Writing for Broadcast

The most precise way…

Inspired by Prof. Melba Estonilo and Staffer
Sadeka Mesalucha
CHARACTERISTICS OF
MEDIA WRITING
accuracy
completeness
efficiency
precision
 ACCURACY
 means getting and delivering
what really happens.

COMPLETENESS
 means giving specific details.

EFFICIENCY
means using the fewest words to
present you information accurately
and clearly.

PRECISION
 Clear and concise
DIFFERENCES IN WRITING
FOR BROADCAST AND
WRITING FOR 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.
Something called dramatic
unity.
(The structure that allows us to tell
a story quickly and without a lot of
detail.)
 STRUCTURE OF DRAMATIC UNITY
Climax – the end of the story; the most
important thing that happened; the most
dramatic thing that happened. That comes first.
Cause – why did it happen? what are the
circumstances under which it occurred? what
are the facts that can illuminate the climax and
help the reader understand what happened and
why?
Effect – explain the outcome, the effect or the
future of the event; try to bring this story to a
satisfying conclusion.
 The main consideration you have will be time.
Most stories run in 30 seconds or less.
 pro•NUN•see•A•shun. You must pay attention
to the way words sound together.
 Remember, your copy is being written so that
someone can read it out loud. You need to help
the person reading it as much as possible.
HOW TO START BROADCAST
WRITING
what is important?
what is essential?
what is necessary for your story
to make it understandable?
what can make it interesting?
what can you leave out?
 IMPORTANT GUIDING
QUESTIONS
What is the dominant theme?
What facts illuminate or help develop this
theme?
What is the principal impression I want to
leave with the viewer?
What is the most significant or interesting part
of this story?
What is necessary for understanding this story?
What can I leave out?
HOW TO WRITE
Write like you speak:
Write in your own voice, in a
conversational tone, as if you’re speaking
to only one listener. Keep sentences short.
If you have a long sentence, follow it up
with a short one. When you go back and
read your narration aloud, do you truly
sound like yourself?
Keep it simple:
Allot a sentence to each idea. Be
clear and concise, stick to the story and
don't try too hard to be "clever." Too
much detail can become irrelevant and
make the story lose focus. Avoid most
multiple-syllable words, words that are
tough to pronounce and long,
convoluted sentences.
"Treasure small words," Dillon says.
Provide specificity:
Although the goal is to write
clearly, you must also avoid being too
general.
Dillon says reporters should
provide context for anything that may
cause confusion or "raise eyebrows."
When describing people, don't label
them. Tell exactly what they do as
opposed to using their official title.
Tell stories in a logical order:
Make sure that your content has a
beginning, a middle and an ending.
Don't bury the lead; state the news near
the top, without too much build-up.
Use the present tense and active voice:
You're writing for flow and to express what
is going on now. Broadcast strives for
immediacy. To convey this to the listener, use the
active voice whenever possible. In English, try
to use a subject-verb-object sentence structure.
For example: "Police (subject) have arrested
(verb) 21 activists (object) for staging a protest
at Merlion Park on Saturday afternoon."
Write to the pictures:
TV and video audiences
will see why something happened. In
television, the phrase “write to tape” is
used to describe the way a story script is
built around the visual images you have
gathered. Don't write any longer than the
story or pictures warrant.
Use imagery:
Radio audiences need to imagine the
people, places and things in your story. With
your words, create powerful and
straightforward imagery. Use descriptive verbs
instead of adjectives. For example, if you say
“he struts or saunters” you’re giving a picture
without using an adjective. But don't let vivid,
imagery-rich writing turn verbose. Use words
sparingly.
Let the speaker speak:
If you’re hosting a show or an
interview, be the host. Don't overpower
the subject of the story. When
interviewing, "Don’t 'mm hmm' them and
don't keep talking and talking about
yourself," Irani says. "You’re just a
conduit whose job it is to relay a
story/experience/emotion from the guest
to the audience."
Characteristics of news
( Broadcast)

 Worthy
 Accurate
 Precise
 Conversational
SAMPLE NEWS
Attorney Jemmrose Loot warns the Luzon cluster school
paper advisers during the National Training of Trainors in Lucena
City about plagiarism as a form of intellectual theft.
According to Attorney Loot plagiarism is both copying
and paraphrasing an article and claiming the article your own.
Attorney Loot explained that using of different words or
language but expressing the same idea is also a form of
plagiarism.
She said that plagiarism can be prevented if school paper
advisers are capable of screening and verifying the originality of
the articles.
 DepEd Region Three is conducting the
Training of Trainers on Campus Journalism at
the Regional Education Learning Center ,
Angeles City, February 24, 2014.
Regional Supervisor Ma. Editha Caparas
said the training aims to orient the school paper
advisers on the current trends and developments
in campus journalism and in digital
communications media and to introduce online
publication as a new field in campus journalism.
THE HEART OF MEDIA
BROADCAST

NEWS
The VOICE
NEVER CTRL-C.
BE YOU.
THE TECHNICAL
APPROPRIATENESS of
SOUNDS, MUSIC
Let’s do the script!
Program title: UP Patrol
TRT: 5 minutes
Anchors : Peter Angelo Blaza
Sadeka Sarra F. Mesalucha
Airdate : March 18, 2009
Item Writer Format TRT
OBB :18
Teasers Reader :06
Commercial :15
CRSRS, extended Sadeka Mesalucha Wrap :45
Krisis pang-ekonomiya Peter Blaza Actuality :35
Limang taon sa kolehiyo Sadeka Mesalucha Actuality :43
Limang taon-follow-up Sadeka Mesalucha Actuality :38
Commercial :15
UP budget cut Sadeka Mesalucha Reader :33
Police report Peter blaza Reader :35
UP security Sadeka Mesalucha Reader :29
UP security- follow- up Peter Blaza Wrap :43
CMC colloquim Peter Blaza Actuality :31
UP Fair Peter Blaza Reader :29
CBB :13
 WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA?
TECHNICAL QUALITY
• OBB/CBB ( appropriateness, length,
impact)
• Sound bites (clarity, length)
• Cross fades (smoothness)
 WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA?
SCRIPTING
• Length of sentences
• Language (conversational)
• Format
• Style
• Choice of materials
 WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA?
DELIVERY
• Vocal quality ( pitch, tone)
• Pacing
• Pronunciation
• Word stress
 THE DIFFERENCE OF THE
PROGRAM
 Integrity
 Distinction
 Impact to Audience
THANK YOU…