Specifics of Radio and
TV Reports
Lecture 5
Ing. Jiří Šnajdar
2013
What is news?
Reporting
What is NEWS?
The dog bites a man.
A man bites a dog.
News is a report of information about recent events
or happenings.
Brief Summary of days stories.
In the UK, the brief news summary is known as
news bulletin.
In the US the bulletin may refer to the one item snap
of breaking news.
In UK that would be known as newsflash.
Selection of News Items
Objectivity
Impartiality
Professionalism
Elements of News
Timeliness
Prominence
Proximity
Novelty
Significance
Impact
Suitability
Distinction
Immediacy
Innovation
Importance
Consequence
Elements of News
Conflict
Expedition
Concentration
Development
Wit
Clash
Suspense
Human Interest
Progress
Humour
EXERCISE
Look for a partner who’s not very close/familiar to
you.
Interview each other.
Determine something newsworthy of the person you
are talking with.
Write a 3 to 5-paragraph news about your partner.
Presentation of your news.
News Process
News Gathering
Reporting
News Writing/Reporting
News Presentation
News Gathering
Sources Of News Production
System Reporters
The wire copy and News agencies
Despatches
Press Releases
News Conferences.
DGPR
News Gathering
PID
Network and pooling Scheme
Politicians
Feeds From Foreign correspondence
Freelancer Contributors/ Stringers/,
Tip Offs
News Gathering
Events and the Emergency Services: Police, Fire
Brigade and Government and voluntary ambulances
services.
Monitoring Reports:
Material from interactive social media:
Facebook, Blogs, internet Press Exposure, Google,
AOL, Webcast, Podcast.. Internet free library / Free
press internet
Teletext.
News Process News Writing
Determine the focus sentence
Radio NewsScript format
Writing the lead paragraph
News Story Form and Organization
Inverted Pyramid vs. Square Format
Importance of Script Cardinal Rule in
Writing for Radio
Cebuano News Writing/Reporting
News Presentation/Reporting
News Process News
Writing Determine the focus sentence.
It helps you decide what you must include .
It helps you decide what you can leave out .
It helps you decide what order to set out the facts to
lead the listener through the story logically.
It sums up the essentials of your story in one
sentence that answers these three questions:
Who , What , and Why ?
Focus Sentence Examples:
People in Lahore are planning to march this
evening because they want immediate end of load
shedding in entire area.
Focus Sentence Examples:
Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada
seeks full media coverage of the trial of his cases
to inform the public of the status of his case.
Giant broadcasting network ABS-CBN has vowed
to remain free from government’s censorship
especially during the times when the
public needs most of the information.
Radio News Script Format SCRIPT-ONLY
Afternoon News/March 1, 2005
NightClub fire/script-only Kenneth
Protesters in Buenos Aires are planning
another march this evening.
They’re angry at the government over last week’s
nightclub fire.
It killed more than 180 people. The protestors are
complaining that authorities let the club operate with
locked emergency doors, flammable sound proofing
and dangerous overcrowding.
Radio News Script Format
Most of the victims were in their teens. But
some were children and babies.
That’s because witnesses say the club
operated a makeshift child-care centre.
Yesterday for a second straight day,
many protestors marched toward City Hall to call for
the mayor to resign for
allowing the club to exist.
Police have arrested the owner of the club. The fire
is one of Argentina’s worst disasters [end]
REPORTING FROM CITY HALL…
Who? What? When?
Lead Paragraph WRAP/VOICE REPORT Afternoon
News/March 1, 2005
Night Club fire/script-only Kenneth Protesters in
Buenos Aires are planning
another march this evening
TO CALL FOR THE MAYOR’S RESIGNATION …
KENNETH GALANO HAS THIS REPORT FROM
CITY HALL…
News Story Form & Organization
Inverted Pyramid
most important facts
supporting details
additional details
more details
News Story Form & Organization
Square Format
story lead
fact 2 and detail
fact 3 and detail
rounding off
Ending Your Story
Summary Ending
Climax Ending
Stinger
Un-ending
Ending Your Story
Summary Ending
Like the summary lead, the summary
ending wraps up the story with the most important
facts. Ex.:
Yesterday for a second straight day, many protestors
marched toward City Hall to call for the mayor to
resign for allowing the club to exist.
Police have arrested the owner
of the club. The fire is one of Argentina’s worst
disasters.
Ending Your Story
Stinger Ending
The writer ends with something totally
unsuspected by the reader. Ex.:
And so Ramon, the shy and lovable Ramon,
ended up to be the vicious rapist hunted for in at
least three states.
Ending YourStory
Un-ending
This type of ending purposely ends on a
limb, creating suspense and interest in a follow up.Ex.:
Informants are often reluctant to come forward, whether
out of fear, loyalty or a general aversion to getting
involved, and this case has provided its own reasons for
tipsters to be wary. Many sources who gave the FBI
information on Jewell, ranging from his work history to
his living habits, must be wondering today if the leads
they provided helped keep the investigation focused in a
probably innocent man. Still, the FBI is hoping that
popular interest in seeing the real bomber punished
and the lure of a $500,000 bounty, will keep those calls
and photos coming.
News Sentence Structure
Passive sentences
Follows the Object-Verb-Subject agreement
Example:
O
V
S
A man was bitten by the dog.
