Broadcast Writing Basics

The challenge of writing for broadcast:

potentially passive audience
 

need to be interesting, (entertaining?)
 

summarizing is critical, no time for long explanations
(which means you have to really know what you're talking about)
 

one chance to communicate, then it's gone
 

immediacy is a major advantage over print (and you may want to tie in to your website)

 

 

 
Differences between print and broadcast journalism:

writing for the ear not the eye
 

language of the written word differs from the language of the spoken word
 

shorter leads
 

often broadcast leads don't contain the 5 W's

(usually 1 or 2)
 

time vs. space (length)
 

the ear tires before the eye
 

chronology is critical
 
 
 
Things to be aware of:
1. Know your audience

helps determine the style of presentation, what you have to say, and
why you are saying it

though it is mass communication, you are writing for one person
 
2. Accuracy

gets to the issue of journalistic integrity and credibility

bias

verify and substantiate
 
3. Attribution

who takes responsibility for what is said?

whose opinion or analysis is reflected?

separating news fact from commentary/opinion

look for ways to shorten the attribution

attribute at the start rather than at the end
 
4. Quoting the source

direct or indirect

use indirect unless direct adds emphasis or impact
 
5. Other Attribution Words

"said"

"told"

"reported"

all neutral words
 
6. Verb tense

present tense gives immediacy and impact
 
7. Active vs. Passive voice

active is more lively

subject of a verb is the doer of the action

who do you want emphasis on?
 
8. Word usage

simple rather than complex

concrete rather than abstract

active rather than passive

concise rather than wordy
 
9. Grammar

conventional rules don't always apply!

commas are important
 
key - listen, and read aloud copy after you've written it

does it make sense?

is it concise?

is it accurate?

 
Broadcast Writing Guidelines:

1. Use 8 and 1/2 x 11 paper.

NO staples - ever!
2. Use only one side of the paper.
3. Use 1 inch margins.
4. Double space
5. Use a readable 12 pt font. (Times New Roman is common)
6. Use only one side of the paper.
7. Put slug in upper left corner of the page (single spaced).

Reporter's name

Story identification

Date

Page #

Length of story

8. Start story four lines below the slug.

Double spacing in the copy

9. No indents!
10. Use commas and ellipses (…) to indicate pauses. Breathe!
11. Use ### at the end of the story.
12. If a story continues onto a second page, break the story at a natural pause point. Also, be careful about line breaks (ex. don't break a name).
13. Start each new story on a new page.
14. Bold key words that may be difficult to pronounce. Know who you are writing for.
15. Include phonetic spelling for difficult to pronounce words. The phonetics should be inside parentheses immediately following the word. Capitalize any syllable that needs emphasis.
16. Spell out abbreviations the first time (condense if possible). Abbreviate rarely.
17. Treat numbers properly. Make the abstract concrete.

Spell out numbers one to nine.

Use numerals for 10 - 999.

Use the words for thousands, millions, billions, trillions etc.

Round off large numbers unless specific numbers are significant.

Spell out dollars, cents, and percent with reference to numbers.
18. Use st, rd, th and nd after dates, addresses and numbers to be read as ordinals.
19. When using age, use a combination of years and "year old."

Ex. 21-year-old
20. In general, don't begin a story with a number or name.
21. Indirect quotes are usually preferred to direct quotes.
22. Titles precede names. Don't use a name to start a story. Use complete names the first usage.
23. Use present tense as often as possible.
24. Localize/personalize when possible.
25. Avoid overusing "today," "tonight" etc. However, these phrases are preferable to am or pm.
26. Avoid overusing "you" and "your"
27. Be careful about using loaded words.
28. For now, four lines equals 15 seconds of airtime.
29. The lead sentence is the most important part of the story. There will always be a better lead than the one you've written. The only question is if you will be the one to write that lead.
 
 
 
Sochay's Five Rules for Good Broadcast Writing:
1. Write the story.
2. Check these guidelines.
3. Read the story aloud.
4. Rewrite the story.
5. Repeat rules 1-4.
 

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