Maria Burns Ortiz

Nov. 27: Writing scripts and broadcast ledes

Broadcast writing style tips
BROADCAST WRITING LANGUAGE TIPS & STYLE
Writing for broadcast
BROADCAST NEWS WRITING BASICS

Watch a nightly news program with attention to how the stories are written.

Listen to one episode of NPR’s Morning Edition.

In-class: Broadcast ledes

Homework: Write broadcast script (Audio) – Four stories (from Tuesday or Wednesday’s NY TImes). Two news hits (no actualities – 30 second to 1 minute), Two with “actualities” (NY Times quotes – insert quotes where they would go. 1-3 minutes.)

Powerpoint: Broadcast

Nov. 29: Audio recording and interviewing basics

Interview Basics
Interviewing Basics
Getting Good Ambient Sound

Listen to this episode of NPR’s Morning Edition through Egypt Expert.

Homework: Audio recording “package” – ambient sound (2-3 examples – or more if you think they are warranted in your story), two interviews, script for the story on your topic. (Total story should run 1-3 minutes.)

Bring the audio files to class (via USB, email, SD card – as long as you can access it – must be mp3 files.)

In your script, include where the ambient sound would go and note for how long (i.e. Sound – Crowd noise, five seconds) and note where the actualities from your interview would go.

As far as including the actualities, you have two options.

Option One
EDIT
– If you want to edit the audio, you can edit it just down to the sound bite you want to use and submit those edited down soundbites as your audio files. (You will learn how to do basic sound editing with Audacity in JR 103.)
– Note it in your script as: SOT: File Name

Option Two
TRANSCRIBE
– Transcribe the quote from the interview you would use as an actuality in your piece. Put it in the script where it would go. Also, note the timestamp in each audio file where the quote starts and ends.
– Note it in your script as: ACTUALITY: Blah, blah, blah. This is the transcribed quote. (File Name – 1:20-1:34)

Extra credit: News U: Telling Stories with Sound.

This page has the following sub pages.

• Script Examples