News bulletin is the most important part of any radio station’s day. It is the time when your listeners expect a balance of stories, some heavy and some light, and some about major events and others about people. They also expect the stories to be presented at the right pace for each subject. For example, a report of a fire will be written at a fast pace using short snappy words to convey simple ideas, while an explanation of some complicated political controversy will need slightly longer sentences to express more complex ideas.
Examining each story with regard to these criteria must help you decide where it should go in your bulletin. It’s usual to put the most important news first, with less important information following later. But this doesn’t mean that you should neglect some routine stories, such as weather forecasts or traffic updates. These are very useful for your listeners and must be included.
It’s best to take more copy than you need into the studio, just in case a story does not play. You can use the extra copy as a “back-up” to keep your bulletin on schedule in the event of a problem.
It’s important to read each story carefully and slowly. Your audience may be doing other things while they’re listening, and if you read too quickly they won’t be able to absorb the information. Occasionally it’s appropriate to include a grab of actuality, a short segment of recorded sound such as an interview or speech, usually overdubbed with a voice which will allow your listeners to understand it.