Broadcast vs print

 What you write will be shorter. There won’t

be as many words, but those words must
be more carefully chosen.
 Broadcast news does not use the inverted
pyramid structure; instead, it uses
something called dramatic unity.
Broadcast vs print
 You will have to consider whether or
not you have audio to go with your
story.

 You will have to learn some different

style rules.
Broadcast vs print
 The main consideration you have will be
time. You might write your copy so that it
can be read aloud in a certain time period.
For most stories, that is 30 seconds or
less.
Basic broadcast news style
 Your lead can start with a “tune in” sentence
designed to grab the listener’s attention.
 A “tune in” sentence signals the listener that you’re
starting a new story. It can be part of the lead. It’s
a way of connecting with the audience and
grabbing their attention.
Basic broadcast news style
 EXAMPLE 1: Congress is picking a fight with the
giant utility firm Meralco. Lawmakers are filing a
class suit against the company owned by the
powerful Lopez family.

 EXAMPLE 2: Who says you can’t teach old dogs

new tricks? A group of 40-something college
instructors are learning to write for the Internet, …
PRO TIP:
 In broadcast, the closing line is as important as the
lead. It should be an important fact or news point,
and should leave listeners with something to think
about.
 Don’t use quotation marks in a broadcast script.
Paraphrase a quote (make it simple to
understand).
Basic broadcast news style
 Use contractions because that’s how
people speak.
 It is - it’s
 Are not - aren’t
 Will not - won’t
 Could not - couldn’t
Basic broadcast news style

PRO TIP: Avoid words that sound alike. They're

confusing and difficult to read.

Example:
 She sells seashells on the seashore.
 Faye faced a fateful meeting with destiny.
Basic broadcast news style
PRO TIP: Don’t begin a sentence with unfamiliar
names. Instead, characterize the person by what has
made him or her newsworthy.

 Example: A young woman from Malasiqui is going

to be on the popular show Ellen. (use name later
in story)
Basic broadcast news style

 Attribution should be made at the beginning

of the sentence, never at the end. Putting
attributions at the end of a sentence confuse
listeners and will make them wonder who
made the statement.

 WRONG: The program was a dismal failure,

according to the chairman.
 CORRECT: The chairman said the program
was a failure.
Basic broadcast news style
 Addresses and ages are not important in
broadcast, unless they make a story unique.
A 78-year old man has found love, the second time
around.
Ero-Sennin Jiraiya married Hinata
Hyuuga. He’s 45 and she’s 22.
The family lived in a house on Zapote street.
Basic broadcast news style

 Don’t fill your story with numbers, and don't make

listeners calculate. It distracts them, forces them to
stop listening and focus on the numbers. Round off
figures or simplify them for broadcast.
 Instead of “20 percent of students live on campus,”
you can say one in five students live on campus.
 Instead of saying “He gave her 12 roses,” you
should say he gave her a dozen roses.
Dramatic unity

 The chief structure that broadcast news

writers use in dramatic unity. It is a way of
presenting information that allows a writer
to tell a story very briefly and efficiently.
Dramatic unity

The dramatic unity structure has

three parts:

 Climax
 Cause
 Effect.
Dramatic unity
 Climax -- what is most important or
dramatic of the story? This is usually the
lead: people killed or injured, property
damage, large numbers of people affected
by an event, etc.
Dramatic unity
 Cause -- what are the facts that will expand
or develop the climax of the story? In this
sense, “cause” doesn’t necessarily what
caused the event. Rather, it means what
can you say that will help the listener to
understand the event better.
Dramatic unity
 Effect -- what information can bring this
story to a conclusion? Again, we are not
necessarily talking about an “effect” in the
sense of cause-and-effect. We are simply
looking for a way to bring the story to a
conclusion.
Example
 Police are looking into the death early Tuesday
morning of 72-year-old Juan dela Cruz at the
Urdaneta District Hospital. (Climax)
 Dela Cruz reportedly received a morphine
injection from her daughter just hours before her
death. Dela Cruz was suffering from numerous
terminal illnesses. (Cause)
 The case is just a death investigation at this time.
(Effect)
Example
 A barangay tanod was killed in a fiery car crash in
Binalonan last night. (Climax)

 The tanod was 29-year-old John Lloyd Cruz. The

driver of the pickup truck that rear-ended the tanod,
Azaria (a-ZAR-ee-A) Maja (Ma-JA), has been
charged with reckless driving. (Cause)

 Cruz is in the hospital in fair condition with

lacerations to his face. Three other people suffered
minor injuries. (Effect)
Using the present tense

 The present tense is a good way to introduce a

sense of immediacy into your copy. Even though
you are writing about things that have already
happened, expressing them in the present tense
rather than the past tense helps the writer lay
stress on the most immediate information.
Use of present tense

 When the action is continuing

Typhoon Cosme is battering the coast of
Infanta today.
The governor plans a special session of
the legislature next month.
Use of present tense
 When the action is in the immediate past
and has some continuing effect
The President says he will veto the budget
bill.
Use of present tense
 When referring to something in the future
Fastfood chain Jollibee has announced
that it is closing its stores in the city.
 But not when it is clearly inappropriate.
Two people are killed in a three-car
accident last night at the North Luzon
expressway.
Tips in writing radio news
 You are writing for talking, not for reading; write
conversationally.

