What Radio Listeners Want From a News Bulletin

The Importance of Content and Style in Radio News

Mar 27, 2009

One of the biggest strength Radio News possesses over its rivals in the media world is its inherent immediacy. Few other mediums can react quite so quickly to any story.

In a recent promotion Newstalk 106, the self proclaimed ‘National Independent Talk Radio Broadcaster’ for Ireland based in Dublin, Eire, proudly boasted that “You can watch it tonight, you can read it tomorrow, but you can hear it now on Newstalk 106.” A boast that ably summarises the way that radio news can communicate the latest news and current affairs to its audience.

There are many sources of news but no other media, and certainly the radio industry would be the first to claim it, that can communicate a news story or situation quite so quickly and effectively as radio. There are important norms however most radio audiences expect in the way their news is delivered to them.

Organise the News Content by Type

Although there are always cases when a breaking news story will take precedence over any scheduled news output, and most radio stations will claim to be ‘First for News,’ radio audiences still expect some sort of convention in the structure of the regular news bulletin. The content of news delivery can roughly be summarised into the following categories, and with a few exceptions most news bulletins will follow this running order:

Know and Deliver the News the Audience Wants to Hear

In common with the rest of any particular radio station’s output, the way news is delivered to the audience is dependent on the type of audience the station is aiming at. An upbeat CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio) music station with a target market of say 15 to 35 year olds, may carry news generally consisting of short headlines, often lasting just 2 or 3 minutes, and will feature news of interest to that market.

A talk station with perhaps an older audience will have more time to dedicate to news and may spend upwards of 5 minutes on the bulletin. Most radio companies however will by convention feature first the big story of the day which it thinks is the most relevant to the audience. By knowing better what’s important to the audience, the news output can be structured and delivered better to suit that audience

A big local story can often run first if the station’s transmission area is more localised, whilst a station broadcasting nationally, will therefore often break and cover stories that affect the whole nation or region. The stories thereafter tend to follow the conventions of news, and the bulletin will end with sport, entertainment or a ‘funny’ story, depending on the length of the bulletin.

The News Editor Makes all the Decisions

News is not made in a newsroom, and a good news editor will know instinctively what her or his audience finds the most interesting and therefore want to hear first and most of. They will also know the important parts of their territory, where the station’s news staff should be and who to talk to, to find and deliver the most relevant news for the station’s audience.

By knowing better what’s important to the audience, the news output can be structured and delivered better to suit that audience.

The copyright of the article What Radio Listeners Want From a News Bulletin in Radio Journalism is owned by Dan Mccurdy. Permission to republish What Radio Listeners Want From a News Bulletin in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.