Fall 2020 JOU 1000 19th Class presentation Week of October 26, 2020

1. JOU 1000
Introduction to
Journalism
Professor Michael Rizzo
Director, Journalism Program
Division of Mass Communication
Collins College of Professional Studies
Presentation for week of October 26, 2020
THIS IS THE ONLY PRESENTATION FOR THIS WEEK

2. JOU 1000
Introduction to
Journalism
Last class
Broadcast news writing

3. JOU 1000
Introduction to
Journalism
Today
Continued presentation on broadcast
news

4. RECAP
Typical broadcast news writing:
Reporter Packages (PKGs) or News Anchor
Voiceovers (VOs) or News Anchor Voiceovers with
Soundbites (VO/SOTs)
Television news stories need good visuals (B-ROLL)
to show the story. This could be video of the story
but also graphics, maps photos or animation
Use sound from the story (NAT SOUND OR NATS)
to “bring” the audience to the story

5. Attribution comes first in broadcast
style.
POLICE SAY
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY IS
CHARGING
THE NEIGHBOR IS ACCUSING

6. Visuals (often it’s video) are the most
important elements of television
news.
• Visuals put viewers and listeners AT
the scene of the story
• Visuals help viewers understand
what happened or is happening now

7. Soundbites (SOTs)are portions of
interviews used in television news
stories. They are the equivalent of
quotes in print stories.
Most soundbites let you see and hear
the comment of the person you
interviewed.

8. • Let audiences hear the interviewees
speak in their own words and voice
in a soundbite but keep their
comments short (aim for :10-:15
but don’t go more than :20 in most
situations)

9. • Make memories for your audience
– especially at the END of stories
That doesn’t mean doing something
crazy. It means telling a fact or
showing something that will reinforce
what the story is about or point them
to what is to come next related to
the story.

10. Many PKGs end with reporter
stand-ups where the reporter is
typically standing at the scene of
the story and talking directly into
the camera.
Make that ending memorable with
information you say or showing
something notable at the scene
where you are standing

11. Reporter packages (PKGs) should
use all the elements available to
tell a broadcast style story:
• Showing the reporter
• Showing visuals related to the
story (B-ROLL)
• Hearing natural sound (NATS)
• Hearing from the people
involved (SOTs)
• Concise, interesting and
engaging writing

12. Watch this News 12 Reporter Katie Lusso PKG as a
good example of applying the elements mentioned.
This video is attached to this class presentation in
BlackBoard.

13. RADIO NEWS SCRIPTS ARE WRITTEN
ACROSS THE WHOLE SCRIPT PAGE.
THERE IS NO TWO COLUMN NEWS
SCRIPT IN RADIO.
THE ANCHOR OR REPORTER’S
WORDS ARE ALSO WRITTEN IN CAPS
but like in television what anyone
else says is written in lower case

14. Key Radio news terms:
• Actuality - Radio term for a soundbite - edited
portion of a recorded interview
• R-O-S-R - pronounced ROSE-ur – means Radio
On Scene Report - radio equivalent of a TV live
shot.
• Voicer - A recorded report that contains no
actualities.
• Wrap – Radio equivalent of a TV news Package
– a reporter tells the story and includes
actuality(s) and/or nat sound

15. VO-SOTS
A VO-SOT IS JUST A VO FOLLOWED BY A
SOT. A VO-SOT-VO IS A VO FOLLOWED
BY A SOT FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER VO.
YOUR SHOW PRODUCER WILL TELL YOU
WHAT TO WRITE. FOLLOW THE
PRODUCER’S DIRECTIONS.
IN YOUR SCRIPT, ADD THE VERBATIM OF
THE SOT in lower case.

16. WRITING A VO-SOT FOR TV NEWS
FIRST - FIND THE MOST NEWSWORTHY
AND BEST SOUNDING SOT FROM THE
INTERVIEW.
WHEN YOU INTRODUCE A SOT IN
YOUR VO SCRIPT, DO NOT DUPLICATE
WHAT THE PERSON SAYS IN YOUR INTRO.

17. WRITING A VO-SOT
QUESTION: DO YOU IDENTIFY THE
PERSON SPEAKING BEFORE THE
AUDIENCE SEES AND HEARS THEM?
TYPICALLY YES. IN TELEVISION YOU CAN
USE A GRAPHOIC WITH THEIR NAME
BUT PEOPLE MAY NOT PAY ATTENTION
TO WHAT’S ON THE TV SCREEN

18. WRITING A VO-SOT
WHEN YOU INTRODUCE A SOT IN
BROADCAST WRITING:
BE CONCISE IN DESCRIBING THE
PERSON (NEW YORK MAYOR BILL DE
BLASIO… not… BILL DE BLASSIO, WHO’S
THE MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY…)

19. WRITING A VO-SOT
TRY TO ADD A DIFFERENT FACT ABOUT
THE PERSON SPEAKING AND THE STORY
IN THE INTRODUCTION (INTRO) TO
THE SOT. DON’T SAY THE SAME THING
IN YOUR INTRO THAT THE INTERVIEWEE
SAYS IN THE SOT.

20. NEW YORK GOVERNOR
ANDREW CUOMO SAYS
THE COVID SPIKE IN
QUEENS CAME DOWN
BECAUSE RESIDENTS
FOLLOWED PROPER
GUIDELINES.
SOT: I think it’s been a
wake-up call and a lot of
folks will act differently
from this point on.

21. This an example of a :45 VO-SOT news script about an
actual event that happened here at St. John’s. The script
Is about :30 and the SOT is about :15.

22. Here’s how you can estimate the
length of what you write.
Go to this website

23. Cut and paste your news script in the
Script Timer and you will get an
estimate of how long the words run.

24. It’s only an estimate but if you are asked
to write a :30 VO and the timer shows
your words time out at :45 or :15 then
you know you need to adjust what
you wrote.

25. Assignment for Monday
November 2, 2020
Change in course outline:
We are moving ahead to Photojournalism
Just read the handouts and watch the
videos posted on BlackBoard on
Photojournalism under the Content Tab
in preparation for the next class
presentation.

26. STAY WELL
AND
STAY SAFE