A news bulletin is a short piece of recorded sound, often an interview or speech, overdubbed with the voice of a translator to allow listeners to understand it. It is used to give a human face to news or as a way of adding pace and interest to the bulletin. A short segment of actuality can make the bulletin more attractive, but too much of this type of material can cause listeners to switch off. It is also important to find a good voice for the bulletin, and one which pleases the audience.
It is essential that a news bulletin includes the latest stories possible. This is because the most relevant news to your audience is the news that happened that day, not last week’s or even yesterday’s. However, there are some exceptions to this rule: an extremely important story should be included as soon as it becomes available.
When building a news bulletin you must decide which story is the most important and therefore the lead story. You must then build the rest of the news bulletin around it, ensuring that all the important stories are given equal prominence. This is particularly important at weekends when you may have fewer stories to work with than on a weekday, and when you will have to re-assess your priorities, perhaps running some stories which would not be run at other times.
You must try to include at least three important stories, including a light or funny story. This can add balance and variety to the bulletin and help keep the audience listening until the end of the broadcast.
About the Author
