ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION FOR BROADCAST RELEASES

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the administrative information required on broadcast scripts released to the media.

For obvious reasons, it is necessary for you to identify yourself and your organization on broadcast releases. You should also include a telephone number in case the civilian broadcaster needs to ask any questions relative to the story.

FOUR-UNIT HEADING

Each broadcast script will have a four-unit heading, located below the administrative information but above the actual story matter. Though not read aloud, this heading tells at a glance the basic information the broadcaster requires in scheduling your story for a newscast. The four-unit heading contains the following components:

l Slugline. The slugline serves as a title or headline of the story.

l Date. The date on the script is the date of its release.

l Copy length. The copy length tells the recipient how long it will take to read your broadcast copy.

. Release line. The release line indicates the type of broadcast release (covered in the following text).

RELEASE LINES

All items submitted to radio stations should contain specific release information. One of the following release methods is recommended:

l FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Use on hard news items.

l FOR GENERAL RELEASE. Use on soft news, features or spots that do not require immediate airing before its value is lost.

l DO NOT USE AFTER (Time and Date). Use on spots or news items about events that run for a limited time.

l HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL (Time and Date). Use on advance releases.

Figure 13-2 is an example of a completed radio news release.

Figure 13-2. - Completed radio news release.