BROADCAST NEWS
    LEAD WRITING TIPS    

Next...

Know as much about your assigned topic as possible - As much as time will permit you to research.
In broadcast, sometimes you get hours to research your story assignment
...on some stories you may have only minutes!
No complaints please! This is what broadcast news is based on...quick turn-around of information.
ADAPT!  Take advantage when you have days to prepare & research.
Make your leads sound well informed!

Now...starting wording your lead. TALK OUT LOUD AS YOU DO THIS & THINK!

Concentrate on the info and keep asking yourself:
What's the latest info, and what timely angle would people be most interested in???
Don't be shy...SPEAK OUT LOUD as you formulate your leads. Let your ears
help you in the process to sound conversational, not stiff or student-like!

Then...Type your broadcast lead.

If you have done what is suggested above, don't doubt yourself or be self critical.
Stop putting yourself down...Stay focused...This is serious business.
t's time to apply your best energy, intellectual abilities and showcase your talents.
Be positive in thinking!

To be successful in this style of news writing...

Each Broadcast News Lead MUST:

Have a latest information angle included.
People want to know FIRST what's going on now, not yesterday or in the past.
You could also look ahead and set the stage for something in the future.
Make sure the info sounds fresh, new, happening now!

TRY NEVER to use past or past perfect tense verbs in broadcast leads.
That makes your lead sound like old information.
Use present, present-perfect or future perfect tense & progressive verb combinations
in broadcast lead simple sentences.
For a refresher on grammar & VERB TENSES, click HERE
 

Write a SIMPLE SENTENCE LEAD...no compound or complex sentence structure!!!
Don't run on! On-air leads should flow off the tongue easily. It's a high stress environment on-air.
Wordy leads make you have to stop and breathe when trying to speak out loud.
Avoid too short a lead that sounds too elementary. It must have enough clarification info even
if your are trying to keep it brief in approach.
Refresh you English class memories & write complete but simple sentences.
Say enough info (for clarification) so our audience quickly gets what you are talking about.
For a refresher on the Types of Sentences, click HERE
 

Be CONVERSATIONAL -Sound like you talk to people, NOT how you write in newspapers.
Remember- Think about how you get to the point in a cell phone conversation.
GET TO THE POINT QUICKLY & CLEARLY!!!

Be CREATIVE in wording! Don't bore your audience!!!
We have clever ways of saying things at time which people immediately get.
Do that whenever appropriate or possible...But don't go overboard or
cross the line of decency & discretion.

Be ACCURATE with facts always! No guesswork/No making things up/No exaggerations!!!
Never cause a panic or mislead your audience. They will lose trust in you & your news operation.
Be cautious NEVER to overstate. Use good judgment. THINK!

BE QUICK ABOUT IT!!!
Don't drag this out...there is not time for that. Resist agonizing over one sentence...get real!
This is not a term paper. You are simply talking to other human beings about something
interesting and important. You don't forever to get to the point on your cell phone!
SO ... GET ON WITH IT! You have the rest of the story to write normally.

You must be able to write a good broadcast lead within one to two MINUTES!
When you fixate on the assignment and concentrate on getting it right, you sometimes
take too long to do this simple task. Practice makes you better at lead writing,
not the amount of time you put into thinking about all the details.

GET ON WITH IT!!!

If you have a command of the subject matter and know what people care about
and how broadcasters say things on air,
two minutes is too much time!

That's right! No belaboring this process... JUST DO IT!

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When doing a second lead on the same information, that's called a
RE-WRITE.

Don't do the student thing and try to use the exact same wording as much as possible. Yuck!

Tax your brain and work to find another & different way to say the same thing.

For example...
If the assignment slug is: PRIMARY ELECTIONS UPDATE
You must provide fresh & timely information.

Remember - In Broadcast Style...
TYPE EVERYTHING, ALL CAPITAL LETTERS & DOUBLE SPACE BETWEEN LINES OF COPY.

My Original Lead:  For use on-air on Tues. Feb. 19th before the voting ends

You could suggest this because PRE-election polls had Clinton leading in Wisconsin
but Obama leading in Hawaii where he was born.
 

My 1st Re-Write Lead: 

The thinking here is...try not to say the names of the candidates and make it more
conversational. This is the fun challenge of broadcast news writing!
 

My 2nd Re-Write Lead: 

Notice....The same information but different ways to look at it in each lead.

Also note...you must consult the style rules when using numbers.

In Broadcast News Style, we write the way we talk...but we must sometimes
type it out like we want to say it: TEN - AND - OH
 

Remember - DO NOT try and sound anything like my leads.

Write your own leads using different angles and new information you researched!

If you individually need refresher help with grammar, verbs, sentence types,
NEVER hesitate to go online and do a search for help. There is NO shame in this.

The embarrassment comes later when you read your work out loud or on-air
and your mistake is easily noticed by all. Do whatever it takes now to
prevent that. Face any writing limitations you believe you have
and work on it now in college.

It's always your individual responsibility.



Good luck with your class writing assignment!