How to Write for News Radio

Learning how to write news for community radio broadcasting can be a challenge because it is a format that has its own rules. First and foremost, radio news scripts are written for listeners, not readers or viewers.

According to Yossy Suparyo, the knowledge management specialist of Combine Resource Institution, writing for radio is writing for the blind! Your listener cannot see what you see, so you need to use word, adjectives and adverbs to paint pictures and describe atmosphere.

"Describe in enough and detail what you can see," Yossy Said.

Follow these basic guidelines for writing a community radio news script:

1. Know that radio news writing is aimed toward the listener, so the writing should be clear and simple. No words that are difficult to pronounce, nor require a dictionary to understand.

2. Write an outline. Determine the key elements of the story. These are the essential components. Ask yourself: Who? What? Why? Where? When?

3. Write a tease. This will be used with other teases to whet the appetite of the listener before the news is aired. This should not be longer than a sentence.

4. Write a lead sentence. This is used to grab the listener's attention. Be concise and accurate with your lead.

5. Write the body. Include all necessary facts, figures, and main points. Radio news stories are typically 100 to 300 words, based on the amount of time dedicated to the story. 100 words equates to approximately 30 seconds of air time.

6. Write a story conclusion. This should be no longer than a sentence or two that sums up the key points of the story.

7. Format your script in accordance with basic radio script guidelines which may vary from radio station to radio station.

8. Fact-check the script and review your grammar. Present the script to a copy-editor that might find mistakes you overlooked.