Writing for broadcast

BROADCAST WRITING
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THE SIX Cs
CLEAR
simple, understandable, express NOT impress
CONCISE
get to the main point
CONVERSATIONAL
―for the ear‖
COMPLETE
5 Ws
CURRENT
timely copy in content and sound
CORRECT
free of factual errors, spelling & grammar

BROADCAST PRINCIPLES
It is SPOKEN
It is IMMEDIATE
It is PERSON TO PERSON
It is HEARD ONLY ONCE
It is SOUND ONLY

BROADCAST PRINCIPLES CONT‘D
It is SPOKEN
Nagtahan bridge is not motorable.
Nagtahan Bridge is closed to traffic.
It is IMMEDIATE
The President said today the country‘s economy
was booming.
President Aquino says the country‘s economy is on the road
to recovery.

It is HEARD ONLY ONCE
The Representative of the Philippines and the
Representative of Vietnam, under a bilateral
agreement, have agreed to expand their 2-way trade,
with the latter assuring the former that it will not extend any
support, financial or otherwise to the local communist
movement.
The Philippines and Vietnam today agreed to expand their
trade relations by signing a trade agreement. Vietnam
assured the Philippines that it will not support the local
communist movement.
It is SOUND ONLY
The building was built by a local builder.
A local company built the house.

It is PERSON TO PERSON
The office of Consular Services of the Dept. of Foreign
Affairs in coordination with other offices under the
department has started streamlining its passport-issuing
function to the public.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has now made it easier
for people to get their passports.

BROADCAST GUIDELINES
Use everyday language
Write short sentences
Use one idea to a sentence
Use the present tense if possible
Usually confine stories to one major theme

BROADCAST NEWS STRUCTURE
o read
o inverted pyramid
o 700 words
o Formal English
o permanent
 heard
 upright pyramid
 75 – 80 words
 Informal English
 transitory
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THE CRAFT OF BROADCAST NEWS WRITING
ATTRIBUTION—Broadcast puts attribution at beginning of
sentences for better flow
Newspaper: Sennett lost control of his motorcycle, crossed
over the center line and collided with the oncoming pickup
truck, Midcity Police Department Public Information Officer
David M. Cohen reported. (note attribution is at the end)
Broadcast: Midcity police spokesman David Cohen says
Sennett lost control of his motorcycle, crossed the center
line and collided with the oncoming pickup truck. (note
attribution is at beginning, long job title is shortened, and
middle initial not used)

THE CRAFT OF BROADCAST NEWS WRITING CONT‘D
ATTRIBUTION—Use when a statement is opinionated,
questionable, controversial, and when it would better establish
the credibility of the statement. Attribution is not necessary to use
when the statement is a known and indisputable fact.
Examples of when attribution not needed:
A jet crashed at the Midcity Municipal Airport
Three men died in the traffic accident
World War II ended in 1945.
Example of when attribution is needed:
Most college students party too much.
The oil companies are ripping off the public.
Pilot error caused the plane crash.

TIME ELEMENT—Broadcast strives for immediacy. Avoid
―yesterday/last night‖ in leads. Instead, update the story to say
what is happening now or today.
Newspapers: Charles O. Sennett, 24, of Midcity, died last night
when his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck on
Magnolia Avenue.
Broadcast: A motorcycle accident has claimed the life of a
24-year-old Midcity man.

USE OF NAMES WITH TITLES OR POSITIONS AND AGE—broadcast
puts titles and ages before names for better flow and so the
listener can better assess the credibility of the source
Newspaper: Dr. William P. Bates, an EPO research chemist, said…
Broadcast: E-P-O research chemist Dr. William Bates says…
Newspapers: Mary R. Carter, 21, a College of Charleston senior,
won the lottery.
Broadcast: Twenty-one-year-old College of Charleston senior
Mary Carter won the lottery. (note: always spell out
numbers when they begin sentences)

APPROXIMATIONS OR ROUNDING OFF NUMBERS —broadcast
rounds off big numbers for better listener comprehension
Newspaper: School is out for 76,212 Midcity students.
Broadcast: School is out for more than 76-thousand Midcity
students.

