A news bulletin is an important part of a radio station’s schedule. Putting one together takes time and care. It must be clear, concise and compelling. It must also be accurate. You should never submit a story for use on air without having someone else take a look at it. It will give you an extra pair of eyes to make sure that your facts and information are correct.
It is important to have the right pace of stories in your bulletin. Some stories will have a quick pace – the report of a fire for example. Others will have a slower pace – the story of some involved political controversy for instance. You should always consider how each story will be heard and how the listener will respond to it.
Try to include as many different types of stories in your bulletin as possible. This will provide a more interesting mix and help your listeners to stay engaged with your station.
It is good to put your most important stories at the beginning of your bulletin, this will help ensure that listeners who tune in at the start of your bulletin hear the most important stories first. It is also good to have a variety of different formats for your bulletin, e.g. voice reports, audio clips and pictures. This will add variety to your bulletin and also enable you to include more news in your time slot.
It is best to avoid using music in your bulletin, it can distract the listener and ruins any variation of pace that you might have in your bulletin. If you must use music, it should be subtle and used sparingly.
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