A news bulletin is a brief report of events on radio or television. They are very similar to newspaper articles but you are limited in space and time, so each element must be carefully placed.
Firstly, consider the audience – what stories will engage them? People will listen to a bulletin in order to receive information which they can use and which is of relevance to them. Providing this type of information will reinforce your station’s credibility as an informed source of news and will ensure that your listeners tune in to your bulletin.
When choosing which stories to include, rank them in order of importance. This will enable you to balance the contents of your bulletin. Too many long complicated stories can slow down the pace of your bulletin and lose listeners’ attention. Conversely, too much fast moving news will leave listeners breathless and may cause them to switch off.
Remember that your lead story must be dramatic and eye-catching, to grab the attention of your listeners and encourage them to stay tuned. The same applies to the closing headlines – they should suggest drama without giving away all the details, and remind listeners of major stories which they may have heard earlier in the bulletin.
Radio and television bulletins also contain short recorded sound called actuality, eg sounds of speeches or interviews with people involved in the story. They are usually introduced and identified by a voice-over or back-announcement. If they are in a language other than your own then they should be overdubbed with a translation.