A news bulletin is the short news report that runs at the beginning of a broadcast. It is essential that a good start to a bulletin is created because it sets the tone for the rest of the bulletin. A bad start will mean that the audience will think there is nothing else to listen to and leave the radio or television.
Writing a good news bulletin is one of the hardest journalistic skills. There are some simple editorial rules to follow such as crafting your story into clear, straightforward sentences that are easy for listeners to understand.
When constructing a news bulletin you also have to consider the overall order or balance of stories as well as their pace. Too many long, complicated stories will slow down the bulletin and allow listeners to lose interest. Similarly, too many short stories can leave the bulletin feeling shapeless and confusing.
The opening theme of a bulletin should be short and dramatic and should fade out just before the presenter starts reading. Occasionally, the same theme may be used within the bulletin to mark different sections or to link different stories. These music inserts are called stings or stabs and are often produced by record companies as a special selection.
Before going to air, it is advisable for the newsreader to read each item out loud, timing it and marking on the script how long it will take to read. This will help them to get an accurate estimate of how long it will take to read each line of the script and will help them to time their bulletin correctly.
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