WHATS THE POINT?

NAMES AND TITLES:- Do not mispronounce names when reading them out.- Let listeners know you’re giving them a name.
Bad: A man died today, his name way Jerry.Good: Mayor Jerry Simpson, died at the age of 57 today.ENDLESS TITLES:- Spread people's title throughout the sentence.- Shorten people’s titles if they are long.
Bad: Senior Executive Minister of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Good: Minister of the NTSB.FIRST NAMES FIRST:- Use first names after stating full names earlier.- State people’s address.
Bad: Jerry Bradshaw is greasy
Good: Jerry is greasy.ELIMINATE THE MIDDLEMAN:- Don't use middle names or initials if not necessary.
Bad: Larry Alfred Smith made a huge sandwich
Good: Larry Smith made a huge sandwich.IDENTIFICATION:-Give people titles instead of just saying their name.
Bad: Darcy Peters works at KFC.
Good: KFC Clerk Darcy Peters.ADDRESSES:- Giving people's addresses helps distinguish between other people of the same name.
Bad: George.
Good: George Meeches, who lives on the number 9 highway.AGES:- Don't use someone's age often, it gets annoying and is not needed.
Bad: 47 year old Cheryl, 47, who is 47 years old, had her 47th birthday yesterday.
Good: Cheryl is 47 years old.ATTRIBUTION:- Give the person's name at the start of the sentence, not dangling somewhere else.
Bad: He escaped with minor burns but was called a hero for what he did, oh his name was Ken.
Good: Ken Rogerson is a hero for what he did today.SAY IT WITH SAYS:- Keep it simple when saying who said something. Use said or says.
Bad: I quote Roy Vaughn when I say this..
Good: Roy Vaughn said..REPITITION: - Don't be afraid to repeat a good word
Good: There was a large fire today; the fire lasted two hours until someone put the fire out.QUOTING:- When quoting what someone said, use phrases like: "and we quote him.." "as she put it"
Bad: Quote “I had to hammer out burgers as fast as I could” End Quote
Good: As he put it “I had to hammer out burgers as fast as I could”
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR:- It is easy to mess up exact quotes. Just say what he said, you don't have to mention your trying to quote him.
FACTS OR OPINIONS:- Facts don't need attribution, opinions do
AIDING THE LISTENERS:- Speak so that people who are aren't paying attention, can understand you.
CONTRACTIONS:- Use "didn't" and not "did not." Use "isn't" for "is not." and so on.
Bad: I was not in my trailer last night.
Good: I wasn’t in my trailer last night.PRONOUNS:- Use "we" and "us." It makes the story more involving instead of using "you."
Bad: You Coloradoans’ are getting some bad weather.
Good: Us Coloradoans’ are getting some bad weather. VERB TENSE:- Your verbs should help state when an event took place.
Bad: Brian savagely went to the doctor.
Good: Brian recently went to the doctor.TIME ELEMENTS:- Give the time of the setting after a verb.- Use time naturallyVERB VOICE: - Say your verbs with a good strong voice, they stand out more and help people to understand.
Bad: kicked
Good: KICKED!!ORGINIZATIONS:- Say the full name of the of the orginization, then abbreviate it after.
Good: Burger King is up and running, the new BK will bring in customers from all around town.A R-O-S-E is not a ROSE:Use hyphens in between things you want to pronounce.
Bad: 1204
Good: 1-2-0-4 NUMBERS: - Spell out numbers and symbols instead of putting 6543 or 25%. It is easier to read that way.- Round off numbers like 1,252 to twelve hundred.- Use morning instead of a.m. and evening for p.m.
Bad: He got 39%
Good: He got thirty nine percent.PUNCTUATION:- Use "..." or "-" to indicate a pause to the newsreader
Bad: My mom bought a heck of a lot of bread she put it on the counter.
Good: My mom bought a heck of a lot of bread … she put it on the counter.COPYEDITING: - Use symbols to correct typing errorsSCRIPT STYLE:- 60 lines on one 8.5 x 11 page. Double spaced, proper capitals. One line equals three seconds so one page will equal a minute.