Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Newscasting "For the Ear"
We're going to spend one class period doing the thing that radio hosts and reporters have spent years learning - turning newswire copy into newscasts. To get a sense of what we're talking about, let's first listen to the most recent NPR hourly newscast.
In this case, it's a five-minute newscast, that includes several "readers" (copy written for the host to read), along with "scripters" (host copy with sound bites) and "wraps" (packaged reporter stories, introduced by the host). We're focusing today on the newscasters' main roles:
1. Re-writing news copy for broadcast...or "for the ear."
2. Deciding which stories to include, and in what order.
The structure of these stories is usually pretty simple and straightforward, and we've talked about it before...
1. News first (what's the reason we're telling this story)
2. Background information (context)
3. Balance of information (getting all sides)
4. Conclusion (move it forward)
So, we took this print story from the New York Times, and turned it into a :30 "reader" for a newscast.
All of the "basic rules of broadcast writing" apply when taking lots and lots of print-style copy, and turning it into a quick broadcast news item. But there's a longer list of hang-ups that will get you in trouble...
1. Punctuation: Sure, it's for broadcast, not print. But that doesn't mean punctuation isn't important. In fact, it might be more important. Emphasis and pacing matter when reading...so, "On the anniversary of the September eleventh attacks memorials were held..." is read differently than "On the anniversary of the September eleventh attacks, memorials were held..."
2. Spell it out: Here's one thing that is different than the AP print stylebook. You've got to write out words "September" not "Sept." Or, in a story about gas prices, "Two-seventy-seven" not "$2.77." "Triple-A" not "AAA." Imagine getting to that part of a script, and having to figure out how to say something...
3. Conversational writing can't be confusing. Some case studies:"The names of victims could be heard from speakers that piped in the sound from the stone plaza where they were being read."
"The weather mixed in with the emotions of the memorial with tears streaming down many faces in remembrance."
"Bush does seem intent on placing conditions on reductions, insisting that conditions on the ground must warrant cuts and that now-unforseen events could change the plan."
In cases like these the writer has violated multiple rules of broadcast writing. Sentences are too long, and they're using unnecessary words. Read these out loud to yourself or someone else...and you'll realize quickly what's wrong. Write the way you speak.
4. Tenses need to agree. "...attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and impacting American's and the world forever." Well, there's a few problems there...the number should be spelled out...and "American's" doesn't have an apostrophe...but the tense is the real problem. Pick one for the story, and stick with it.
5. Attribution issues. We need to always be sure we're attributing statements to the right people...and that our opinion as newscasters doesn't come through. You might not mean to give your opinion...but some writing makes it sound that way: "His address to the nation is coming on the heels of Sept. 11th, which caused America to go into Iraq." Really?
After hearing from Petraeus and Crocker, he has decided on a way forward that will reduce the U.S. Military presence but not abandon Iraq to chaos." The key thing missing here is..."he says."
By saying "He says that he has decided..." it puts the statement in his mouth...not yours.
Here's another: "The setting of a park across the way failed to evoke the same emotions as years passed, leaving mourners dissatisfied." Turn it around, and it's "Mourners said the ceremony in the park failed to evoke the same emotions as years passed, leaving them dissatisfied."
One more: "State and government heads promised to confront the problem for future generations. But experts were disappointed they made no new bold proposals." The experts were disappointed in themselves?
6. Cut, trim, do away with words you don't need. "U.S. intelligence agencies are probing over bin Laden's...." becomes "U.S. intelligence agencies are probing bin Laden's...."
7. Paraphrase the quotes (or soundbites) into your own words. When we're writing for our own voice, we can't really read quotes. When we start using soundbites in our newscasts, direct quotes will become very important. But when we're writing for ourselves to read, they just sound wrong. Paraphrase quotes within "readers" in a newscast...and only very sparingly use quotes. For instance: "President Bush called it 'a day to mourn.'"
8. The active/passive thing. "Osama bin Laden's voice was heard..." or "Questions have been raised about..." Look, you can't always avoid the passive voice, but in cases like this it really matters. Find the person who's doing the acting (like Osama releasing a tape) and credit him with doing something. In the Cheshire story, lawmakers are raising questions. Not only does it make for more active writing...it helps you write shorter, and attribute news correctly.
9. Shorter sentences. Always. They're easier to read. They're easier to move within your copy. They're better. See?
Now, onto this question of deciding which stories to cover...and in what order. First, I'll draw your attention to a handout on the "Four Tiers of News Coverage" by Jay Kernis. It gives us a blueprint for which stories are the ones we should focus on most.
