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News is an important format on television. Earlier, there used to be some news bulletins in a channel. Now numbers of exclusive television channels have been set up. Here we need to understand the distinct nature of television news. There are both language and structural differences in the way news is written for newspapers and television. Before discussing language differences, let us discuss the structural differences. In newspapers, the first para is called the lead. The entire information is given here concisely. As the news item goes on, the significance of information also goes down. That is why in newspapers we call the structure of the news item ‘an inverted pyramid’. Television news is different. Unless the information in the lead (anchor) is strong and interesting, there will not be any excitement about the item. If you give all information, there may not be any enthusiasm left to see the item. The rest of the information should be given in a systematic order. Sound bites are given wherever necessary. If the story has to be wrapped up effectively, or if visuals are missing, if a short explanation or analysis is felt useful, the reporter’s P to C from the location can be added on
Structure of inverted pyramid of newspaper lead
In constructing a news item, essentially one follows a typical arrangement of the 4 major elements – anchor, voice over, bite, P to C. Similarly, depending on the news item, if such a package is felt unnecessary, some of the elements may be dropped. Sometimes, only the anchor may be enough (if there is no visual or visual is unnecessary, then this will be the case). Sometimes visuals can be added to the anchor’s reading of the item. Sometimes, just a bite may be used along with the anchor.
Intro/anchor/lead
If the news item is detailed or if more than one bite is to be used, a full-fledged package will be required. In fact, packages are the life of TV news. If you wish to present a comprehensive news item, packages become essential. In controversial items, if all angles of the story are to be presented, packages are unavoidable.
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