Other Conventions of Radio News Bulletins

In this post I am going to be looking at what else is brought to a news bulletin apart from the presenter reading the story.

I will be looking at the following:

1) Going to a correspondent - someone being live at the scene of the story, who works for the radio station

2) Vox pops- members of the public commenting on the story. It could be 2,3 or 4 after each other, with different viewpoints, or there might be an extended vox pop

3) Sound bites- A piece of dialogue about a story from either an elite person or somebody prominently involved with the story - sometimes from a press conference or an interview that has been given, not someone just passing by

4) Outside broadcasts

5) Expert guests - One type of sound bite to give credence to the story

6) Archive clip - something pre-recorded from the past. Could be done when people die or extracts from previous interviews


I listened to 3 different national radio station news bulletins from completely different days and different times:

1. I listened to a news bulletin at 11am on Kiss Fm and none of the above were featured in the news bulletin. Just to check, I listened to another news bulletin on Kiss Fm and again none were included.

2. I listened to a news bulletin at 6am on BBC Radio 4 and I heard a sound bite and a vox pop.

3. I listened to a news bulletin at 9pm on Absolute Radio and I heard an archive clip and a vox pop.

Overall it seems that not all radio station news bulletins include these elements, as was the case with Kiss. However, when they are included it allows the listeners to hear different opinions regarding the news stories which I believe makes the news more interesting to listen to, rather than just hearing the stories being read by the presenter. From doing this task I have decided that I want to include some of these in my news bulletin when I create my radio station.

Comparing Local Radio Station News Bulletins

Neither of the randomly picked local BBC radio station news bulletins that I chose to listen to contained any of the same stories. I expected this to be the case as I suspected that local radio stations would choose most of the stories aired, because of the news value familiarity.

Although on BBC Radio Manchester all of the stories where chosen because they related to the local area, on BBC Radio Bristol two out of the four news stories where not as geographically close to the listeners (such as the story about the sacking of the Cardiff City football manager). These national stories must have been chosen because of their amplitude.

Although local radio station news bulletins do sometimes contain national stories, I think that the majority of the stories will be to do with the area of the station. This is something that I will consider when I write my own stories.

Analysing Local Radio Station News Bulletins - BBC Radio Bristol at 23:00

Running order:

1) The Primeminister has praised the response of the Environment Agency and emergency services to the recent stormy weather

Facts in the story:

• He said they where doing an amazing job
• Around 15,000 people remained without power in the South East of England

News values
Immediacy- The stormy weather was very recent
Familiarity- This story is geographically close to the listeners
Elite people- The Primeminister is a very well known person
Balance- This story will balance out the negative stories in the news as it is positive

2) 5 Britain's who were held among the 30 held in Russia after being arrested at the scene of an environmental protest in the Arctic have been celebrating getting home

Facts in the story:

• They where released after being held for 100 days before the charges against them were dropped

News values:
Continuity- Stories of the British prisoners in Russia have been in the news before
Balance- It is good news that the prisoners have returned home

3) In football Cardiff City fans have reacted with dismay to the sacking of their manager Malky Mackay

Facts in the story:

• Last season Mackay guided the club into the top 5 for the first time in over half a century

News values:
Immediacy- Mackay was sacked recently
Familiarity- Cardiff is geographically close to the listeners
Amplitude- The sacking of the Cardiff City manager affects all the players on the team and all the fans
Surprise- This is an unusual event, as the manager had done so well
Conflict- The Cardiff City fans disagree with what happened
Elite people- Malky Mackay is a well known person and Cardiff City is a well known football team
Negativity- It's bad news that the fans have reacted with dismay

4) Attempts to help a scientific vessel which is become stranded in thick Antarctic ice have suffered a setback after one of the ships going to its aid also became stuck

Facts in the story:

• The Snow Dragon from China has now turned for home
• Other icebreakers are also in the area and are attempting to reach the vessel and the 74 people on board