Our other resource for this is the Kern book, Chapter 10...looking at what factors newscasters take into consideration when choosing stories:
We'll discuss these in class...as you can see, it's a VERY subjective list of criteria.
We're going to find the top five stories in the news for our sample newscast, with a balance of international, national and state/local news.
In this case, it's a five-minute newscast, that includes several "readers" (copy written for the host to read), along with "scripters" (host copy with sound bites) and "wraps" (packaged reporter stories, introduced by the host). We're focusing today on the newscasters' main roles:
1. Re-writing news copy for broadcast...or "for the ear."
2. Deciding which stories to include, and in what order.
The structure of these stories is usually pretty simple and straightforward, and we've talked about it before...
1. News first (what's the reason we're telling this story)
2. Background information (context)
3. Balance of information (getting all sides)
4. Conclusion (move it forward)
So, we took this print story from the New York Times, and turned it into a :30 "reader" for a newscast.
All of the "basic rules of broadcast writing" apply when taking lots and lots of print-style copy, and turning it into a quick broadcast news item. But there's a longer list of hang-ups that will get you in trouble...
1. Punctuation: Sure, it's for broadcast, not print. But that doesn't mean punctuation isn't important. In fact, it might be more important. Emphasis and pacing matter when reading...so, "On the anniversary of the September eleventh attacks memorials were held..." is read differently than "On the anniversary of the September eleventh attacks, memorials were held..."
2. Spell it out: Here's one thing that is different than the AP print stylebook. You've got to write out words "September" not "Sept." Or, in a story about gas prices, "Two-seventy-seven" not "$2.77." "Triple-A" not "AAA." Imagine getting to that part of a script, and having to figure out how to say something...
3. Conversational writing can't be confusing. Some case studies:"The names of victims could be heard from speakers that piped in the sound from the stone plaza where they were being read."
"The weather mixed in with the emotions of the memorial with tears streaming down many faces in remembrance."
"Bush does seem intent on placing conditions on reductions, insisting that conditions on the ground must warrant cuts and that now-unforseen events could change the plan."
In cases like these the writer has violated multiple rules of broadcast writing. Sentences are too long, and they're using unnecessary words. Read these out loud to yourself or someone else...and you'll realize quickly what's wrong. Write the way you speak.
4. Tenses need to agree. "...attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and impacting American's and the world forever." Well, there's a few problems there...the number should be spelled out...and "American's" doesn't have an apostrophe...but the tense is the real problem. Pick one for the story, and stick with it.
5. Attribution issues. We need to always be sure we're attributing statements to the right people...and that our opinion as newscasters doesn't come through. You might not mean to give your opinion...but some writing makes it sound that way: "His address to the nation is coming on the heels of Sept. 11th, which caused America to go into Iraq." Really?
After hearing from Petraeus and Crocker, he has decided on a way forward that will reduce the U.S. Military presence but not abandon Iraq to chaos." The key thing missing here is..."he says."
By saying "He says that he has decided..." it puts the statement in his mouth...not yours.
Here's another: "The setting of a park across the way failed to evoke the same emotions as years passed, leaving mourners dissatisfied." Turn it around, and it's "Mourners said the ceremony in the park failed to evoke the same emotions as years passed, leaving them dissatisfied."
One more: "State and government heads promised to confront the problem for future generations. But experts were disappointed they made no new bold proposals." The experts were disappointed in themselves?
6. Cut, trim, do away with words you don't need. "U.S. intelligence agencies are probing over bin Laden's...." becomes "U.S. intelligence agencies are probing bin Laden's...."
7. Paraphrase the quotes (or soundbites) into your own words. When we're writing for our own voice, we can't really read quotes. When we start using soundbites in our newscasts, direct quotes will become very important. But when we're writing for ourselves to read, they just sound wrong. Paraphrase quotes within "readers" in a newscast...and only very sparingly use quotes. For instance: "President Bush called it 'a day to mourn.'"
8. The active/passive thing. "Osama bin Laden's voice was heard..." or "Questions have been raised about..." Look, you can't always avoid the passive voice, but in cases like this it really matters. Find the person who's doing the acting (like Osama releasing a tape) and credit him with doing something. In the Cheshire story, lawmakers are raising questions. Not only does it make for more active writing...it helps you write shorter, and attribute news correctly.
9. Shorter sentences. Always. They're easier to read. They're easier to move within your copy. They're better. See?
Now, onto this question of deciding which stories to cover...and in what order. First, I'll draw your attention to a handout on the "Four Tiers of News Coverage" by Jay Kernis. It gives us a blueprint for which stories are the ones we should focus on most.
