Writing for radio and TV: something I personally think sounds repulsive, but hey, if you're George Clooney in "Good night and good luck" then yes, it does seem glamorous. Now, before reading this chapter, I'm going to assume it talks about things like why radio and TV are better outlets for certain types of news. Why print news can't cover things as completely sometimes seeing as how there are no visuals and no voice. Also, that the news comes across shorter and to the point on TV and radio, while print is better for longer stories. Let's see how right I am...
Chapter 19: Writing for TV and Radio
9/11 was brought to the public first mostly by TV, online, and radio media outlets. Print has deadlines and set times they print; TV does not. TV, radio, and online media can go "on the air" pretty much when they need to. TV and radio, therefore, start with details that they know and have to add on later as they find out more. The print issues the next day will have had full accounts of what happened.
Criteria for deciding on news for TV and radio are different (ish) than for print. -timeliness, information, audio visual impact, and people. This means the same thing as before, but now to take into account the medium. If it's TV, one has to keep in mind what sound clips can be used or what video they have. For radio, it's mostly sound clips and quotes. The tense is also different: TV and radio news is often heard more immediately than print news, so it's mostly in the present tense. Conversational style is also important so viewers can feel like the host is talking to them and they can easily understand what is going on. Because there are often time restraints, sentences need to be tight without worthless words and flowery language.
To attract the viewer/listener's attention in TV and radio, it's more imperative that the lede stand out. Because people tend to have the news in the background, it's harder to grab the reader. Usually hosts "cue in" meaning they tell the audience what is to come, then proceed to telling them the news. Then, to be sure the audience knows you're done with that story, it's important to have wrap-ups, or short conclusions before you go on to the next story.
The format is boring and we did it in Intro to J. Carrying on...
It is a good idea to attribute quotes before you present the actual quote, merely because it is being heard and not read and you don't want to lose the audience.
Good night... and good luck.
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