A course on writing for broadcast news medias.

2006

This course taught students in the communications department at SUNY Oswego how to effectively write for the news media. Specifically this course is designed for building skills for writing in radio and television broadcasts.

It critically examined how to write a story that was interesting and appealing to watchers and listeners as well as informative. This class focuses on the ‘style’ of writing for these broadcasts.

BROADCAST NEWS WRITING BRC 229
Instructor :: Mark Edward Grimm :: mgrimm@oswego.edu
Oswego State University :: Department of Communication Studies :: Spring 2006
210 Mahar MW 5:00-6:40
Office Hours :: MW 1:00-2:30 or e-mail for appointment

Course Description

In this course you will learn to write news for television and radio (Broadcast News) in its various forms. The bulk of class time will be spent writing, rewriting, editing and reading aloud.

Writings for broadcast news are meant to be spoken out loud, therefore you will be required to read both your work and the work of your classmates to the class. We will spend most of the time in the course writing for radio broadcasts. Television will be addressed in the last several weeks.

Learning Methods and Outcomes
Each class is writing intensive, and will be informed both by your class lessons and by assigned readings. Class time, for the most part, will be spent reading, writing, and editing. Exercises will include but are not limited to: writing from a fact sheet, editing you own and others work, and reading your own and others work. Group sessions for discussions on written work will also be a routine activity. Over the course of the semester you will have 6 quizzes based on current events in the news. You will have one final exam/project based on elements of News Writing as learned in class. We will discuss these quizzes and the final project during class time in the coming weeks. A point break-down for determining grades has been included in the syllabus.

 

Required Text

Stephens, M. (2005) Broadcast News 4th Edition. Thomas-Wadsworth. CA

Goldstein, N. ed. (2004) The Associated Press Stylebook. Basic Books. NY

Readings

In addition to reading the required texts, you are required to read and stay informed of the daily news local, national and international. Local news will be taken from the Oswego Daily and the Syracuse News. National and International news will be derived from Google news.

The web address for the Oswego Daily is at: http://oswegodailynews.com
Syracuse News is located at: http://www.syracuse.com/
Google News is at http://news.google.com

Broadcasts
You are also required to listen to radio broadcasts and watch network news. Studying how the News is read will enable you to become a better writer. I suggest NPR news on our campus station 89.9 WRVO, and your local nightly or 11:00 news.
WRVO is available streaming live online at: http://www.oswego.edu/~wrvo/

Technology and Connections
Students must have and utilize an email account, and must have bi-weekly access to the Internet. As many of our external news sources are Internet-based access to the Internet is essential.
Email will be our primary communication devise outside of class. For out of class connection and discussions I can be reached by email.

Please email me at mgrimm@oswego.edu in the first week of class with the email account that you are going to use for the semester. The heading must be BROADCAST NEWS WRITING BRC 229 + (Your Name). The body of the email can be blank.

Attendance Policy
If you need to be absent for any reason please email me ahead of time to let me know. Attendance will be taken as soon as class begins. In order to be counted present, you must be in class as it begins. All missed work must be made up ASAP. If you miss class, participation grades and in-class assignments for the day are 0.

Grades
In-Class Discussions, Participation, and Activities 25%
Graded Writing Assignments (8) 35%
Quizzes (6) 15%
Final Project 25%

Graded Writing Assignments
Graded Writing assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date assigned. Assignments will be used for attendance on that day. Failure to turn in an assignment on the assigned day will result in a mark of absence as well as a 0 for the assignment due.

Generally assignments will be handed out at the end of the class and will be due at the begining of the next class. I will allow re-writes of assignments for better grades. Re-writes must be turned in the class after the written assignment was turned back.

Quizzes
It is imperative that the news is read consistently. Quizzes will be given on the headline news of the day: local, national, and international. All quizzes will be given randomly without notice in most cases so please keep up with the news.

Final Project
The final project assignment will be handed out near the end of the semester.

Books
Stephens, M. (2005) Broadcast News 4th Edition. Thomas-Wadsworth. CA
Goldstein, N. ed. (2004) The Associated Press Stylebook. Basic Books. NY

Internet News Sources
Oswego Daily for Local News: http://oswegodailynews.com
Syracuse News is located at: http://www.syracuse.com/
Google news for national and international news at: http://news.google.com

Chapter 1 Copy:
Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary http://www.m-w.com/
Voice of America pronunciation guide http://names.voa.gov/

Chapter 2 Words
Mervin Blocks Writing Tips http://www.mervinblock.com/
Selling his book as well. . .but also has some good tips – Mitch quotes him/uses his examples from when he worked at CBS throughout text.

Chapter 7 Sources
National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting http://www.nicar.org/
PR Newswire http://www.prnewswire.com/
E-Wire http://www.ewire.com/

Chapter 9 Audio
Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Source for audio editing freeware/software

Chapter 13 Public Affairs
KSL – Salt Lake City http://www.ksl.com/

Chapter 17 Television Newscasts
Producer Page http://www.producerpage.com/
Assignment Editor http://www.assignmenteditor.com/
CNN Interactive You Be the Producer Game http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1996/anniversary/how.things.work/producer.game

Chapter 18 Ethics and Law
KHOU Houston http://www.khou.com/
KUHF Houston Public Radio http://www.kuhf.org/
WISH TV Indianapolis http://www.wishtv.com/
MSN Slate Magazine http://www.slate.com/
WFAA Dallas http://www.wfaa.com/
Lost Remote http://www.lostremote.com/
useit.com http://www.useit.com/
The Webby Awards http://www.webbyawards.com/
USC Annenbergs Online Journalism Review http://www.ojr.org/ojr/page_one/index.php
“The Anatomy of a Story CNN Interactive http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1996/anniversary/how.things.work/index2.html
The Media Center at the American Press Institute – Cyber Journalist.net http://www.cyberjournalist.net/
Editor and Publishers 2004 EPpy Awards for best new media http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000485587
Chapter 19 News on the Web
Radio-Television News Directors Association & Foundation (RTNDA) – Ethics http://www.rtnda.org/ethics/graphic.html
Federal Communications Commission http://www.fcc.gov/
Book Level Web Links
Broadcast Education Association http://www.beaweb.org/
American Women in Radio and Television http://www.awrt.org/
National Association of Broadcasters http://www.nab.org/
Society of Professional Journalists http://www.spj.org/
Association for Women in Communication http://www.womcom.org/
Radio Television News Directors Association http://www.rtnda.org/
Poynter Institute (school for journalists) http://www.poynter.org/
Broadcasting & Cable publication http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Committee of Concerned Journalists http://www.journalism.org/
TV Spy http://www.tvspy.com/
A commercial site (an industry newsletter I try to read daily. . .):

Other Newswriting Syllabus on the Web
Seton Hill – News Writing (EL 227): http://blogs.setonhill.edu/DennisJerz/EL227/
Ball State University – News 201 Newswriting: http://publish.bsu.edu/ldemo/201/syllabus.html
University of Washington – Writing, Reporting, and Editing for the Mass Media: http://faculty.washington.edu/divya/wre.html

Web-Resources
http://www.newswriting.com/