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A news bulletin is a round-up of the main stories of the moment. Main news bulletins usually appear at the top of the hour and shorter bulletins are often placed on the half hour. They may also be integrated into news programs. Stories in news bulletins are typically presented in the following order:
- Local stories or issues that might have the most impact on listeners' daily lives
- National or regional stories
- International stories
A national or local news broadcast might not report international stories unless the story affects the country or the local community. Stations may change this order around, particularly if a major news event occurs. News bulletins may also include financial updates, sports news, traffic reports and weather updates.
Some stations end with a story that makes listeners smile. This may be a "good news' or humorous story. Be careful with humor, as it might offend rather than amuse listeners.
Structure of a News Bulletin
A news bulletin may contain some or all of these ingredients:
- Hard copy is the scripted version of the news stories in the bulletin (without interview clips or other sound) as read by the news reader or anchor.
- A news cue is what the news reader or anchor says to introduce a recorded report, clip, or question and answer. A good cue introduces the clip clearly, concisely and smoothly.
- A clip or sound bite is a very short, recorded comment from someone who is key to the news story. Clips are usually just a few seconds in length. They are often recorded on the phone, but can also be recorded in person by a reporter on the scene.
- A voicer is a short piece, written and read by a reporter, not the news reader, which gives more detail about a news story. It may be recorded at the scene of the story, or the reporter may go out to the scene to investigate and then return to the station to write and record the voicer.
- A report/wrap-around/package is similar to a voicer, but also includes clips and sound.
- Questions and answers or Q & As are conducted between the news reader and a reporter at the scene of the news story. The news reader essentially interviews the reporter. This is usually done live.
Here are five combinations of ingredients commonly used when creating a news bulletin.
- News bulletin read from a hard copy script
- News bulletin read from a script with a voice clip
- News cue followed by an on-the-spot voicer
- News cue followed by a pre-recorded report
- News cue followed by a question and answer
Programs that use News Bulletins
News bulletins usually appear at the top of the hour (e.g., 8:00, or 10:00). Shorter bulletins may also appear on the half hour during morning and evening peak listening times. In such cases, news bulletins become a component of news programs that are broadcast during those morning and evening time slots.
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