RUDIMENTS OF

SCRIPTWRITING
AND RADIO
BROADCASTING
 FUN FACTS
DID YOU KNOW…

that the ears can only

receive160 words per minute,
while the eyes can read up to
1000 word per minute.
 FUN FACTS
The eyes can see the whole
sentence in just one glance, but the
ears need to grasp word-for-word
in every sentence. The listener
should wait until the end of the
sentence to get the message.

What will happen if the

listener fails to hear a part of the
news?
What is Radio Broadcasting?
• Is a one-way wireless
transmission over radio
waves intended to reach a
wide audience.
• A kind of news casting
which is done on the radio.
 Technical Terms in Radio
Broadcasting
• INTRO – is the opening part
of the news program.
• EXTRO – is the closing part of
the news program.
• STATION ID – is the name of
the radio station.
• PROGRAM ID – is the radio
program’s name.
• AFFILIATION – the
organization of which the
radio station is a member.
Example is the KBP or
Kapisanan ng mga
Broadcasters sa Pilipinas.
• SLOGAN – the philosophy
or the norm that the news
program upholds.
• HEADLINES – are the most
important news of the day/the
title of the news story
• RECAPITULATION (Recap) – is
the repetition of the headlines.
It gives the summary of the
news covered in the program.
• NEWS BED – is the background
music used in the news
program.
• AIR GAP (also called DEAD AIR)
– happens when no one is
speaking or no news bed is being
played on air.
• NEWS SLUG – is a short
introductory phrase in all caps
followed by a colon, in a news
story.
• TEASER – is a short line delivered
by the anchor about the news he
will pass to the segment reporter
• TIME CHECK – is traditionally
done to inform the listeners of the
time. In school competitions, it is
done to notify the reporters of the
remaining time in the news
program.
• JINGLE - is a short tune that is
used to promote something.
• COMMERCIALS – are the
advertisements that are aired when
the news program takes a break.
THREE TYPES OF COMMERCIAL IN
RADIO BROADCASTING:
• Spot Commercial – is just a portion of a
commercial, usually the gist of a regular
full length commercial. It usually goes
with the time check.
• Full Length Commercial – is a regular
commercial from start to finish.
• Infomercial – contains Advocacy Plug.
It advocates a certain message which is
usually a lesson that the radio station
and the sponsors of the program want
to teach the listeners. It usually goes
with the Spot Commercial.
 People Involved in Radio
Broadcasting
• ANCHOR – is the main reporter in
the news program. He delivers the
major news of the day. He usually
opens and closes the news
program. He also cues in and out
the other reporters.
• SEGMENT REPORTER – reports
minor news of the day. This
reporter is inside the news studio
along with the anchor.
• FIELD REPORTER – also reports minor
news of the day. This reporter goes out in
the field to cover news where it happens
and to interview people who are
connected with the news he is covering.
• COMMERCIAL ARTIST – is the one in
charge of the commercial.
• TIME CHECKER – checks the time. He is
usually the anchor of the news program.
• SOUND TECHNICIAN/ENGINEER – is
in charge of the manipulation of the
news bed and other sound effects.
• NEWS EDITOR/DIRECTOR – edits the
news in particular, and the script in
general. He directs everyone in the news
program.
 Script for Radio
Broadcasting
• OBB (Opening of the Billboard)
– refers to the switching of the
radio ON so that it may be heard
on air. In the actual radio
broadcasting in school press
conferences, it is called the
INTRO.
• HEADLINES - contains the top
of the hour news for the day.
• TIME CHECK – checks the
current time. It usually comes
with a SPOT COMMERCIAL.
• DETAILS OF THE NEWS –
provide the body of the news as
prompted in the headlines.
• INFOMERCIAL – contains the
ADVOCACY PLUG
• RECAPITULATION – is the RECAP
in short. It gives a summary of the
news covered in the program. It is
usually the repetition of the
HEADLINES.
• JINGLE - is a short tune that is used
to promote something.
• CBB (Closing of the Billboard) –
refers to the switching of the radio
OFF to signify the end of the news
program. In the actual radio
broadcasting in school press
conferences, it is called the EXTRO.
 News to be Covered in the
Program
• National news
• Local News
• World or foreign news
• Sports news
• Entertainment news
• Weather news
 Things to Remember in the
Radio Scriptwriting
1. Double space all lines and
paragraph when writing or typing
