Tips & Guides: Writing Broadcast Copy

Those who get their news from newspapers, or even on the Internet, can go back to a story and re-read it to check facts or increase their understanding. But viewers or listeners to broadcasts do not have this opportunity. When you write broadcast copy, you are "writing for the ear."

Use these 10 tips to help you write broadcast copy so that viewers and listeners can get the main points right away.

1. Did I write in the active voice?

One way to write for the ear is to use the active voice. In most cases, the active voice will make your story clearer and will force you to write in a linear order: subject, verb, object. Often, the active voice will also make your story shorter. When precious airtime is involved, a few seconds really do matter. (Note: Sometimes writing in the active voice means you will need more information.)

Passive: The man was arrested.

Active: The Park Patrol officer arrested the man.

2. Did I write in my own voice or did I use the words of a wire service or officials?

Officials who are used as credible sources have their own jargon. These phrases can be meaningless to the average television viewer or radio listener. Does the average person really understand the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor? Between a 3-alarm fire and a 4-alarm fire? Between good condition and stable condition? Translate the jargon. Make the words your own. Explain everything in terms that would make sense to a child.

3. Do I stick to one simple idea per sentence?

When "writing for the ear," keep sentences short. This takes practice, especially when you've been taught the inverted pyramid style with who, what, where, when and why in the first paragraph of a story. In a broadcast story, 5 W's (and maybe an H) will be sprinkled throughout the story from top to bottom. Good broadcast reporters and writers have far more information than they can use in their stories. Good broadcast writing involves judicious editing. Lots of juicy details will be left by the wayside. If you've used a comma or an ellipsis in your sentence, you're probably trying to put too much in it.

Wrong: The man, who was a graduate of Harvard, loved cats. (1 sentence with two ideas.)

Better: The man graduated from Harvard. He loved cats. (2 short sentences.)

4. Did I eliminate unnecessary information?

Just because you have lots of facts at your disposal doesn't necessarily mean they are essential or even relevant to your story. For example, when you're writing a story about something unusual that has occurred a great distance from your audience, you can leave out details like street names or surnames. Ages of people in stories are often irrelevant unless the subject of a story is very old or very young.

Wrong: Rescuers discovered a 47-year-old Peoria man after he spent several days lost in the woods.

The man's age is a waste of words. Speaking of that man…

5. If I were telling this story to my mother or friend, how would I say it?

Broadcast writers often write the way they think they should in order to make a story sound more informative. Good broadcast writers work hard to figure out how they would tell the story in casual conversation. Then, they clean up the story to get rid of bad grammar or inappropriate slang. So, I probably wouldn't say, "Hey Mom, a Peoria man was found in the woods!" Perhaps, I'd say, "They found that guy from Peoria. You know, he was lost in the woods for a couple of days!"

6. Did I attribute important facts to appropriate authorities? And did I make sure to put the attribution first?

In your effort for brevity, did you forget a basic tenet of journalism? It's easy to get caught up in the quest for short and snappy and leave out who provided this information.

Wrong: Prosecutors charged a suspect with vehicular homicide. The man was weaving in and out of traffic before he hit a pedestrian.
Better: Prosecutors charged a suspect with vehicular homicide. Police say the man was weaving in and out of traffic and that he hit a pedestrian.

Also, naïve writers often lead with an outrageous or catchy statement and then attribute it in the next sentence. This leads to confusion for a listener or viewer. Remember linear order: subject, verb, object.

Wrong: America's economic slump is over. That's the word today from the chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Better: The chairman of the Federal Reserve says America's economic slump is over.

7. Do I overwhelm my audience with too many numbers or names?

If your audience can't go back to hear a story again, then it stands to reason that you should keep numbers in a story to a minimum. Simplify whenever possible. For example, $950,000 becomes "nearly a million dollars" in broadcast copy. Spell out any symbols like $ (dollars) or % (percent). Also, ask yourself whether an unfamiliar name is necessary to your story. If the person is in your story because of his or her title, then perhaps you should use that instead.

8. Have I used a sophisticated or intellectual word, when a common word or phrase would do?

Hopefully, you're not in broadcast to impress people with the breadth of your vocabulary. When you're writing a story about a fire, you don't need to "mix it up" by changing the word to conflagration, blaze, spark or inferno. Likewise, you don't need to come up with other words for "says." The word is simple and unbiased. Stick to it.

9. Did I leave any unanswered questions?

All stories (broadcast or print) should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Sometimes reporters figure out a great way to start the story, add lots of facts and details to the middle, then find themselves with no space or time left at the end to wrap things up. In this scenario, you might be tempted to cut the story short and just stop writing, but that can lead to confusion and unanswered questions for the audience. Instead, you should know how you're going to end the story before you begin. If a story needs to be shortened, you can usually cut from soundbites or "extra" facts in the middle without hurting the story's essential structure or main points.

10. Was I fair, and did I tell the truth?

Truth is a funny thing. It changes significantly based on one's perspective. A journalist is trained to interpret events and characterize them for an audience. However, sometimes news writers stretch the truth to get a good lead. Was the mayor's victory really surprising? Did the event really shake up the quiet neighborhood? And was it really a parent's worst nightmare? If you stay away from the clichés, you'll probably be a lot closer to the truth.

Developed by Lynda Kraxberger, associate professor, Professional Practice, Missouri School of Journalism, Columbia, Missouri. KraxbergerL@missouri.edu. Reprinted with permission.