A news bulletin is a summary of events, usually broadcast on the hour or half-hour. It is an important part of radio and television news – and is very different from a current affairs programme which has much more depth. Journalistic writing skills are required to produce a news bulletin, but there are also extra considerations such as the order of stories and how to use sound bites.
The order of the bulletin is crucial because it must ensure that listeners hear the most important news first and that they catch up with any story which has been missed, or which they have only partly listened to. It is also essential that a good balance of different types of stories is offered. This is to help build credibility and trust in the bulletin, and to keep the audience interested.
A good way to get a good pace for your bulletin is to have some dramatic stories, or what are called ‘headline grabbers’ at the beginning of the bulletin. These should be short and snappy, with simple words which convey ideas easily. This will add excitement to the opening of your bulletin, ensuring that listeners stay tuned to hear what comes next.
Always be ready to change the order of your bulletin, if necessary. It is also important that you have an emergency backup story, in case of any problems. It is good practice to take more copy into the studio than you actually need, so that you can drop or rewrite a story quickly.