Newswriting for Radio

The Boston News-Letter The first regularly published newspaper in America, began publication in 1704

The Inverted Pyramid style of writing Most important info at the top.

The Inverted Pyramid style of writing Details go next.

The Inverted Pyramid style of writing Less important info last.

The Inverted Pyramid style of writing Used during the Civil War, when unreliable telegraph lines could fail at any time.

The Inverted Pyramid style of writing Presents facts quickly, can be edited for space, and suits today’s limited attention spans.

The Inverted Pyramid style of writing Important for radio listeners who can’t go back to reread a story. Also serves as an “attention-grabber.”

The Lead Sentence Types of leads The Hard Lead The Throwaway Lead The Umbrella Lead The Soft Lead The Humorous Lead

The Lead Sentence Examples The Hard Lead

The Lead Sentence Examples The Throwaway Lead

The Lead Sentence Examples The Umbrella Lead

The Lead Sentence Examples The Soft Lead

The Lead Sentence Examples The Humorous Lead

The Lead Sentence Examples of what NOT to use as a lead. The Question Lead

The Lead Sentence Examples of what NOT to use as a lead. The Quote Lead

The Lead Sentence Examples of what NOT to use as a lead. The Buried Lead