Our other resource for this is the Kern book, Chapter 10...looking at what factors newscasters take into consideration when choosing stories:
- Stories that have an impact on people
- Unusual or unexpected stories
- The "first of it's kind"
- Timely
- Controversial
- Involving prominent people
- Death or tragedy
- It involves the U.S.
- It concerns an important issue
- It is of "human interest"
- It's useful
- It's "out there already"
We'll discuss these in class...as you can see, it's a VERY subjective list of criteria.
We're going to find the top five stories in the news for our sample newscast, with a balance of international, national and state/local news.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Climate Change Meeting Assignment
Well, I promised you a link to the story, 'U.S. and China Vow Action on Climate but Cite Needs' - so, here it is.
Again, we're looking for a 30-second rewrite of this story into "broadcast style."
Again, we're looking for a 30-second rewrite of this story into "broadcast style."
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Fall 2009 gets underway!
Welcome to a new semester...should be a fun chance to learn about storytelling, radio-style.
As usual, I start with some basic terms that you'll be hearing from me throughout the semester...so we're talking the same language. Then, we'll be listening to some examples of the kinds of stories we'll be telling:
Newscast: This could be a lot of things...five minutes of headlines read by a radio reporter at 6 a.m. or maybe a full, half-hour television broadcast, complete with weather and sports. For our purposes, a newscast is: The framework within which we place stories. We'll be talking in later classes about how to "stack" a newscast, or choose the important stories in the right order.
Reader: That's when the newscaster reads news copy (otherwise known as a script) directly to listeners. It's news that he has written himself, and doesn't include any additional outside sound. Many radio stations provide newscasts that are little more than a series of readers, strung together taken from wire service copy. It might look something like this:
The state Supreme Court ordered a new sentence today for a man convicted of shooting a New Haven police officer. The high court unanimously upheld the conviction of Arnold Bell, but found part of a law giving him a stiffer sentence as a persistent dangerous offender unconstitutional.
Scripter: That's when the newscaster reads copy, and inserts a soundbite into the the story. Of course, there's a million ways to refer to the soundbite, like: cut, bite, clip, sound on tape (or SOT), tape (that's pretty old-fashioned), audio, and probably a few I'll forget. Here's the same story, written as a scripter:
The state Supreme Court ordered a new sentence today for a man convicted of shooting a New Haven police officer. The high court unanimously upheld the conviction of Arnold Bell, but found part of a law giving him a stiffer sentence as a persistent dangerous offender unconstitutional. Bell's attorney, Joe Blow said the ruling was a victory:
Bell :12 "...will be vindicated."
Bell was convicted of shooting officer Jane Smith in 2001.
Another name for the scripter is the donut...and it's easy to see why. There's some stuff...then a hole where the soundbite goes, then more stuff. Many TV stations (they call them VO-SOTs, or voiceovers with sound on tape...catchy, no?), and some radio stations dispense with the second bit of "stuff" and just move on to the next story.
Spot (or Wrap): Basically, it's the same idea as a scripter, but a reporter is delivering the story...not a newscaster. A spot is short (for our class, :50 to 1:30) and it usually breaks news. It's the first reporting on a story, and is meant to get the basics out there. That doesn't mean spots can't be full of information.
Each spot includes a "Host Lead" or "Host Intro" read by an anchor. It gives a description of what's to come. Here's an example from WNPR reporter Anna Sale....First the Host Intro:
Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez was arrested today on charges of bribery and fabricating evidence in connection with renovations at his home by a city contractor. WNPR's Anna Sale reports. Here's the link to the story itself.
Here's another spot from Lucy Nalpathanchil. First, the host intro:
While Mayor Eddie Perez maintains his innocence on corruption charges and says he won't resign, Hartford City Council may have a say in Perez's future. WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil reports. Now, the link to hear the story.
It's still a spot that's breaking news...but it's taking a different angle. Some people might call this a "sidebar" story - an old newspaper term. I just call it good reporting...following up on all aspects of an important story.
Feature: This is what you'll be producing later in the class. It's a longer story than a spot, although it has some of the same elements (news at the top of the story, background, voices of stakeholders, a conclusion that moves the story forward) as a spot, but takes more time, and provides more depth. We're going to hear a few different kinds of stories from today's Morning Edition...
Here's a good recent example of a story driven by a need to more fully develop an ongoing news story. And, another example, where we took a "micro" look at a bigger problem. You can do more listening here to different kinds of stories that fit into these categories.
