THE LEAD

As stated earlier, the most important sentence in your broadcast copy is the lead. The lead should grab the listener's attention and set the tone for the rest of the information. Brevity and conciseness play an important part in the lead sentence. The general "what happened" lead is usually the most effective. This lead also can help localize the story. There are several reasons for the "what happened" lead. In broadcast copy, based on the premise of "headline service," there just is not sufficient time for you to deal with all the complexities of a story. Only one or two of the "Ws" might be dealt with at times. Granted, this may sacrifice some of the meaning of the story, but it is also a fact of life. Additionally, the broadcaster is usually working within a given time frame for a story. Some "stories" may be only 10 seconds in length; others may run longer. The copy is not edited by whacking off the last sentence, since the last sentence also is quite important to a broadcaster. The last sentence is often used to make a specific point or as a wrapup.

QUESTION AND QUOTATION LEADS

Generally, questions and quotations are not used in the lead of hard news stories. Since your listener cannot see the quotation marks, a quote requires special attention. A question lead, in other than soft news or a feature story, too often sounds like a spot announcement or commercial message.

The rule can be violated if your copy contains a rhetorical question that adds to the attention-getting nature of the lead, as in the following example:

The same exception to this rule holds true in the use of quotations in a hard news lead, as in the example that follows:

THE BODY

After writing the lead to your broadcast story, you will develop the specifics of the story logically in the body of your story. Logical development is nothing more than an orderly development of the body of your story so that it flows smoothly to an end. Ask yourself, What is the next thing the listener wants to know?

The body of the broadcast news story can be developed in any one of the following three patterns: chronologically, expanding the Ws and descending importance.

Chronological Development

In chronological development, you narrate the event from the beginning to its conclusion.

Expanding the Ws

Specifically identify the who, when, where, and so forth, and further amplify the "what happened."

Descending Importance

After explaining "what happened" in the lead, place the facts in order of descending importance. Remember to place the most important facts first.

Avoid placing unnecessary details in the body of your story. Learn to separate the important from the trivial. Often, you will have to condense, to 100 words or less, a story that a newspaper might use as many as 750 words to report.

Quotations and Attributions

Earlier, we covered the use of quotations in your lead sentence. What about quotations in the body of your story? The same fundamental guidelines apply. Your listener cannot see quotation marks; therefore, you must alert the listener that a quote is coming up.

In the following example, the listener is alerted with "what he called" and "he said" before the quotes.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE. - TO lead into quotes by the use of "quote" and "unquote" is disconcerting and unconversational. Avoid the use of long quotes. If it is necessary to link the statement with the speaker, use conversational phrases for this purpose. Consider the following example:

DANGLING IDENTIFICATION. - Generdly, you should not start a sentence with a direct quote or paraphrase and tack its source on the end. This is known as a dangling identification or attribution. Remember to alert your listener that a quotation is coming up. Start the quote with the source. Consider the following example:

Example:

Correct - PRESIDENT CLINTON SAID, "WE MUST CONTROL INFLATION."

Incorrect - "WE MUST CONTROL INFLA-TION," PRESIDENT CLINTON SAID.