A news bulletin is a short, up-to-the-minute broadcast of information and stories that are important to your audience. It is usually presented on radio, but can also be used for television. Whether your bulletin is for five, 10 or 15 minutes the aim should be to give your audience the information they need in an attractive and engaging way.
The order of the stories within a bulletin should be decided by their importance and how much time you have to devote to them. It is usual to headline the major stories, particularly those that you know will appeal to listeners (such as dramatic or controversial stories). This will help them choose to stay tuned for your bulletin rather than another, perhaps less interesting one.
Many bulletins use a music theme to announce the start of the bulletin or as a link between different stories. This can be as simple as a short music piece that fades in and out of the broadcast or an instrumental version of the opening bars of a theme. A special theme may also be used to introduce the final story or a closing headline that sums up the main stories. These are usually a short, dramatic piece of music and are sometimes known as stabs or stings.
The sound of a voice is very important, as it will be the main way in which your audience receives information. Try to have an attractive, pleasing and authoritative voice and avoid grating noises or a ‘pitch’ that goes up at the beginning of each sentence or a song-like quality. A grating voice will make your audience turn off.