Specifics of Radio and TV Reports

Lecture 6

Ing. Jiří Šnajdar 2015

What is news?

Reporting

What is NEWS? The dog bites a man. A man bites a dog.

News is a report of information about recent events or happenings. Brief Summary of days stories. In the UK, the brief news summary is known as news bulletin. In the US the bulletin may refer to the one item snap of breaking news. In UK that would be known as newsflash.

Selection of News Items

Objectivity

Impartiality

Professionalism

Elements of News

Timeliness Suitability Prominence DistinctionProximity Immediacy Novelty Innovation Significance Importance Impact Consequence

Elements of News

Conflict Clash Expedition Suspense Concentration Human Interest Development Progress Wit Humour

EXERCISE

Look for a partner who’s not very close/familiar to you. Interview each other. Determine something newsworthy of the person you are talking with. Write a 3 to 5-paragraph news about your partner.

Presentation of your news.

News Process

News GatheringReporting News Writing/Reporting News Presentation

News Gathering

Sources Of News Production

System Reporters The wire copy and News agencies DespatchesPress Releases News Conferences.DGPR

News Gathering

Network and pooling Scheme Politicians Feeds From Foreign correspondence Freelancer Contributors/ Stringers/, Tip Offs

News Gathering

Events and the Emergency Services: Police, Fire Brigade and Government and voluntary ambulances services.

Monitoring Reports:Material from interactive social media:Facebook, Blogs, internet Press Exposure, Google, AOL, Webcast, Podcast.. Internet free library / Free press internet Teletext.  

News Process News Writing

Determine the focus sentence Radio News Script format Writing the lead paragraph News Story Form and OrganizationInverted Pyramid vs. Square Format Importance of Script Cardinal Rule inWriting for Radio News Writing/Reporting News Presentation/Reporting  

News Process News Writing Determine the focus sentence. It helps you decide what you must include . It helps you decide what you can leave out . It helps you decide what order to set out the facts to lead the listener through the story logically. It sums up the essentials of your story in one sentence that answers these three questions:

Who , What , and Why ? 

Focus Sentence Examples:

People in Lahore are planning to march this evening because they want immediate end of load shedding in entire area.

Focus Sentence Examples:

Former Philippine President Joseph Estradaseeks full media coverage of the trial of his cases to inform the public of the status of his case.

Giant broadcasting network ABS-CBN has vowed to remain free from government’s censorship especially during the times when thepublic needs most of the information. 

Radio News Script Format SCRIPT-ONLY Afternoon News/March 1, 2005NightClub fire/script-only Kenneth

Protesters in Buenos Aires are planninganother march this evening. They’re angry at the government over last week’snightclub fire.It killed more than 180 people. The protestors are complaining that authorities let the club operate with locked emergency doors, flammable sound proofing and dangerous overcrowding.

Radio News Script Format

Most of the victims were in their teens. Butsome were children and babies. That’s because witnesses say the cluboperated a makeshift child-care centre. Yesterday for a second straight day,many protestors marched toward City Hall to call for the mayor to resign for allowing the club to exist. Police have arrested the owner of the club. The fireis one of Argentina’s worst disasters.

REPORTING FROM CITY HALL…

Who? What? When?

Lead Paragraph WRAP/VOICE REPORT Afternoon News/March 1, 2005Night Club fire/script-only Kenneth Protesters in Buenos Aires are planninganother march this evening

TO CALL FOR THE MAYOR’S RESIGNATION …KENNETH GALANO HAS THIS REPORT FROM CITY HALL…

News Story Form & Organization

Inverted Pyramid

most important facts

supporting details

additional details

more details

News Story Form & Organization Square Format

story lead fact 2 and detailfact 3 and detail rounding off

Ending Your Story

Summary Ending

Climax Ending

Stinger

Un-ending

Ending Your Story

Summary Ending

Like the summary lead, the summaryending wraps up the story with the most important facts. Ex.: Yesterday for a second straight day, many protestors marched toward City Hall to call for the mayor to resign for allowing the club to exist.

Police have arrested the ownerof the club. The fire is one of Argentina’s worst disasters.

Ending Your Story

Stinger Ending The writer ends with something totallyunsuspected by the reader. Ex.:

And so Ramon, the shy and lovable Ramon, ended up to be the vicious rapist hunted for in at least three states.

Ending YourStory

Un-ending

This type of ending purposely ends on alimb, creating suspense and interest in a follow up.Ex.: Informants are often reluctant to come forward, whether out of fear, loyalty or a general aversion to getting involved, and this case has provided its own reasons for tipsters to be wary. Many sources who gave the FBI information on Jewell, ranging from his work history to his living habits, must be wondering today if the leads they provided helped keep the investigation focused in a probably innocent man. Still, the FBI is hoping that popular interest in seeing the real bomber punishedand the lure of a $500,000 bounty, will keep those calls and photos coming.

News Sentence Structure

Passive sentences Follows the Object-Verb-Subject agreement Example:

O V S

A man was bitten by the dog.

