YOU WILL WRITE EACH SENTENCE ON ITS OWN LINE EVEN IF IT IS A LONG SENTENCE AND CARRIES OVER INTO THE NEXT LINE.

THE CRAFT OF BROADCAST NEWS WRITING Broadcast Writing Style vs. Print Writing Style

First be clear. It’s all about “clarity.” Radio and TV news writing and reporting are written for the ear. Broadcast reports cannot be reread as print stories can, so they must be written very clearly to be understood the first time. 1. 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.

2. Middle Initials—Broadcast is more informal and doesn’t use middle initials unless 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…

3. 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) 4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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. 7. 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 significant cancer hazard.

8. 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

9. 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.