The Dramatic Style of Broadcast Journalism
Broadcast news generally requires a little tension, a little drama, a lit-
tle something extra to pull listeners or viewers in. Broadcast writers try
hard to sustain the interest of the viewer or listener by creating a feeling
of drama or suspense. Those who write for broadcast make an effort to
find an especially dynamic verb, to avoid dense collections of facts, and
especially to round off numbers so they are more listener-friendly.
Newspaper stories are top-heavy. The lead in a newspaper story gives
the essentials. Then, as the story continues, the information becomes
less and less important. This is because newspaper stories are designed
to let readers read as much or as little as they like. Newspaper reporters
don’t even know where their story will end. Layout designers reserve the
right to cut the bottom off a story to make it fit the space available.
In broadcast news, however, reporters try to hold a listener’s interest
throughout the story. That’s why clever writers introduce new thoughts
as the story moves along. One technique some broadcast reporters use
is called a reveal. This technique requires the writer to hold back a key
piece of information and then reveal it as the story develops. For exam-
ple, a reporter might begin a broadcast news segment this way: “Maven
Johnson is an airline pilot. He’s been flying from Los Angeles to New York
and back several days a week for the past twenty years.” So far, so good,
but nothing very interesting has been said. Now comes the revealing part
of the story: “Johnson is blind.” A typical newspaper reporter might write
the same story this way: “A blind pilot has been flying the friendly skies
for twenty years.” That story, however, does not approach having the
kind of impact or listener appeal that the broadcast version does.
A story also ends quite differently in broadcast news than in print
news. “I give equal attention to the end of a story,” noted Kuralt. “The
way a story ends gives the thought or feeling a viewer will take away.”
Frequently, broadcast reporters save their most poignant piece of infor-
mation for the end. No editor could afford to cut from the bottom in
television or radio reporting.The Conversational Style of Broadcast
Journalism
Andy Rooney of CBS’s 60 Minutes suggests that broadcast news aims
for a middle ground between how people talk and how they write.
438 MIXED MEDIAFormer CBS News anchor Dan
Rather hosts Dan Rather Reports,
a TV news magazine, and writes
a syndicated newspaper column.
reveal
a technique in broadcast
news in which the reporter
holds back a key piece of
information and then re veals
it as the story develops