Scripts are important for radio broadcasting for several reasons. They allow presenters to plan what they will say so they avoid mistakes and dead air. Scripts also help presenters fit what they want to say within time slots. Additionally, scripts prevent important details from being left out of stories. Radio scripts are written for the ear, using conversational language and descriptive details to help listeners visualize what is being described. Different genres like music, documentaries, and speech packages have varying script needs depending on whether they involve live elements or acting.

1. Scriptwriting for Radio.

2. Why use a script.
A large amount of radio broadcasting is scripted before going on air, but
why?
Why use a script?
Using a scrip is a very clever thing to do because you are planning a
head, and you are able to know what you are saying so therefore you
won make mistakes. Also if you have a scrip then you are able to
always have something to say and you will never get any dead air.
Another thing is time slots if the have a script they know how much
time they have to get all of the information read out to fit the time
slots.
Also nothing gets left out when you are reading out a story on the air,
were if you didn’t have a script you might forget one of the main parts
of a story, another thing is that if you read information wrong then you
can get into trouble and even taken to court, so scriptwriting is a very
good thing to use on radio broadcasting.

3. Radio aspects.
In order to have a good radio you ned to be able to write to
the ear not to they eye, this means you have to describe It
quite well and get your point cross to them what you are
saying so they can have a vision of what you are telling
them. It needs to be spoken in conversational English.
Needs to be read out loud and the listeners need to
understand what your saying. Write to one person, to the
listener not the listeners this works out better because the
listeners feel like they have a bond with the presenters also
they feel like the can have a conversation with them.
Substitute words that don’t work.

4. Linguistic language
Abbreviation: this is a shortened form of a word or a phrase.
However in radio the presenters use full words they don’t use
short words just in case they mix up what they are saying and
make mistakes. ( for example Presenter instead of just Pres)
this allows the presenter to have more idea on what they are
saying and it makes them sound better on the radio. Also using
words like its instead of it is this is because it flows better and
makes it more conversational.
Numbers: when writing numbers and there big numbers you
need to round them up so say the number 8590 you would just
say 9000. This is used so the presenter can say it easier and
not get mixed up when saying it live on air.
Expanding acronyms: This is a word formed from a initial
letters of other words. For example BBC- British Broadcasting
cooperation, this is used so the audience know what they are
going on about. Also it give the audience more information.

5. Linguistic language
 Phonetic spelling for difficult words- this is to help the
presenter to spell out long and hard words like
footballers names. For example RA-DI-O this would help
the flow of the show run smoothly and help the
presenter out. Because if mistakes are made it will give
the radio a bad reputation and they don’t want that to
happen.

6. Style convention
 Writing to the ear- on the radio the presenter has to go into
as much detail as they can because the audience cant see
the presenter there for its very hard to get across what you
are describing. Also interacting with the audience so they
don’t get bored.
 House styles- Each radio show has there own House style
based on the radio presenter or the radio show, for example
radio 4 is drama based. This shows the style of the radio so
therefor they know who the target audience is.
 Standard in and out cues- this is a et up feature for a song
or interview, which is written by the producer or presenter,
(for example up next is one direction little things) also with
songs when the song is finished they end with who it was
by. Therefore if the listeners tune in half way through the
song they will find out who it was at the end if they didn’t
already know. It will guide the listener in and give more
information.

7. Style convention
 Signposting- this I the sound that sets the scene. (for
example conversation outside would have traffic passing)
this makes the listeners feel like they are there and apart of
it.
 Language style- the language style of say radio 4 is more
formal and relaxed because its really about things that are
going on in the world like a basic background about it.
Where as say a more local radio like metro radio. This
station will be able to talk with a little bit more of an
informal tone because it will be people in there home town
so they can have a laugh and chat.
 Punctuation- the punctuation used is comers and full stops,
this gives the presenter time to have a breath of air. And it
makes the scrip flow easier. Also this links in with the
natural speech rhythms this is just punctuation as well. Also
it is how the script is read like the way it works for example
3 words is read out for every second (3 words = 1 second)

8. Recognised genres.
 Music scripts- music scrip's are just listed like what the cues are to
come in and talk and introduce the songs. It doesn’t have to be to
organised just enough to know what they are doing and when they
need to come in and talk.
 Documentary scripts- documentary scripts are more organised and
they have quite a lot of writing on because the presenters need to
know all the information they are saying and exactly when they
need to say it. But if it is an interview they wont need scripts just
the questions they are asking.
 Speech packages- speech packages are more a script because like
on radio 4’s drama segments they include acting.
 Live feature material- this is more live based, so there for you wont
really need a script just questions. It also had like amore live band
performance based show so its just promotional more than scripted
there isn't much talking just music. For example radio one live
lounge this is just artists coming on and preforming.