MCCCD Program Description

Broadcast Writing

Course: JRN212

First Term: 2018 Fall

Lec + Lab 3.0 Credit(s) 5.0 Period(s) 5.0 Load
Course Type: Occupational
Load Formula: T Lab Load

Description: Writing techniques for basic broadcast scripts: promotions, commercials, public service announcements, news leads, news stories, audio and video, sports, weather, traffic checks, five-minute newscasts, reports, using broadcast style rules.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Use journalistic ethics when writing and reporting for broadcast media. (I) 2. Demonstrate broadcast style of writing in raw story production and rewrites. (II) 3. Demonstrate writing broadcast leads and news stories using correct grammatical and structural rules. (III) 4. Analyze and write commercial and public service announcements for radio and television. (IV) 5. Correlate audio with video in commercials and with animation. (IV) 6. Develop and write copy for use in editorials, commentaries and documentaries. (V) 7. Demonstrate interview techniques for use in front of and off camera. (VI) 8. Develop and write copy for use on talk shows disc-jockey programs, comedy shows, and 5-minute news casts. (VII) 9. Rewrite and edit copy using broadcast journalism mechanical style. (VIII)

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Broadcast Journalism A. Journalistic ethics B. Broadcast code of ethics C. Ethical problems D. Public`s right to know II. Broadcast Style of Writing A. Associated Press Style book B. Broadcast style rules C. Broadcast writing techniques D. Broadcast style vs. newspaper style 1. Newspaper rewrites 2. Raw material III. Writing Leads and News stories A. Grammar B. Common grammatical errors C. Sentence structure D. Lead 1. Subject and verb object 2. Update rewrite 3. Contrast E. News story IV. Commercial and Public Service Announcement A. Ten-to-thirty second commercial B. Public-Service correlation C. Audio-video correlation D. Animation copy V. Station Points of View A. Professional editorials B. Civic matters C. Editorial writing D. Commentary writing E. Documentary writing VI. Interviewing News Makers A. Interview 1. techniques 2. preparation B. Off-camera and make interviews C. On-camera and before make interviews VII. Specialized Writing A. Continuity B. Copy for talk shows C. Copy for disc jockey programs D. Copy for comedy shows E. Five-minute news casts F. Weather G. Sports H. Station identification I. Promotion J. Traffic VIII. Copy Rewrite and Editing A. Broadcast journalism mechanical style B. English skills review C. Accuracy and brevity D. Impact and dramatic effect

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: 11/22/2005

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.