The Conventions of Speech Writing for Radio

By Bethan Collerton

The majority of radio has been scripted in some form before it is aired. Even shows that sound completely spontaneous may have been planned out in advance. Many of the different genres of radio require pre-written scripts for a variety of reasons, for example, news programmes, documentaries and music shows. Scripts are used to ensure the DJ includes all the relevant information and doesn't go off subject. Scripts are also important for timing, and help to make sure programmes dont overrun or underrun. Some stations also script the continuity links between songs and distribute the same scripts to their stations across the UK.

Linguistic Conventions:

Expanding Abbreviation Abbreviations arent usually used in radio scripts because it can be confusing for the reader and disrupt the flow of the script. It also gives a clearer sense of the time needed to read a script because it takes longer to say the unabbreviated word. For example Prof. becomes Professor.

Writing Numbers In radio scripts you would write the number out and round it up. This helps with the flow of the script and gives a clearer indication of timing. For example 9890 would become one thousand. Jargon The technical terms associated with a certain activity or occupation. For example Ethernet is associated with computing.

Expanding Acronyms When writing a radio script some acronyms are expanded to give more information in a news story. However if it is a familiar acronym, such as BBC there would be no need to expand it because the majority of people already know what it means. For example Nabisco would be expanded to the National Biscuit Company because not many people will recognise it.

Punctuation Commas and full stops are used to make the scripts flow naturally and direct the DJ as to where they can take breaths and where they should pause for emphasis. For example Next up we have Little Mix, the girls are in the studio with us to talk about their newest album, Move.

Formal and Colloquial Language Formal and colloquial language can both be used in a radio script. It depends on the purpose and genre of the script as to which is used. For example a local, commercial radio station is more likely to use colloquialisms to connect with local listeners. BBC Radio 4, on the other hand, is more likely to use formal language and received pronunciation.

Phonetic Spelling Spelling words as they are said. It is usually used for the names of people or places. For example Thierry Henry becomes Tee-airee On-ree.

Style:

Writing for the Ear Writing a radio script is different to writing a script for TV because the audience will be focusing purely on the audio and will have no visual cues. This has to be taken into account when choosing language and structure. For example a radio script couldnt contain the line Look at that! without also describing what the person is looking at.

Standard In and Out Cues These are the standard phrases used before and after tracks or features on a radio show. It introduces the next feature as well as giving the listener some background information. For example Next up we have an interview with Justin Timberlake who narrowly missed out on his album going to number one at the weekend. Justin talks to us about his plans now the album has been released and how he feels about his fan base being mostly older women.

House Styles Each station has its own house style. This is a general style which the radio station follows. For example BBC Radio 1 is music based.
Signposting using actuality to set the scene. For example if the programme was a sports report about a football match there would be the sound of fans cheering in the background.

Language Style This is a range of things such as lexis, semantics and structure. It all combines to make sure the script fits in with the house style of the station and is in keeping with the context, purpose and genre of the script. For example the language style of a Radio 4 documentary will be a lot more formal than that of a Capital show.
Natural Speech Rhythms It is important to make radio scripts sound as natural as possible. Natural speech rhythm is about the pace of the readers voice and where they take breaths. For example not talking too fast or too slow.

Tone The tone of the script is very important because this has a big effect on how its perceived by the audience. The tone has to fit the purpose and genre of the piece. The tone of a script can be anything from sombre to uplifting. For example a BBC Radio 4 script about the chemical warfare in Syria will have a completely different tone to a Metro Radio script about Metro Radio Live.

Continuity Links continuity links are the pieces of speech between tracks or segments on a radio show. They bridge the gap between the two pieces and introduce the second one. For example That was HAIMs new single The Wire. Up next is a bit of Jason Derulo, Talk Dirty to Me.

Recognised Genres:

Music scripts These are scripts written for music based radio shows such as chart shows. They keep to the same format each time to allow the DJ to become familiar with it as well as to make sure the script is in keeping with the stations house style.

Documentary programmes The majority of documentary programmes are scripted because they are a source of information which needs to be correct. Having a script eliminates the possibility of the DJ making a mistake and means the show will last exactly the right amount of time.

Speech packages These are recordings purely of speech without any music. They are used on talk radio shows such as TalkSport.

Live feature material These are recordings of live events that are then played out during the radio show. For example a recording of Eminem performing at Leeds Festival 2013.