News bulletin is one of the most important and difficult parts of any radio or television programme. It has to be both interesting and significant but also short enough to fit the time available. If you do not have the right balance or pace your listeners may lose interest.
It is usually a good idea to start a long bulletin with headlines which promote the main stories. This is especially true for a major breaking news story such as an accident or fire. Often this will be enough to keep listeners tuning in for the rest of the bulletin.
You should always have more copy than you need for your bulletin in case you miss a piece of audio or if there is any technical problem with the broadcast. It is also a good idea to keep glancing at the studio clock so that you can adjust your timings.
Once you have ranked your stories in order of importance you should look at them again and see whether some can be cut or pushed forward to create better pace. Also consider combining stories on similar topics and running them as briefs at the end of the bulletin. This will increase the speed of the bulletin without taking up too much of the main news story time.
You should also include a few short pieces of recorded actuality in your bulletin. These are often spoken quotes from people involved in the news but can be anything from an interview with a politician to a local report on an event. Grabs should be used sparingly to avoid them becoming overused and annoying. They can provide a welcome relief from the more hard-hitting stories in your bulletin.