A news bulletin is a short radio broadcast giving the bare facts of news stories before more depth is added in a full programme. The main goal is to ensure that listeners stay tuned. Creating a radio news bulletin requires journalism skills – being clear and concise. It also involves editing skills – selecting and prioritising stories.
One of the main factors is knowing your audience. A journalist preparing a bulletin should consider their concerns, interests and attitudes. For example, a story about an economic crisis will appeal to many people. However, if it is told in an over-dramatic or sensational way, the audience will switch off.
Another factor is the pace of a story. A fire story will often use short snappy sentences to convey simple ideas, while an explanation of a complex political controversy may need slightly longer sentences and words which are more expressive. A fast pace is usually more effective on the air than a slower pace.
A news bulletin should always include a ‘news flash’ if there is an important and urgent story which could not be included in the main part of the bulletin. This is normally read by the newsreader at the appropriate point in the bulletin – e.g. “Police are tracking new leads in what they say was a hit and run accident overnight.”
There is never enough time on radio for all the stories that journalists would like to include in a bulletin, so it is essential to be selective. It is also a good idea to take more copy into the studio than you need, as this will provide an emergency reserve in case you have misjudged your timings or if something does not play for some reason.
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