Okay, now those terms make sense, but we can't do much with them, unless we first explore the "Basic Rules of Broadcast Writing." For next week - we'll get more depth on these subjects by tearing into our textbook, "Sound Reporting" - and reading the first four chapters.
Talk Show Intro: This is the newest thing we'll be discussing in the class...and it's an often overlooked aspect of broadcast writing. The introductions that hosts read for talk programs draw listeners into the conversation. A poor introduction means a disengaged audience...a good intro has people clamoring to get involved. Here's an example of an "okay" intro from our talk show Where We Live.
As usual, I start with some basic terms that you'll be hearing from me throughout the semester...so we're talking the same language. Then, we'll be listening to some examples of the kinds of stories we'll be telling:
Newscast: This could be a lot of things...five minutes of headlines read by a radio reporter at 6 a.m. or maybe a full, half-hour television broadcast, complete with weather and sports. For our purposes, a newscast is: The framework within which we place stories. We'll be talking in later classes about how to "stack" a newscast, or choose the important stories in the right order.
Reader: That's when the newscaster reads news copy (otherwise known as a script) directly to listeners. It's news that he has written himself, and doesn't include any additional outside sound. Many radio stations provide newscasts that are little more than a series of readers, strung together taken from wire service copy. It might look something like this:
The state Supreme Court ordered a new sentence today for a man convicted of shooting a New Haven police officer. The high court unanimously upheld the conviction of Arnold Bell, but found part of a law giving him a stiffer sentence as a persistent dangerous offender unconstitutional.
Scripter: That's when the newscaster reads copy, and inserts a soundbite into the the story. Of course, there's a million ways to refer to the soundbite, like: cut, bite, clip, sound on tape (or SOT), tape (that's pretty old-fashioned), audio, and probably a few I'll forget. Here's the same story, written as a scripter:
The state Supreme Court ordered a new sentence today for a man convicted of shooting a New Haven police officer. The high court unanimously upheld the conviction of Arnold Bell, but found part of a law giving him a stiffer sentence as a persistent dangerous offender unconstitutional. Bell's attorney, Joe Blow said the ruling was a victory:
Bell :12 "...will be vindicated."
Bell was convicted of shooting officer Jane Smith in 2001.
Another name for the scripter is the donut...and it's easy to see why. There's some stuff...then a hole where the soundbite goes, then more stuff. Many TV stations (they call them VO-SOTs, or voiceovers with sound on tape...catchy, no?), and some radio stations dispense with the second bit of "stuff" and just move on to the next story.
Spot (or Wrap): Basically, it's the same idea as a scripter, but a reporter is delivering the story...not a newscaster. A spot is short (for our class, :50 to 1:30) and it usually breaks news. It's the first reporting on a story, and is meant to get the basics out there. That doesn't mean spots can't be full of information.
Each spot includes a "Host Lead" or "Host Intro" read by an anchor. It gives a description of what's to come. Here's an example from WNPR reporter Anna Sale....First the Host Intro:
Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez was arrested today on charges of bribery and fabricating evidence in connection with renovations at his home by a city contractor. WNPR's Anna Sale reports. Here's the link to the story itself.
Here's another spot from Lucy Nalpathanchil. First, the host intro:
While Mayor Eddie Perez maintains his innocence on corruption charges and says he won't resign, Hartford City Council may have a say in Perez's future. WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil reports. Now, the link to hear the story.
It's still a spot that's breaking news...but it's taking a different angle. Some people might call this a "sidebar" story - an old newspaper term. I just call it good reporting...following up on all aspects of an important story.
Feature: This is what you'll be producing later in the class. It's a longer story than a spot, although it has some of the same elements (news at the top of the story, background, voices of stakeholders, a conclusion that moves the story forward) as a spot, but takes more time, and provides more depth. We're going to hear a few different kinds of stories from today's Morning Edition...
Here's a good recent example of a story driven by a need to more fully develop an ongoing news story. And, another example, where we took a "micro" look at a bigger problem. You can do more listening here to different kinds of stories that fit into these categories.
Okay, now those terms make sense, but we can't do much with them, unless we first explore the "Basic Rules of Broadcast Writing." For next week - we'll get more depth on these subjects by tearing into our textbook, "Sound Reporting" - and reading the first four chapters.
Talk Show Intro: This is the newest thing we'll be discussing in the class...and it's an often overlooked aspect of broadcast writing. The introductions that hosts read for talk programs draw listeners into the conversation. A poor introduction means a disengaged audience...a good intro has people clamoring to get involved. Here's an example of an "okay" intro from our talk show Where We Live.
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