.
This characteristics of Radio necessiates or brings restrictions on Broadcaster what are these ? Broadcast must be effective It should be registered by the audience It should be remembered and acted upon if need be It should create an impact and audience should get interested in the subject and the broadcaster To achieve these objectives there is broadcast style What is that ?

 Your writing should be simple, Direct, straight informal, personal it should create a link between broadcaster and listener or audience Link can be established by making use of words, sound, music or even silence. Writing Style - use of simple, short sentences Use subject (who) and verb (how / what) Avoid complex or compound sentence. Each sentence should contain 12 to 18 words giving one fact only Dont scramble too many things in one or two sentences. Avoid jargons and bombastic words - Dont assume listener knows all the words you use. Give important facts in the words you use Give important facts in shortest words you use Give important facts in shortest possible way and say it direct Writing for Radio is for the Ear so write as you would speak or would - hear. The eye can take in a whole sentence at a time. The Ear takes a sentence word by word. It must wait until the end of a sentence to understand its full meaning. Good Journalists talk to themselves as they write, testing each phrase for its sound and judging how easy it is to say.

 Time is always a constraint You will never have time at your disposal as you want Why ? because of volume of events and duration of the bulletin and fixed time of broadcast How duration is calculated ? Signature tune seconds Head Lines News up to interval minutes Commercials seconds Repeat Head Lines seconds Emergency / Last minute item

 ABC of News : 1) Accuracy : Fundamental to any news broadcast. Get your facts Right. If credibility is lost viewers/audience is lost. Avoid use of Rumors, or News/fact which are not confirmed. Avoid ambiguity and Distortion. Distortion occurs when inaccuracies and untruth replace facts. News services should not speculate. News service should not give opinion of its own. Report only facts, and opinion of others. Inaccuracies occur in translation Role of translators. 2) Balance : Try to give both sides of the story. If it is controversial news be extra careful. You should not take side in dispute. Do not appear to be Biased or partial. If you dont follow you loose credibility. Economy of words is essential, but it should not be at the cost of accuracy. To be brief is an asset but it should not omit important facts. Do not create Ambiguity by Economy of words.

4) Clarity : If audience can not understand what are you saying, the whole effort is wasted. Audience has only ONE chance to understand. Use of appropriate words leads to clarity.

Accuracy + Balance + Clarity leads to credibility.

Points to Remember while Preparing a Radio Programme

It is.. 1) Spoken 2) Immediate 3) Person to person 4) Heard only once 5) Audio only

 The words used should be in spoken vocabulary and meaning is known to your audience. It should be everyday speech/talk. Advantage of Radio over N.P. is immediacy. This can be achieved by using Present Tense. Things read on the Radio should appear to the listener to be appearing NOW. The present tense is a typical broadcast tense because it gives a sense of immediacy. Writing for Radio must be informal. It is You and Me. Try to avoid bureaucratic language. Try not to be dull we should talk to the listener as a friend. The broadcast, once made is gone and listener can not refer to what was said. A long sentence is too long, if it is not split. Do not cram all the information in one sentence. Clarity relies on simplicity. Confusion comes due to complex sentences. Words are the bridge between the News writer and the Listener. Use words that convey concrete images.

To make your copy sound lively

Verbs are chief tools in spoken and writing. Verbs are the backbone of broadcast style. Adjectives are not as much help. Vague Adjectives colourful, traditional. Use Present Tense Try to avoid negative style. Tighten your sentence Every word must count. Avoid needless repetition. Avoid subordinate clauses which cause. Avoid starting a sentence with a participle. Do not put a vital verb at the end of a sentence. Try not to end a sentence with an adjective or an adverb.

Structure of News
First Then Then Then Last

: : : : :

What is the News ? Set the scene where ? and How ? Details of the event. Background. Minor details.

You must attract the listener with the sound of the first sentence. Lead should be catchy. Avoid over crowding Lead. Be wary of a question Lead. Do not use strange, unfamiliar name. Tie up the name so that listeners are not confused. Identify the name. Do not begin with all stories with a location / place. i.e. at Pune etc. Be many of figures Do not lead with too many figures. Do not use Today quite often.