USE OF QUOTES —Broadcast stories include ―…and this is a
direct quote‖ wording
Newspaper: ―I will not allow the Morris Island Lighthouse
to collapse into the sea,‖ the governor said.
Broadcast: The governor says…and these are his exact words…I
will not allow the Morris Island Lighthouse to collapse into
the sea. (note: don’t use quotation marks)
You can also paraphrase: The governor says he will not allow the
Morris Island Lighthouse to collapse into the sea.

ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE—Broadcast uses active voice for flow
and to sound more immediate and punchy. The passive voice
can slow the flow and add unnecessary wordiness.
Newspaper: Midcity University was awarded a $500,000 grant by
the Ford Foundation.
Broadcast: The Ford Foundation has awarded a 500-thousand-
dollar grant to Midcity University.

CONTRACTIONS—Broadcast uses more contractions than print
because they are conversational. Broadcast writing is more informal
than print writing.
Newspaper: Doctors say there is a ―significant cancer hazard.‖
Broadcast: Doctors say there‘s a quote…significant cancer hazard.

MIDDLE INITIALS—Broadcast is more informal and doesn‘t
use middle initialsunless they are part of a well known person‘s
name-- Edward R. Murrow or Michael J. Fox for example.
Newspaper: Officers Marc P. Waxton and Regina S. Moreno are
credited…
Broadcast: Officers Marc Waxton and Regina Moreno are
credited…

Verb Tenses —Broadcast uses present tenses (―says‖ instead of
―said,‖ ―is‖ instead of ―was‖ for example) to sound more
immediate, current and timely
Newspaper: The residents said the storm was the worst they‘ve
ever seen.
Broadcast: The residents say the storm was the worst they‘ve
ever seen.

SYMBOLS—Broadcast spells out symbols such as $ and %
Newspaper: Revenue grew by 10% to $50 million.
Broadcast: Revenue grew by 10 percent to 50-million-dollars.

ABBREVIATIONS—Don‘t use in broadcast copy; use hyphens to
separate initials
Newspaper: 7621 Ramsgate Blvd. EPA research chemist
Broadcast: 76-21 Ramsgate Boulevard E-P-A research chemist

DOZEN DEADLY SINS
1. Don’t start a story with ―as expected‖
(Don‘t listeners tune in to hear the ―unexpected‖?)
2. Don’t start a story with ―in a surprise move‖
(Isn‘t news full of ―surprises‖?)
3. Don’t start a story by saying someone ―is making news,‖ ―is in
the news,‖ or ―is dominating the news‖
• Just tell what‘s happening
• Isn‘t everyone you mention in the newscast ―making
news,‖ etc.?

DOZEN DEADLY SINS CONT‘D
4. Don’t start a story by saying, ―A new development tonight in
the....‖
(If it‘s not new, or a new development, it probably
isn‘t news)
5. Don’t characterize news as ―good,‖ ―bad,‖ ―interesting,‖ or
―disturbing‖
• Let your listener decide if it‘s good, bad, etc.
• Was the plunge in oil prices good news for folks in Texas?

6. Don’t start a story with a participial phrase or a
dependent clause
• We don‘t talk that way
• It can cause copy to become ―weak and murky‖
• Can cause confusion
• S-V-O (subject-verb-object) order is the best
pattern for your first sentence
7. Don’t start a story with a quotation
(Your listeners will presume the words are those of
the announcer)

8. Don’t start a story with any form of the verb ―to be‖
• They‘re dead phrases that employ linking verbs
• Use active verbs in the active voice
9. Don’t start a story with the name of an unknown or
unfamiliar person
• Is the unknown person the reason you‘re telling
the story?
• Most stories don‘t even need a name

10. Don’t start a story with a personal pronoun
(―It‖ is a ―premature‖ (vague) pronoun)
11. Don’t write a first sentence that uses ―yesterday‖
(Yesterday is gone ... update that lead to read
from today‘s perspective)

12. Don’t write a first sentence that uses the verb
―continues‖
(It doesn‘t tell your listener anything new)
13. Don’t start a story with ―another,‖ ―more,‖ or ―once
again‖
(Why listen to more of the same?)