News values:
Amplitude- The 74 people stuck on the vessel and the people attempting to rescue the vessel are all affected by what is happening
Surprise- This is an unusual event
Continuity- A story about the vessel has been in the news before
Negativity- It is bad news that the vessel is stuck

Analysing Local Radio Station News Bulletin - BBC Radio Manchester at 23:00

Running order:

1) A family run hotel in Watchdale has opened up its doors to homeless people in the area today

Facts in the story:

• The Flying Horse Hotel has been collecting donations for things like scarfs, gloves, hats and shower gel for the past 4 months
• Gave out food and Christmas boxes this afternoon
• Did it to help the people out there that are less fortunate and to give a bit back as a family

News values:
Immediacy- The family had been giving out food and Christmas boxes earlier that day, and therefore the story was put on the news immediately
Familiarity- The story is geographically close to the listeners
Amplitude- This family could help many homeless people
Balance- This is good news and it will balance out the negative news

2) The North West ambulance service have said that they've seen a 5% drop in the number of calls it received across the region between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day compared to last year

Facts in the story:

• They are putting the reduction down to more awareness about using the 999 number for genuine emergencies
• They were most contacted about falls

News values:
Familiarity- This story is geographically close to the listeners
Amplitude- Much fewer people phoned 999 which means 999 were more able to help the people who really needed it
Balance- This story balances out the negative stories in the news

3) People from across Greater Manchester have come together to rebuild a special room for a 7 year old boy

Facts in the story:

• As a Christmas present, Harvey's parents have built him a special sensory room to help him with his autism
• Vandals stole the equipment and set it on fire but people are helping them to rebuild it

News values:
Familiarity- This story is geographically close to the listeners
Balance- This story will balance out the negative stories in the news

Comparing News Bulletins on Local Radio

I want to compare two local radio news bulletins, aired at the same time, to see if the stations present similar news stories. I suspect, however, that the stories will be completely different, relatable only to listeners in the respective local areas.

Analysing News Bulletins on Existing Radio II

Magic News Bulletin at 1pm

Running order:

1) Royal Bank of Scotland hire a team of lawyers to investigate claims that their policy has forced small businesses to close

News values:
Immediacy, familiarity, amplitude, impact, surprise, conflict, negativity, scandal

2) British Greenpeace activist has been released from prison in Russia

News values: 
Frequency, familiarity, continuity, conflict, scandal, balance

3) A scheme enabling people to check if their partners have a violent past is being introduced in England and Wales

News values: 
Familiarity, amplitude, impact, surprise, conflict, scandal, balance

4) Police officers face the sack if found guilty of misconduct

News values: 
Amplitude, surprise, continuity, negativity, scandal

5) Police presence across London as a result of recent cycling deaths

News values: 
Familiarity, amplitude, surprise, continuity

6) Singer Robbie Williams enters record book for the highest number of albums released in the UK

News values: 
Familiarity, elite people, balance

Radio 2 News Bulletin at 1pm 

Running order:

1) Royal Bank of Scotland hire a team of lawyers to investigate claims that their policy has forced core businesses to close

News values: 
Immediacy, familiarity, amplitude, impact, surprise, conflict, negativity, scandal

2) Payday loans story

News values:
Amplitude, surprise, scandal

3) Calls for Police Crimes Commission to be abolished

News values: 
Amplitude, surprise, conflict, scandal

4) A scheme enabling people to check if their partners have a violent past is being introduced in England and Wales

News values:
Familiarity, amplitude, impact, surprise, conflict, scandal, balance 

5) England's batsman returns home from the Ashes

News values: 
Familiarity, elite people, balance

6) Monty Python tickets sell out in under a minute

News values: 
Surprise, elite people, balance


Conclusion 

I'm glad that I listened to more news as it confirmed what I originally thought - this was that some of the same stories would appear on the different stations.

There are some news stories that are so big, in the sense that they affect lots of people, that they will appear on many stations regardless of the type of station or its audience. Other stories, however, appear to be chosen specifically because they will appeal to the target audience of the station.

When writing my own script for my news bulletin I will include a combination of stories that would appear on lots of different stations and stories that are specific to my demographic.