the news in the script.
2. Make each paragraph a sentence.
3. Have a duplicate of each copy
4. Write a page number on each
page.
5. Listen for the font size to be used
in typing the script. (Usually
announced by the proctor)
 DO’s and DON’T’s in
Scriptwriting
1. Organize your news broadcast by
preparing a news wheel or a chart
containing the essential elements of a
newscast such as the station ID,
headlines, national news, local news,
weather news, sports news, showbiz news
and the likes.
2. Don’t forget to include the national news
in your program. It is a MUST. You may
have one or two of this news type. In this
connection, you should not have all
national news all throughout the
program. There should be variations.
3. You should not do the following:
• Showbiz first before the national news.
(Exception: When one of the showbiz
personalities dies!)
• Weather news first instead of the national
news. (Exception: When there’s a storm or
typhoon or when there are casualties due
to storms or typhoons!)
• Sports update first instead of the local
news. (Exception: News about Manny
Pacquiao’s victrory!
4. The script should be meant for the
listeners not for the viewers. Use simple but
colourful, catchy, distinct descriptive words.
5. Avoid discriminate use of personal
pronouns. Repeat the names of the persons
or use alternative titles in the news story
rather than using he, she, or they whenever
there is the slightest chance that the
reference may be misunderstood.
6. Change the pronouns in direct quotations
from the first person to the third person
whenever the change will help the listener
understand the news much better. It is
clearer to say “THE MAYOR SAYS SHE’S
GOING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF
THE MATTER.” than to say, THE MAYOR
SAYS, “I AM GOING TO GET TO THE
BOTTOM OF THE MATTER.”
7. Avoid using the words “LATTER” and
“RESPECTIVELY” which are
acceptable in print but should not be
used on air because the listener has no
way of referring to the original word
that is being talked about.
8. Avoid excessive redundancy. Repeating
important facts is advisable, but too
frequent repetition is dull. (Examples:
stressed, expressed, said,
clarified/nabanggit, naturang, etc.)
9. Spell out acronyms in the script
especially if they are not frequently
used or unfamiliar to the audience.
10.Simplify numbers. For example, change
2.6123 million to “SLIGHTLY MORE
THAN TWO AND A HALF MILLION” and
35.7002 percent to “NEARLY 36
PERCENT”. If the number is not an
essential part of the story, drop it.
11.Never use words that are only appropriate
for TV news cast such as:
You have just witnessed the interview of
DZBB with Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago)
12.Never include unnecessary ages, middle
initials, addresses, occupations, unfamiliar
or obscure names or anything else that
slows down or clutters up the story. Use of
the passive voice in this situation is highly
suggested.
13.Use appropriate and catchy program intro
and extro. It depends on the image you
want to project. Its effectiveness depends
on the anchor’s delivery.
14.There must be a news summary script.
15.Advocacy plugs or commercials may be
written. These plugs must be relevant and
creatively produced.
16.There must be an intro and an extro
(especially if there is no program ID).
There should also be transition words in
between news stories. Turn-over of news
must be done properly. Teasers are also
highly suggested to be used. Time of the
broadcast must be prescribed (morning,
afternoon, evening) and must be consistent.
 DO’s and DON’T’s in
Broadcasting
1. Unacceptable delivery such as wrong
pronunciation, phrasing, stress and
blending is a big NO in broadcasting
(especially in English). Critical
sounds in English must be given
prior importance (soft and hard
/th/, /f/ and /p/, /b/ and /v/)
2. Wrong positioning of the
broadcasters (sitting or standing
arrangements) affects the manner
of delivery.
3.News beds must be appropriate
for the newscast. The sound
technician must be
knowledgeable in the
manipulation of the news bed
and other sound effects.
4.There shouldn’t be:
Air gaps
Feedback
Too much loudness (e.g. in
news bed, voice, etc.)
5. Proper use of the microphone
must be practiced.
6. It is advisable to bring a
stopwatch and a watch to
keep abreast with the time.
7. Over time is subject to
deductions of scores by some
percentage.
8. Take good care of your voice.
It’s your number one tool in
broadcasting.
Thank You…