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COMM 118 Lecture #2
- 1. Characteristics of Broadcast News Writing Broadcast Journalism: COMM 118
- 2. INTRO What make a good writer? A good writer is someone who can craft language, not just use it In Broadcast Journalism we want to tell stories in ways that will grab attention, impart information, and leave viewers/listeners with the impression of having been there themselves Let’s lay some groundwork about writing for Broadcast Journalism
- 3. Writing for The EYE vs. The EAR All journalism = asking the 5 Ws and the H ESSAYS = EYE NEWSPAPER = EYE Audiences can read it again BROADCAST = EAR Audiences tend to hear it only once so you must be certain your message is clear Making sure something is “ear-friendly”? READ IT OUT LOUD!
- 4. Traditional Story Structure for “The Eye” Print = INVERTED PYRAMID STYLE A News Story Structure that places all the important information in the first paragraph Often means putting the end of the story first Paragraphs arranged in descending order of importance
- 6. Story Structure for “The Ear” Broadcast = NOT Front-Loaded A News Story Structure that dispenses important information throughout the whole story The end may be the most important fact – summary statement Every section builds from what’s come before and leads into what’s coming next – you cannot just “trim from the bottom” and have it work
- 7. Writing for “The Ear”: Broadcast writers use a conversational tone Tell the viewer a story like you would tell it to a friend (within reason) Use “the MOM rule” – talk like you’d talk to your mother (or a friend’s mother) Broadcast writers use contractions Makes a story less stiff and formal
- 8. Writing for “The Ear”: Broadcast writers use short, declarative sentences Complex sentences are hard to follow by ear and even harder to speak Broadcast writers write in an active voice not in a passive voice Active = someone doing something Passive = something being done to someone Put subject and verb close together
- 9. Writing for “The Ear”: Broadcast writers use present or future tense when possible Makes stories seem current – you want to give today’s news, not yesterday’s Broadcast writers write in “Today Language” Don’t lead with “yesterday” – move the story along or why cover it?
- 10. Writing for “The Ear”: Days & Dates You can use “today”, “yesterday” and “tomorrow” in stories if not repeating the broadcast Use dates if further than a week away Broadcast writers use last names and put titles first “Bill Smith” first, then just “Smith” Putting titles first is easier to hear and speak Identify speakers both on-screen and in spoken copy
- 11. The Teleprompter: A technological tool used by Broadcast Journalists that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script.
- 12. The Teleprompter: (1)Video camera (2)Shroud (3)Video monitor (4) Clear glass or beam splitter (5) Image from subject (6) Image from video monitor
- 14. Writing for The Teleprompter: Broadcast Writers are especially aware of pronunciations and spellings Phonetic spelling makes it easier for anchors to say complicated names Look out for common words like “bass” with two pronunciations Use titles w/o names if appropriate Don’t rely solely on spell-check!
- 15. Writing for The Teleprompter: Teleprompter = ALL CAPS Lowercase letters are simply harder to see – put everything in all capital letters Broadcast writers avoid abbreviations and are careful with acronyms Spell abbreviations out to avoid confusion Use hyphens with acronyms = F-B-I, A-
- 16. Writing for The Teleprompter: Broadcast Writers keep hyphenated words on the same line Helps anchors be professional Broadcast writers don’t use symbols Must be pronounceable and obvious
- 17. Writing for The Teleprompter: Broadcast Writers aren’t overly concerned with addresses and ages Use only when pertinent to story Broadcast writers correct ALL copy Different versions = Confusion Broadcast writers punctuate differently Ellipsis = PAUSE Underline = EMPHASIZE
- 18. Writing for The Teleprompter: Broadcast Writers paraphrase when possible Direct quotes usually demand dedicated video/audio/graphic Broadcast writers are careful with pronouns Clarity is of utmost importance
- 19. Writing for The Teleprompter: Broadcast writers attribute before statements Makes it clear who said what (not the talent) Attribute facts when possible/necessary
- 20. TELEPROMPTER DOs & DON’Ts DO: Write in ALL CAPS Spell out symbols & acronyms Use phonetic spellings
- 21. TELEPROMPTER DOs & DON’Ts DON’T: Assume the anchor knows what you mean and how you want her to emphasize Forget to READ IT OUT LOUD!
- 22. GENERAL DOs & DON’Ts DO: Be clear and concise. Remember the 5 Ws and the H. Make life easy for the anchor. Write like people talk (use MOM rule). Attribute.
- 23. GENERAL DOs & DON’Ts DON’T: Forget that you know more about stories than audience members do. Depend on the computer to catch mistakes. Fail to make corrections on the prompter as well as on hard
- 24. Writing for The Teleprompter: HOW YOU WRITE IT IS HOW IT WILL BE READ OUT LOUD!
- 25. WRITING FOR BROADCAST IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENT Take a story written last week and correct/rewrite it by applying the characteristics of broadcast style writing discussed in class today. Submit it via the Blackboard Submission Area You will have 30 minutes to complete this assignment
- 26. WRITING FOR BROADCAST Always remember the 5 Ws & H of journalism WRITE IN ALL CAPS Be conversational (within reason – use the MOM rule) Use active voice and present tense – put subject and verb close together
- 27. WRITING FOR BROADCAST Use pauses and emphasis Be aware of potential trouble words REMEMBER: how you write it is how it will be read out loud!
- 28. NEXT WEEK: Read the second chapter of your book for next time – “Selecting Stories and Starting To Write” Complete Writing Exercise #2
- 29. WRITING EXERCISE #2: In five sentences, write about a newsworthy event you witnessed first- hand at some point in your life; it can be a sporting event, a car accident, a fight on the street, a public concert/appearance, the long lines at school registration, problems with traffic, etc. APPLY THE CHARACTERISTICS AS DISCUSSED IN CLASS AND IN
- 30. WRITING EXERCISE #2: DO NOT WRITE IN FIRST PERSON (don’t use “I” in your copy) – write it as you would for broadcast READ IT OUT LOUD TO SEE HOW IT SOUNDS! Use appropriate and proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation Five sentences only! 30 SECONDS MAXIMUM! Due the night before our next class!