A news bulletin is a short radio or television news broadcast, giving the bare facts of stories before more depth is added in a full programme or newspaper report. Composing a news bulletin requires both journalistic skills – being clear and concise – and editing skills – selecting, checking and ranking stories.
A good news bulletin will contain a mix of hard and soft news, and be relevant to the audience listening. A local or regional audience is unlikely to be interested in international news and vice versa. It is also essential to have a good understanding of the audience – who are they, and what do they need to know?
Radio news bulletins are usually short, ideally one minute of airtime or 160 words. It is important to be clear and understandable, using simple sentences as the listener may not have time to read each line. The newsreader can help to maintain clarity by not rushing, practicing difficult pronunciations and marking pauses in the script. Adding sound bites is also a good way to keep the bulletin interesting and engaging.
TV news programmes can vary in length, from seconds to hours and cover a wide range of subjects. There are generalist news programmes such as BBC News, NBC News, CNN, Fox News Channel and Sky News that discuss largely national and international matters, as well as more specialist programmes such as ESPNews, CNBC, Bloomberg Television, and local programming.
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