Introduction:
Writing for radio requires precision, clarity, and careful consideration of wording and story placement. In radio news, broadcasters often have less than 20 seconds to try and keep the listeners interested and informed. In this lesson, students will learn the basics of writing for radio through research, feature writing, and a field observation.
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Resources:
- computer access
- breaking news handout (.doc) or (.rtf)
- radio news script (.doc) or (.rtf)
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Activities:
Task One - Pink Slip
A radio broadcaster must have all the facts and then use that information to create an interesting, informative soundbite for the radio.
For the following task, ask students to assume the role of a radio journalist.
Their assignment?
Write a radio news story about Ima Moron, an on-air news radio personality who was recently fired for incompetence.
Students should follow the steps on the Breaking News Handout. They must keep jot notes while doing in-depth research on their topic.
Task Two - Finding the Information
Students must gather information before they begin writing. Give the class the following links regarding writing for radio:
Writing for Radio - CSIRP (Canadian)
Radio News Style Guide - BBC (British)
Students should also try to gather advice from radio broadcasters regarding the best way to report news on the radio.This will give the students a chance to use actual quotes in their story.
Students can begin by reading what BBC's
Allan Little has to say about writing for radio.
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Do you have access to a local radio personality?
Bring in a guest speaker for the class to interview regarding radio news reporting. |
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Task Three - Preparing to Write
Once the students have done their research on writing for radio, they will need to see a concrete example of a radio news script.
Using an example from a local radio station, or the example provided, spend time discussing the major parts of a radio news script. You will want to point out the following in terms of style:
1. Broadcast copy is most often written in active voice.
2. All details are important and informative as everything else has been trimmed out.
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Objectives:
Students will be able to
- recognize the difference between writing for electronic media and writing for print media
- recognize the elements of a news story
- understand the requirements for reporting news using radio, television, and the Internet
- understand and demonstrate copy editing for the electronic media
- write effective headlines
- write various types of news story leads and news stories
- identify the conventions of the electronic media
- apply understanding of print journalism to the electronic media
- recognize writing as a process of constructing meaning for themselves and other
- use a journalism style guide
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View other lessons for the main objective. |
Instructional Strategies:
Task 1 - Role Play (Interactive)
Task 3 - Explicit Teaching (Direct), Field Observation (Experiential Learning)
Tasks 2 and 4 - Research Project (Independent)
Task Three - Continued . . .
3. Copy is often conversationally, as though you are talking to a friend.
4. Broadcasters try to create a picture in the listeners mind, with the minimum amount of words possible. |
Task Four - Copy Time
Students now have all the tools they need to write a segment of radio news. Their job is to write a 20 second clip, including a headline, informing the public that Ima Moron has been fired.
The students may choose to focus on different areas of incompetence and be creative when discussing Ima's termination. The most important part of this exercise is for students to learn what it takes to be a successful radio news reporter, including the proper way to write news copy. |
Extend the Learning
A clear extension of this activity would be to have students record their story and hand-in the recording rather than the written copy. This would provide students with practical experience in writing and broadcasting. |
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Assessment and Evaluation:
Task Four allows the student to apply the knowledge they have gained through Tasks One, Two and Three in a written format. As you are asking students to apply something they have researched, it is an appropriate time to conduct some form of evaluation.
You may choose to assign the students a grade based on preset criteria, or you may choose to simply evaluate through a series of checkmarks and anecdotal comments. In either case, the students will receive some form of feedback for the work that they have done. |
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