News Sentence Structure

Active sentences

Follows the Subject-Verb-Object agreement

Example:

S V O

The dog bites a man.

Importance of Script

It ensures smooth continuity of the program

Smooth flow of things from beginning to endAvoidance of “dead air” Keeps from saying anything irrelevant

It aids in proper program timing

Ensures program not to go overtime or undertime It approximates the total program length

Importance of Script

It ensures accuracy of information Written facts are far better than be dependent on the announcer’s memory. Summarizes facts in magazines, books or pieces of paper.

It helps in presenting information in an organized manner.

Guides in discussing information in a logical order.

The Cardinal Rule in Writing for Radio

IT’S SPOKEN (“Write for the ear, not for the eye”) Think it, say it, then write! Use contractions Change complex words to simpler ones Punctuate for sound Avoid sound clashes Provide a pronunciation guide

CONTRACTIONS

No Contractions

I will It is She is He would not

Using Contractions I’ll It’s She’s He wouldn’t

COMPLEX WORDS

Complex Words

Nictitate Halitosis Monosodium Glutamate Law of Supply and Demand

Simple Words

Wink Bad breath Seasoning Increase in demand

PUNCTUATE FOR SOUND

! – indicates inflection—something to emphasize. ? - signifies questions

/,… - indicate pause - in a happy mood

AVOID SOUND CLASHES

Avoid alliterations— repetition of the initial sound of nearby words or syllables.

Wilma and William watched the window washers walk with Walter.

Be careful of sibilant (s,z,sh,zh,ch,j) and popping (b, p) sounds

She saw some shiny shells shimmering on the shore while she sat sipping her champagne.

Bobby blew and blew some big, bright blue bubbles.

Avoid Sound Clashes

Watch out for tongue twisters .

Thirty thrifty rural residents rented thirty-three tricycles.

Sherry Sue sure showed some spirit studying Statistics she’s taking this summer.

Avoid repeating words or using words that have the same sound.

The local building was built by a local builder.

Pronunciation Guide

It is important not to mispronounce names of persons, places or things

Antilles ( An-til-lez ) Pneumonia ( noo-mo-nia )

Break down scientific and technical terms that are difficult to read.

Extraterritoriality ( ex-tra-ter-ri-to-ria-li-ty ) Deoxyribonucleic acid ( deo-xy-ri-bo-nuc-lic acid )

News Process

News Gathering

News Writing

News Presentation/Reporting

Live Reports Scripts, Outline, Raw Notes Live interviews

Canned Reports Pre-recorded in tape or CD/USB stick

Newscasting

News broadcasting 

Is the broadcasting of various news events and other information via television, radio or internet in the field of broadcast journalism.

The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or television studio newsroom, or by a broadcast network.

It may also include additional material such as sports coverage, weather forecasts, traffic reports, commentary and other material that the broadcaster feels is relevant to their audience.

Television news 

refers to disseminating current events via the medium of television. A "news bulletin" or a "newscast" are television programs lasting from seconds to hours that provide updates on world, national, regional or local news events. Television news is very image-based, showing video of many of the events that are reported. Television channels may provide news bulletins as part of a regularly scheduled news program. Less often, television shows may be interrupted or replaced by breaking news ("news flashes") to provide news updates on events of great importance.

Radio news 

is the same as television news but is transmitted through the medium of the radio.

It is more based on the audio aspect rather than the visual aspect. Sound bites are captured through various reporters and played back through the radio.

News updates occur more often on the radio than on the television - usually about once or twice an hour.

Radio

Radio station newscasts can range from as little as a minute to as much as the station's entire schedule, such as the case of all-news radio, or talk radio.

Stations dedicated to news or talk will often feature newscasts, or bulletins, usually at the top of the hour, usually between three and eight minutes in length.

They can be a mix of local, national and international news, as well as sport, entertainment, weather and traffic, or they may be incorporated into separate bulletins.

Radio

There may also be shorter bulletins at the bottom of the hour, or three at 15-minute intervals, or two at 20-minute intervals.

All-news radio stations exist in some countries, primarily located in major metropolitan areas. which often broadcast local, national and international news and feature stories on a set time schedule.

Television

Newscasts, also known as bulletins or news programs, differ in content, tone and presentation style depending on the format of the channel on which they appear, and their time slot. In most parts of the world, national television networks will have network bulletins featuring national and international news.

The top rating shows will often be in the evening at 'prime time', but there are also often breakfast time newscasts of two to three hours in length.

Rolling news channels broadcast news 24 hours a day.

Television

Many video and audio news reports presented on the internet are updated 24 hours a day.Local news may be presented by stand-alone local television stations, local stations affiliated to national networks or by local studios which 'opt-out' of national network programming at specified points.

Different news programming may be aimed at different audiences, depending on age, socio-economic group or those from particular sections of society. 'Magazine-style' television shows may mix news coverage with topical lifestyle issues, debates or entertainment content.