The Rules of Radio Broadcasting

Basic Rules of Writing for Radio

Below are the 13 main  rules for writing for radio. It is useful to have these recorded for when we script. We looked at these rules and annotated copies of the Isle of Wight Radio bulletin scripts as well as rewriting articles from newspapers. 

1. Write as if you’re talking to a friend - use contractions, (e.g. don’t, can’t, shouldn’t). This rule is in place as it sounds far more natural across radio, it is also not too formal or patronising. This rule is important to remember when we script but shouldn't be hard to forget as it should be the natural thing to do.
2. Who, What, Where, When, Why, (How). It is important to remember all the detail when writing for radio "A man has stolen £1000 today due to fears of drug repayments" is clearly not suitable for national radio is it missed the point 'Where'.
3. KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid! (Simple Sentences - one idea, one sentence). This can apply for more than just writing the rules and is important to remember, it is so easy to type and forget what has just been typed and it is so easy to type and forget what has just been typed and repeat yourself or including unneeded details.
4. Two or three sentences for a cue (Four for a copy story). Nobody wants to hear too much about one story, it is likely they will hear the story multiple times in a day and they do not want to hear the same in-depth report each time. This links to point number 3.
5. Write numbers as words, e.g. 2010 becomes, “two thousand and ten” or “twenty ten”. When reading off of a script a long number such as £125,000,000 could be hard to work out in a short time and so it is easier and flows better to write numbers as words.
6. (Peter Barfoot, 17, from Lake) This doesn’t make sense when it is read aloud so it is changed to: “Seventeen-year-old Peter Barfoot from Lake” or “Peter Barfoot - Who’s seventeen and from Lake.” To make the story as clear as possible to the audience it is important to remember this rule as it needs to be easy for the audience to understand instead of cryptic as it should be said naturally.
7. When writing a cue, make sure you don’t repeat what is said in the clip! 
   Paraphrase the first line of audio or sum up what is going to be said. This is important and could sound rushed or un-thought of if the news reader is repeated in a clip, no body wants to hear the same thing twice in a row and this way it is possible for more detail.
8. Write names of people or places phonetically (if they aren't said how they are spelt). E.g, Peter Barfoot (PRON Pee-ter Bar-foot). To mispronounce a name on live radio could be very embarrassing or even offensive. It is important to have this pronunciation so that the newsreader isn't stuck when trying to pronounce it.
9. Round up statistics and put them into context. 
   E.g. 260,000 hectares = the size of three football pitches. 
   It is easier to understand and paints a picture in the mind of the audience.
10. Don’t use ‘today’ in your top line of the story! The audience should assume events are taking place ‘today’. You can use ‘this morning’ or ‘this afternoon’.
11. Don’t use quotations from people in the newsreader’s script. The only ‘quotes’ we should hear are from the person themselves.
12. Avoid abbreviations unless they’re very common/well-known. (E.g. NATO or the UN would be fine as they are commonplace.)
13. READ IT ALOUD to ensure it reads correctly! Sometimes words look fine written down but read aloud, they don’t make sense or might be an awkward tongue twister or an unintentional rhyme!

Practise

This article here is about Christ The King's expansion plans. The text is about the picture posted above but over the air, it would be impossible to describe a picture. Here is my attempt at a radio script using the rules above...

Christ The King College has published plans of expansion for the school. An exhibition of the plans will be held within the school this Thursday at eight-thirty pm. The Education Funding Agency told us they have big goals in mind " we want to deliver a vision for the school, we want to achieve it through consultation with both staff and governors". The picture of the proposed plans can be found on our website.

My script above uses the rules states, and shows how they can make an article understandable over the radio. I especially remembered rules 5, 7 and 12.