14. Don’t start a story with a sentence that has a
―no‖ or ―not‖
• People respond more positively to positive
statements
• ―Recast‖ the negative into a positive
15. Don’t cram too much information into a story
(Your audience simply cannot process the
constant flow of facts)

16. Don’t use newspaper constructions
(Attribution before assertion)
17. Don’t lose or fail to reach a listener
• Talk to your listener, not at him
• Understand that good writing is hard work
• ―Easy writing, hard listening. Hard writing, easy
listening.‖
18. Don’t make a factual error
(Causes a loss of authority and credibility)

VENIAL SINS
1. Don’t use pre-fabricated phrases – they quickly
become boring and trite
• ―It‘s official,‖ ―It shouldn‘t come as any
surprise,‖ ―Believe it or not,‖ etc.
• ―Police are investigating,‖ ―Only time will tell,‖
―Don‘t count him out yet,‖ etc.
• ―In a prepared statement,‖ ―In an abrupt
about-face,‖ ―None the worse for wear,‖ etc.

VENIAL SINS CONT‘D
2. Don’t waste words – it’s a waste of time and waters
down what you say
• ―‘literally‘ walked off the field
• ―‘suddenly‘ fell off the bridge‖
• ―‘flatly‘ denied‖
3. Don’t use non-broadcast words
• Don‘t use a word that‘s not likely to be readily
understood by almost all listeners
• If you suspect a word is a ―non-broadcast‖
word, you‘re probably right.

4. Don’t use hollow words – they do nothing but take
up time
• ―the shooting ‗incident‘‖ is just ―the shooting‖
• ―thunderstorm ‗activity‘‖ is better stated
―thunderstorms‖
5. Don’t use vague words
(if someone is ―involved‖ in the crime, did they
commit it or are they the victim?)

6. Don’t use weasel words
(If a rape occurred, be specific ... call it a rape,
not an ―attack‖)
7. Don’t use windy words
• Find the simple synonym
• ―commence‖ becomes ―start‖
• ―city‖ for ―metropolis‖
• ―use‖ instead of ―utilize‖.

8. Don’t use weary words
• A weary word is one that‘s been ―used up‖
• ―Controversy‖ and ―controversial‖ are two
examples
9. Don’t use wrong words
• Ensure you know what a word means before
you use it
• A ―dilemma‖ is two alternatives, equally
undesirable, not a problem, plight, or
predicament.

10. Don’t use foreign words and phrases
(Many people have a hard enough time
understanding English)
11. Don’t resort to clichés
• One cliché is not worth a thousand words
• Do the police really ―have their work ‗cut out‘
for them‖?
• Do people really ―‘huddle‘ behind
closed doors‘?.

12. Don’t stretch for synonyms for words that are easily
understood
• Even if it does mean using the same word
twice in a story, or even a sentence
• Do ―explains‖ and ―says‖ really mean
the same?
13. Don’t ―hotrod‖
(―Hotrodding‖ is ―high power‖ writing).

TOP TIPS OF THE TRADE
1. Start strong. ―Well begun is half done.‖
(Your first words may determine if your listeners keep
listening)
2. Read — and understand — your source copy.
(Ensure you understand something BEFORE you use it)
3. Underline or circle key facts.
(Allows you to instantly see what‘s important & keep
track of important facts)
4. Don’t write yet. Think.
(Take time to think — even if it‘s just for 30 seconds).

TOP TIPS OF THE TRADE CONT‘D
5. Write the way you talk – unless you’re from the Bronx!
(Use straight forward manner, without zigzags)
6. Apply the rules for broadcast newswriting.
(Don‘t try to cram the five ―w‘s‖ up front)
7. Have the courage to write simply.
8. Refrain from wordy windups.
(Tell your stories; don‘t write them)

9. Put attribution before assertion.
(Let your listeners know who‘s behind the assertions at
the outset)
10. Go with S-V-O: subject—verb—object.
(That‘s the way we speak)
11. Limit a sentence to one idea.
(This helps reduce difficult, complex stories to their
essence)
12. Use short words and short sentences.
(The words most of us use most frequently are short)

13. Use familiar words in familiar combinations.
(That‘s the way the audience is accustom to hearing them)
14. People-ize your copy.
(Write about people, not personnel ... people want to hear
about people)
15. Activate your copy.
(Use verbs that move (action verbs) and avoid passive voice)
16. Avoid a first sentence whose main verb is any form of ―to be‖
(It conveys no action)

17. Avoid may, might, could, should, seems.
(These linking verbs are even weaker than the ―to be‖
family)
18. Put your sentences in a positive form.
(Accentuate the positive ... try to avoid ―no‖ and ―not‖)
19. Use present tense verbs where appropriate.
(The verb that you can most often use in the present
tense is say)
20. Don’t start with a quotation or a question.
(Your listener may think the words are your own)

21. Use connectives — and, also, but, so, because — to
link sentences.
(This makes it easier to follow the thread of your story)
22. Put the word or words you want to emphasize at the
end of your sentence.
(A word placed at the sentence‘s end gains emphasis
and is remembered)
23. Use contractions — with caution.
(They‘re conversational, but may cause confusion, e.g.,
can‘t, which might be heard as can.)

