Broadcast News Writing, Reporting, and Producing, 4th Edition

7  Writing for the Television Newscast

The major difference between radio and TV news is, of course, pictures. When you write for television, pictures are always crucial to a story. In radio, you must create pictures in your mind—as did Edward R. Murrow and other great broadcasters who used the medium effectively—and then find the words to paint those pictures for your audience. In television, you can show the actual pictures.

Combining Words and Pictures

The battle over which are more important in television news—the words or the pictures—is endless. There is no doubt that words are vital and that some broadcast writers use them more effectively than others. The late Charles Kuralt is an example of a writer whose words rival the pictures for ...