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RADIO BASICS
Producing excellent scripts & reports

Media Helping Media

The main source of the material for this module is Media Helping Media http://www.mediahelpingmedia.org/. Also including material from The News Manual http://www.thenewsmanual.net/

Radio Basics
How to write the intro for a news report

Radio Basics the intro

1: The intro

KISS

KISS
Keep

it short and simple Subject, verb, object Everyday speech Short sentences
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Radio Basics the intro

2: Active voice

Keep bulletins alive

The subject is the doer

The

dog bit the man

Not
The

man was bitten by the dog

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Radio Basics the intro

2: Active voice

Keep bulletins alive

The subject is the doer

The

man rode the mule

mule was ridden by the man
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Not
The

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Radio Basics the intro

3: Facts first

Not names and titles

Start your story with facts

What

has happened

Not
Names,

titles, event details or dates

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Radio Basics the intro

4: Up-to-date

Not history

We are dealing in news, not history History can provide context But news is always new
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Radio Basics the intro

5: Avoid quotes

Stick to facts

Radio stories dont work well if they start with quotes Leave them to audio clips or reported speech later in the piece

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Radio Basics the intro

6: Check list

Have you got the basics right?

Have you included the most newsworthy part of the story? Is the intro short and simple? Is it in the active voice? Are the facts first in the sentence? Is the information up-todate? Have you avoided quotes?
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Radio Basics the intro

7: Intro musts

Its your news welcome mat

Newsworthy 20 words or fewer Attention grabbing Easy to read Informative Complete

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Radio Basics
The script
Radio Basics the intro

Radio Basics the script

1: Pyramid Journalism

Important information

Start the story with the most important elements This is the intro, which we have just dealt with This should convey to the listener the main facts
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Radio Basics the script

1: Pyramid Journalism

Useful information

The next part of your script should include the details that back up information offered in the intro This is where other newsworthy details are included By the time the listener has heard this they should know what has happened
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Radio Basics the script

1: Pyramid Journalism

Nice to have information

The next part can be used for

Quotes Context & analysis Data & statistics or any information that adds values to the first two parts of the story

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Radio Basics the script

1: Pyramid Journalism

Not essential, nice to have

The story can end with less important information This information can help complete the story, but it is not essential to the story

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Radio Basics the script

The difference between radio text and print and online text Avoid: .... officials say. Better use to find out who says and attribute the information to that source This could be used on radio, with a few changes This text would make a 40 second voice report

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Radio Basics the script

The intro For radio it would read better written as follows: Hundreds of passengers have been evacuated from a ferry that caught fire in the Red Sea, according to ...... Or Its being reported that.... And we would attribute in the next line.

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Radio Basics the script

Report length

40 straight read

This would be about the ideal length for a radio report A straight read of about 40 No added audio Ideal for breaking news
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Radio Basics the script

Report length

40 straight read

Notice, using the pyramid journalism rules, that the final two paragraphs could be removed without damaging the overall news story The story can be cut at any point and still make sense
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Radio Basics the script

Intro About 15 seconds long The remaining five paragraphs are about 40 long

This makes the item 55 long

Its being reported that hundreds of passengers have been evacuated from a ferry that caught fire in the Red Sea. The Reuters news agency says the fire has been mostly brought under control. This report from .... According to Egyptian officials, the ferry, carrying at least 1,200 people, caught fire about 15 nautical miles from the Jordanian port of Aqaba. It was heading for Nuweiba in Egypt. Most of the passengers were said to be Egyptian migrant workers. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Although, officials say, the boat has been severely damaged. Egyptian TV reported that military aircraft as well as boats were being used in the rescue operation. Reuters says the ferry is owned by Arab Bridge Maritime Company (AB Maritime), a joint venture between the governments of Jordan, Egypt and Iraq. More than 1,000 people were killed in 2006 after a ferry crossing from Saudi Arabia and Egypt sank in the Red Sea.

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Radio Basics the script

Audio If we had audio of an official we could insert it about here, perhaps covering these points The piece will still be about 55

Its being reported that hundreds of passengers have been evacuated from a ferry that caught fire in the Red Sea. The Reuters news agency says the fire has been mostly brought under control. This report from .... According to Egyptian officials, the ferry, carrying at least 1,200 people, caught fire about 15 nautical miles from the Jordanian port of Aqaba. It was heading for Nuweiba in Egypt. Most of the passengers were said to be Egyptian migrant workers. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Although officials say the boat has been severely damaged. Egyptian TV reported that military aircraft as well as boats were being used in the rescue operation. Reuters says the ferry is owned by Arab Bridge Maritime Company (AB Maritime), a joint venture between the governments of Jordan, Egypt and Iraq. More than 1,000 people were killed in 2006 after a ferry crossing from Saudi Arabia and Egypt sank in the Red Sea.

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Radio Basics the script

Intro & audio Intro is about 10 long

Audio is about 10 long This means we can cover the story for summaries in 20

Hundreds of passengers have been evacuated from a ferry that caught fire in the Red Sea. Most of the 1,200 passengers were Egyptian Migrant workers. A spokesman for the Egyptian Authorities said the ferry was about 15 nautical miles from the Jordanian port of Aqaba when the fire broke out. There have been no reports of casualties, although the boat has been severely damaged. Military aircraft and boats were used in the rescue operation and its thought all passengers are now safely accounted for..

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Radio Basics the script

Other uses 40 voice reports 40 reports with one clip 40 reports with two clips 25 voice report
10 clip

25 clip
10 clip
40 voice report 40 voice + 1 clip
40 voice + 2 clips 25 voice report

25 clip

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Next session
How to create a radio news and current affairs programme running order

Media Helping Media

The main source of the material for this module is Media Helping Media http://www.mediahelpingmedia.org/. Also including material from The News Manual http://www.thenewsmanual.net/