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The Basics
Good writing is good writing. Whether you’re writing for radio, print, TV or the internet, a lot of the same basics apply. Clarity, good organization of your thoughts and themes, and a vocabulary that your listeners/readers/viewers will understand are all important.
But there are a few things that are specific to the medium of radio because of its unique nature:
Unlike print, radio listeners can’t go back to the part they’ve missed. It has to be clear the first time because there is no second chance.
Unlike TV, there are no pictures to reinforce your words. That means your script has to do all the describing. It also has to grab the listener’s attention. You can’t back into the main point you have to get to it quickly without a long preamble.
Unlike the Internet, it’s not available for weeks at a time. You have one, and only one, opportunity to make an impact.
Radio is conversational. Think of the most boring lecture you have ever attended. For starters, the presenter probably read it. And it probably sounded like a term paper, full of jargon and long winded sentences. Does anybody really talk like that?
Radio is personal you’re talking to one person at a time. That’s why your writing has to sound like it is “talked”, not read. Lectures don’t work on radio. Your script can’t be just “read”. It has to be performed.
Radio writing has to be tight and clear, and above all, interesting.
Over the air radio has been called the theatre of the mind, because good writers can conjure up images for listeners. But most radio news is heavily formatted into tiny story slots, so you need to be as clear, descriptive, and direct.
- You must be descriptive. Obviously, the visuals aren’t there, so you have to add words that speak of sights, sounds, aromas, and whatever else contributes to setting the scene. Ambient sound is often a big help to accomplishing word pictures.
- You must write tightly. Scripts are short. Commercial radio network newscasts are brutal, with stories ranging from 10 to 30 seconds. This demands that you winnow out the excess material and include only what is necessary to tell the story. Noncommercial newscasts are longer, but are often also formatted into tight patterns.
- You can write with more style. Your vocal presentation must be gracious and authoritative, and your personal warmth must come through in your reports.
Mechanics:
Formatting Tips for Written Copy
These tips are especially important if you are writing copy for others to read. These will help a script reader to read more easily, and will help listeners to hear and understand more easily.
Double space all copy for easy reading. Also, use a large enough font for easy reading 12 point minimum. Exaggerate where the paragraph begins by
spacing.
Round out all numbers.
Most people can only remember one or two numbers at a time, so keep them to a minimum. Round the ones you do include in the copy.
- A $1.47 million budget becomes “about one and a half million dollars.”
- Pollution in 312 state waterways becomes “more than three hundred waterways” or even “hundreds of waterways”
Exception to this rule
When the story doesn’t exist without the exact numbers –
e.g. “Gas prices will rise to two dollars and eighty-five cents by next month, an increase of more than…”•
Don’t use abbreviations
- Spell out words like “street” and “versus.”
- Don’t use acronyms except for the most widely known terms.
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Spell out specialized acronyms that not everyone will understand. For example, “Federal Trade Commission” instead of “FTC”
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Many others acronyms are very common, but should probably be spelled out the first time used in a story. For example: “University of Wisconsin
–
Madison” the first time, “U
–
W
Madison” each time after tha
t in the same story.
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Some acronyms are common enough that they probably don’t need to be written out. E.g.
“NBC News” or “FBI agents.” But you should put a dash between each letter.
Indicate proper pronunciation of difficult words or names in brackets. Set apart the syllable to be stressed.
e.g. “Dave Cieslewicz [Chess LEVitch]”
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