24. Pep up your copy with words like new, now, but, says.
(They signal a listener he‘s hearing news and can
compress a mouthful into one word)
25. Watch out for I, we, our, here, up, down.
(They can confuse)
26. Omit needless words.
(You can often delete words with no loss in meaning and
gain clarity)

27. Hit only the main points; trash the trivia.
(Ensure every word you use is essential)
28. Don’t parrot source copy.
(Rewrite news stories in your own words)
29. When in doubt, leave it out.
(Deal only in facts, not in conjecture)

31. Don’t raise questions you don’t answer.
(Don‘t include a fact that is unclear)
32. Read your copy aloud. If it sounds like writing,
rewrite it.
(What matters is how your copy sounds, not how it looks
on paper)
33. Rewrite. The art of writing lies in rewriting what
you’ve already written.
(Check facts; get rid of clutter; ensure the words are in
the right order, etc.)

WRITE COMPELLING LEADS
 GOAL: to identify the story topic & begin the flow of
information with the most important details
 immediately identify for the audience why the story is
important to them

WRITE COMPELLING LEADS CONT‘D
Four general categories of stories and leads:
 the content is of importance to the viewer in their
everyday life
 the story is close in proximity to them (their life, job,
family/friends, home, etc.)
 the topic or people in the story are prominent
 the story is interesting to the listener

 The lead is to grab attention and draw the listener
into the story.
 Generally, ask, what is it about this story that is:
important, proximate, prominent, or interesting.
 Then include the what and where information about
the story.

 Avoid spectacular wording.
 Do not use clichés.
 Keep to the facts.
 Do not include the 5 W‘s in the lead.
 Do not ask questions as a lead.
 Do not use quotes as a lead.
 Ask, why is this story important to the listener and
what information will draw them into the story.

FOLLOW A LOGICAL ORDER IN WRITING THE SCRIPT
• After the lead (which usually includes the what and
where information,) the writer focuses on the who
and why. Unless very important to the story, the
when is often ignored.
• Often times, a writer will organize a story in
chronological order. Most likely, this is not advisable.
Seldom do the important elements of a story occur in
order. Other, more valuable approaches to writing a
story include the particular-to-general order or the
cause and effect order.

STRUCTURE THE SCRIPT
• Commas and other punctuation are also great aids
to a presenter who is going to read the script out
loud.
• Break-up sentences into short, easy-to-comprehend
units.
• A long sentence is not only a challenge for the
presenter (who will have to take a breath sometime!)
but also for the listener, who tends to get lost while
trying to understand it.

STRUCTURE THE SCRIPT CONT’D
• Use double-spacing at all times when writing for
broadcast. Please waste paper! Many writers
(especially students!) obviously like to economise, but
in the world of broadcasting, it is important to space
out words clearly. This not only means large fonts and
double-spacing, but also means greater use of short,
clear paragraphs. Essentially the writer tries to make
it as easy as possible for the presenter to read. Small
fonts, single spacing and long paragraphs are very
difficult to read on the air. Many presenters will like to
make small additions to your script (see: MARKING
FOR PRESENTATION) and a dense format will make it
difficult for them to do so.

• Don‘t use capital letters throughout.
• Conventional writing has the advantage of making
the capitalisation of certain names (e.g. President
Sam Nujoma) clear to the reader, rather than
PRESIDENT SAM NUJOMA.

• Each story in a news bulletin or an actuality
programme (such as World at Six) will also have to be
written on a separate page.
• This is also to enable an editor to change the order of
a bulletin, or even add a late breaking story at the
last minute.
• Note that each page of a bulletin should contain
important information at the top, including: the date
on which it was written, the author/reporter and a
‗slug‘ (a short identifier – for instance: SAM FISH for a
story about President Nujoma opening a fishing
factory).

