A news bulletin is a brief account of current events, usually broadcast over radio or television. The aim is to inform and entertain. Creating a news bulletin is like preparing a satisfying meal; the ingredients must be well balanced and digestible.
A bulletin needs to be well-structured and read at a pace which is right for its audience. Stories which are too long will slow the pace of the whole bulletin, and make listeners lose interest. Conversely, stories which are too short may seem insignificant and unimportant.
The best way to achieve the right pace is by preparing a list of all the stories you are going to run, then adding up how much time it will take you (or your newsreader) to read each one. This will give you the total reading time for the bulletin, and help you to ensure that it is not too long or too short.
You can also use sound clips in a bulletin, either as part of a voice report or as a stand-alone audio file. This makes the bulletin more interesting for listeners, and can help to add credibility by providing first-hand evidence. However, it is important that all sounds have an editorial reason for being included in the bulletin.
Remember that your audience is not stupid; if you over-sensationalise stories they will not believe them, and will lose respect for your station. In the same way, if you repeat a story too often, your audience will tire of it and will turn off the radio.
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