to their reports. Because news stories on radio are very
short, the newscaster must understand their complete
context to give listeners a balanced perspective.
In particular, newscasters must be familiar with the way radio news
stories are put together. Most stories, for example, use natural sound
(recordings made on location in the field on audiotape). Natural sounds
include the noises of an event, such as the sirens of a fire engine or
the chantings of a group of protesters. A radio story may also include a
sound bite—a brief portion of a taped interview. Sound bites are simi-
lar to the quotations in a newspaper story. Finally, the newscaster may
either prepare or introduce a news package. A package is a complete
story, including natural sound, sound bites and the reporter’s narration.
BROADCAST NEWS 443
Being a deejay takes more than
a good voice and love of music. You
have to have technical skills and the
ability to do more than one task at
a time. Some deejays serve as their
own programmer, sound engineer
and announcer.news package
a complete news story,
including natural sound,
sound bites and the
re porter’s narrationYour Beat
- Find out about the local radio stations in your area.
Which station is affiliated with which network? Who
owns the stations? Are any of them independent
(not affiliated with a network)? - Take a survey to find out which radio station is the
most popular among your classmates. Give the
same survey to your classmates’ parents. How can
you account for whatever differences you find?- Interview a station’s general manager. Ask what
qualities the manager looks for when hiring young
people to work at the station.