WRONG: Police helicopters clattered above a

wooded area near Baguio City yesterday looking
for an armed man still on the loose after a
roadside shootout where two policemen were
wounded and are now in hospital.
Tips in writing radio news

 Write short, simple sentences. One idea per

sentence; don’t use complex or compound
sentences.

CORRECT: Police looked for an armed man

near Baguio City yesterday. They used
helicopters to search a wooded area north of
the city. The man is wanted because he shot
two policemen. Both were wounded. They
are now in hospital.
Tips in writing radio news
 Read out loud as you write.
 If you have difficulty reading them, the writing is
too complicated or the sentences are too long.
 If the writing is appropriate for broadcast, then it
will sound good when you read it loud.
Tips in writing radio news
 Use simple, direct and uncomplicated
language; use language that you would use
in ordinary speech.

WRONG: The monotonous assembly droned

on for an interminable length of time.

CORRECT: The meeting was boring. It lasted

far too long.
Tips in writing radio news

 Use active verbs. Avoid the passive tense.

Passive: The boy was chased by the dog.

Active: The dog chased the boy.

Tips in writing radio news
 Don’t use too many words, the audience will get
confused. It is better to use spare, simple writing
leaving out all unnecessary words.
(WRONG) Despite the devastating effect of
adverse climatic conditions that brought hardship
and change to the travel plans of many people,
particularly to Ifugao in the Cordilleras, the
copious legions of foreign visitors continued to
stream into the ancient terraces in this area of the
country.
Tips in writing radio news
(CORRECT) Despite the typhoon, tourists
still want to see the Banaue Rice Terraces.
Tips in writing radio news
 Avoid the use of too many numbers. Numbers are
difficult for the radio audience to understand.
Four hundred and ninety six people went through the
monument spending an average of 2 hours and 3
minutes over a 13-day period.
About 500 people visited the monument in almost
two weeks. Each spent just over two hours in the
facility.
Tips in writing radio news

 Rewrite your stories. Go through each script

and take out any unnecessary words; check
for active voice; simplify numbers.

 ‘Hindi puwede ang puwede na.’ (Aquino,

2010)
 Read the newspaper story.

Read every word. The lead for your

radio news script may be at the end of
the story.
 Understand the newspaper story.

Re-read confusing sentences. Try to

understand the facts of the story. Don’t use
what you don’t understand.
 Find and mark the key facts in the
newspaper story.

It will help you as you start writing. Mark

the what, who, where, when, why and how.
 Think before you write.
Think about the facts. Consider potential
story structure.
Lingayen, Pangasinan – A bomb scare
caused the evacuation of a two-story building
at the capitol compound here Monday
afternoon, according to authorities.
The evacuation was ordered after an
employee received an anonymous phone
call from a man claiming he planted a bomb
timed to go off at 3 p.m., police said. The
caller did not identify himself and did not give
any reason for the bomb at the Finance
building, said a police spokesman. The
employee notified the police department.
Police officers went from office to office,
RADIO VERSION:
A bomb scare forces hundreds of capitol workers
out of their offices in Lingayen.
Police say they ordered the evacuation at the
finance building after an employee received a
bomb threat.
The employee told police an anonymous caller
claimed he planted a bomb set to go off at 3 this
afternoon.
Police brought in special bomb-sniffing dogs.
But the two-hour search failed to turn up any
bomb.
Questions to review:
 Test the story. Compare the story with the
newspaper story to make sure it’s
accurate.

 Does the lead offer listeners the latest

information? Yes. The event itself.
 Does the story answer listeners’ questions? Yes.
Who? Hundreds of capitol workers What? Are
evacuated Where? At the Finance building in
Lingayen When? This afternoon Why? Because
of bomb threat How? Ordered by police to leave
the building.
 Is the writing conversational? Yes. The
story is written “for the ear.”

 The vocabulary is conversational.

Sentences are short and direct.
 Does the story show immediacy with
present tense verbs? Yes. A bomb scare
forces hundreds…

 Does the story use active voice? Yes.

The radio news headlines
 Headlines come at the top of the newscast
and should reflect the most interesting and
exciting stories to be covered in the
upcoming newscast.
The radio news headlines
 Effective headlines should grab the
listeners’ interest

 It should set the tone for the story

 Itshould NOT be written like a

newspaper headline
The radio news headlines
 It should be written in a clear, concise
conversational manner
Poor: Lingayen resident drowns in bathtub
Better: A Lingayen resident drowns in his bathtub
this morning

Poor: Warriors three-peat as champs

Better: The Golden State Warriors are NBA
champions, again
The radio news headlines
Good morning. I’m Ahikam Pasion.
Here’s a rundown of the top stories this morning:
We’ve received words that teachers are walking
out of their classrooms in Urdaneta City National
High School…
If you’re driving to work, expect serious delays at
De Venecia Highway because of an accident…
The radio news headlines
 There’s no word yet from President
Doging on rumors he’ll resign today…
 Those are the headlines. Now, here
are the details…