News Sentence Structure
Active sentences
Follows the Subject-Verb-Object agreement
Example:
S
V
O
The dog bites a man.
Importance of Script
It ensures smooth continuity of the program
Smooth flow of things from beginning to end
Avoidance of “dead air”
Keeps from saying anything irrelevant
It aids in proper program timing
Ensures program not to go overtime or undertime
It approximates the total program length
Importance of Script
It ensures accuracy of information
Written facts are far better than be dependent on the
announcer’s memory.
Summarizes facts in magazines, books or pieces of
paper
It helps in presenting information in an organized
manner
Guides in discussing information in a logical order.
The Cardinal Rule in Writing for Radio
IT’S SPOKEN (“Write for the ear, not for the eye”)
Think it, say it, then write!
Use contractions
Change complex words to simpler ones
Punctuate for sound
Avoid sound clashes
Provide a pronunciation guide
CONTRACTIONS
No Contractions
I will
It is
She is
He would not
Using Contractions
I’ll
It’s She’s
He wouldn’t
COMPLEX WORDS
Complex Words
Nictitate
Halitosis
Monosodium Glutamate
Law of Supply and Demand
Simple Words
Wink
Bad breath
Seasoning or Vetsin
Increase in demand
PUNCTUATE FOR SOUND
! – indicates inflection—something to emphasize.
? - signifies questions
/,… - indicate pause
- in a happy mood
AVOID SOUND CLASHES
Avoid alliterations— repetition of the initial sound of
nearby words or syllables.
Wilma and William watched the window washers walk
with Walter.
Be careful of sibilant (s,z,sh,zh,ch,j) and popping (b, p)
sounds
She saw some shiny shells shimmering on the shore
while she sat sipping her champagne.
Bobby blew and blew some big, bright blue bubbles.
Avoid Sound Clashes
Watch out for tongue twisters .
Thirty thrifty rural residents rented thirty-three tricycles.
Sherry Sue sure showed some spirit studying Statistics
she’s taking this summer.
Avoid repeating words or using words that have the
same sound.
The local building was built by a local builder.
Pronunciation Guide
It is important not to mispronounce names of persons,
places or things
Antilles ( An-til-lez )
Pneumonia ( noo-mo-nia )
Break down scientific and technical terms that are
difficult to read.
Extraterritoriality ( ex-tra-ter-ri-to-ria-li-ty )
Deoxyribonucleic acid ( deo-xy-ri-bo-nuc-lic acid )
Cebuano Journalism
Sentence Structure:
S
V
O
I am going to the Carbon Market.
V
S
O
News Process
News Gathering
News Writing
News Presentation/Reporting
Live Reports Scripts, Outline, Raw Notes
Live interviews
Canned Reports Pre-recorded in tape or CD/USB stick
Newscasting
News broadcasting
is the broadcasting of various news events and
other information via television, radio or internet in the
field of broadcast journalism.
The content is usually either produced locally in a radio
studio or television studio newsroom, or by a broadcast
network.
It may also include additional material such
as sports coverage, weather forecasts, traffic
reports, commentary and other material that
the broadcaster feels is relevant to their audience.
Television news
refers to disseminating current events via the medium of
television.
A "news bulletin" or a "newscast" are television
programs lasting from seconds to hours that provide
updates on world, national, regional or local
news events.
Television news is very image-based, showing video of
many of the events that are reported. Television
channels may provide news bulletins as part of a
regularly scheduled news program.
Less often, television shows may be interrupted or
replaced by breaking news ("news flashes") to provide
news updates on events of great importance.
Radio news
is the same as television news but is transmitted
through the medium of the radio.
It is more based on the audio aspect rather than the
visual aspect. Sound bites are captured through
various reporters and played back through the radio.
News updates occur more often on the radio than on
the television - usually about once or twice an hour.
Radio
Radio station newscasts can range from as little as a
minute to as much as the station's entire schedule,
such as the case of all-news radio, or talk radio.
Stations dedicated to news or talk will often feature
newscasts, or bulletins, usually at the top of the hour,
usually between three and eight minutes in length.
They can be a mix of local, national and international
news, as well as sport, entertainment, weather and
traffic, or they may be incorporated into separate
bulletins.
Radio
There may also be shorter bulletins at the bottom of
the hour, or three at 15-minute intervals, or two at
20-minute intervals.
All-news radio stations exist in some countries,
primarily located in major metropolitan areas. which
often broadcast local, national and international
news and feature stories on a set time schedule.
Television
Newscasts, also known as bulletins or news
programs, differ in content, tone and presentation
style depending on the format of the channel on
which they appear, and their time slot. In most parts
of the world, national television networks will have
network bulletins featuring national and international
news.
The top rating shows will often be in the evening at
'prime time', but there are also often breakfast
time newscasts of two to three hours in length.
Rolling news channels broadcast news 24 hours a
day.
Television
Many video and audio news reports presented on
the internet are updated 24 hours a day.
Local news may be presented by stand-alone local
television stations, local stations affiliated to national
networks or by local studios which 'opt-out' of
national network programming at specified points.
Different news programming may be aimed at
different audiences, depending on age, socioeconomic group or those from particular sections of
society. 'Magazine-style' television shows may mix
news coverage with topical lifestyle issues, debates
or entertainment content.