What's Important in a Radio Script?
How to Write and Recognise a Good Radio Presenter's Script
In case of accidents or threatening dead air, or worse the dreaded wall of silence, a good radio script will point the way for the on-air personality to avoid disaster and get the programme back on track. This is especially true for a ‘Live’ programme, and because human beings are involved, anything can happen.
Live or Pre-recorded programme.
Whilst it’s possible to stop in the middle of a pre-recorded radio programme, re-focus and start again, stopping continuously won’t be good for the continuity of the programme, or for the presenter. Stopping in the middle of a live programme to re-focus, just loses listeners. So what should the professional and well prepared presenter include in the show’s script, and how will it help?
Prep
Prep is a very short word and in radio jargon it simply translates as ‘preparation.’ Prep for any show means writing the script, and assembling all the parts beforehand, so no one’s running to the music library mid-show for the next cd, or having no idea where the next insert is, should be, or worse finding it's not where it's supposed to be. Preparation is everything and you’ll hear it in all good radio broadcasts.
The Radio Script.
The most effective radio script is the one that works best for the individual presenter, and each may have their own style of layout, but a good radio script will include the following elements.
- Decide what’s to be included in the show beforehand.
- List these in some logical order.
- Prepare an interesting and informative opening.
- Type the script double space, with room in the margins and space for additional notes.
- Mark relevant timings, this is a running order. (The show must start and end on time)
The Station Template.
This radio outline script may appear as a paper document, or increasingly now more commonly, on the screen in the studio. Most stations will demand that their on-air personalities follow a previously laid down station style or format, and will provide a running order or on-air log, the presenter must follow. This will have been decided by the programme director or similar to maintain a continuity of station sound.
This log normally indicates, depending on the type of station or time of day, such features as:
- when the news bulletins are,
- where the traffic and travel inserts will be and how many.
- when to play the commercials if any.
- what music to play and may contain track timings.
- and music and/or insert in-cues and out-cues.
All this will be included in the Station’s Style Guide, and the way it is enforced is very much up to the individual programme controller or director. Individual presenters are left in no doubt if they are following it correctly or not!
Presenter Script.
Radio station management will give the presenter some freedom; it’s that personality they’ve hired after all; and most music station continuity speech will probably be improvised or off-the –cuff. Or so it might sound. A good presenter will still have all the above ingredients on a script somewhere near to hand.
Typical Self Drive Studio
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