A news bulletin is a brief radio broadcast, giving the bare facts of stories before more depth is added in a full programme. Journalistic writing skills are a necessity but compiling a bulletin also requires good editing and prioritising skills.
It is important to have a balance of stories and variations in pace throughout the bulletin. Too many long complicated stories will slow the whole bulletin and allow listeners’ attention to wander. On the other hand, too many short sharp stories will not give enough variety and could leave the bulletin feeling rushed or confusing.
One of the key ingredients in a bulletin is the lead story. This story will often be the first that listeners hear and the one they will judge the bulletin by. It is therefore crucial that it is well written and that the rest of the bulletin follows a strong editorial direction.
Likewise, tail-ender stories (also known as closing stories) should be carefully chosen. They add relief and a change of pace to heavy bulletins and should be short and light in tone, perhaps with a play on words that will catch listeners’ attention.
A special theme is usually used to announce the bulletin and, occasionally, to separate different segments within it. These short musical themes are known as stabs or stings and should tie in with the overall tone of the bulletin. In addition to the stabs, there will often be short recordings of actuality which the newsreader reads out. These are called grabs and can be a useful way of adding local flavour to the bulletin.