STYLES OF NEWS WRITING
• NBC Radio uses a very formal, but old-fashioned
approach. The entire news bulletin script is written
out and read by one person. Very few broadcasters,
even the BBC, use this approach. However, because
of the need for translation of each bulletin, NBC in a
way is still forced to use this method. Listen to NBC
National Radio for examples of this approach – their
major bulletins are at 07:00, 08:00, 13:00 and 19:00
daily.

STYLES OF NEWS WRITING CONT’D
• Most common throughout the world today, including
VOA and BBC World Service, is the use of ‗sound
bites.‘ In other words, the bulletin, although read by
one person, will contain within it a number of reports
or other sounds (for instance, an interview). Rather
than simply reading out the fact that 100 people died
in Nigerian riots, the reporter on the scene has a lot
more impact if he or she describes it in their own
words. It also has the advantage of breaking up the
monotony of one person‘s voice talking for ten
minutes without any break. Listen to VOA news on
Radio 99 as well as some of the Word Radio Network
broadcasters (each evening on UNAM Radio 97.4) for
examples of this approach.

STYLES OF NEWS WRITING CONT’D
• Also note that the commercial broadcasters require
Namibian news content. However, the choice of
story will obviously be different with more focus on
entertainment news, sports items or novelty items.
The style of writing will be more informal with more
slang being acceptable. Listen to Radio Wave (96.7)
for examples of this style of writing.

MARKING FOR PRESENTATION
• Use some marks (/) throughout the script in order to
break it up in to ‗sense blocks‘. This will help make
sense of the script when it is presented.
• Write out difficult words in full on the script. In the
heat of the moment Ngarikatuke Tjiriange can be
quite a mouthful. So writing it out, as it sounds, in big
letters somewhere (NGARI-KA-TU-KE TJI-RI-AN-GE) will
really help a presenter when they are live with the red
light on.

MARKING FOR PRESENTATION
• Use underlining to indicate that the presenter is to
give emphasis to pronunciation or to words. For
example, emphasizing Ja in Rio de Janeiro may use
correct pronunciation but the emphasis all wrong. So
underline the part of the word that will give correct
emphasis – Rio de Janeiro.
• Consider using some kind of squiggly line under those
parts of the script that might present a problem. This
technique can signal a presenter to slow down and
take more care over these difficult words or
sentences.

HOW THE VISUAL STRUCTURE SHOULD CLOSELY
MATCH THE WRITTEN STRUCTURE
The following is the opening sequence from a CNN report on the kidnapping of
an Indian politician. Note how every line in the script is strictly matched by
complementary visual material. Also note how, in writing for television
especially, colloquial English is often used rather than formal English.
Thus, the first sentence should read: ―Bangalore is a city on edge, as police
…‖ However, being television, don’t tell the viewers what they can already see
(in this case a caption under the image would confirm that the shots are of
Bangalore).
―A city on edge, as police nervously patrol the centre ….‖ (SHOTS OF CITY
CENTRE – POLICE IN FOREGROUND)
―The politician was kidnapped three months ago..‖ (SHOTS OF DEAD
POLITICIAN)
―His kidnapper, a 42 year old Bangladeshi national.‖ (SHOTS OF KIDNAPPER)
―However, the government says ….‖ (INTERVIEW WITH GOVERNMENT
SPOKESMAN)

REFERENCES RETRIEVED FROM:
Malinao, A. (1991). Journalism for Filipinos. National Bookstore.
Rahorn, R & Toni, E. (2011). Broadcast writing style guide. Retrieved on Sept. 3,
2015 from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/dod/broadcast_writi
ng.pdf
The Craft of Broadcast News Writing. Retrieved on Sept. 1, 2015 from
http://harwoodp.people.cofc.edu/BroacastNewsWriting12Differences.pdf
Tyson, R. & Moore, R. (____). Broadcast Writing. Retrieved Sept. 5, 2015 from
http://users.etown.edu/m/moorerc/Ch%2027%20Broadcast%20Writing.htm
http://web.stanford.edu/~jonahw/PWR2-F07/BroadvsPrint.html
http://jdhr.org/publications/media-and-
development/Broadcast%20Script%20Writing.pdf

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