PARTS OF A RADIO SCRIPT AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The parts of a radio script can be divided into literary script and production script; each one of these has some elements with particular characteristics. The radio script or radio script is the written speech that provides all the details about what is going to be done and said during the program according to the length of time.

It is the work guide through which the director, the conductor, the musician and the operator harmonize their functions and properly broadcast a radio program. The radio script informs of the topic to be discussed, the sequence of the comments, the pauses, the changes in the tone of the voice, the conductors and participating reporters, the music and sound effects to be used, etc.

Whoever writes the radio script is the scriptwriter or scriptwriter but needs coordination with the rest of the work team to integrate the contributions of the musicians, operators, conductors and the director at the time and in the precise way.

Radio scripts are saved and organized by broadcast dates.

Main parts of the radio script

The radio script takes care of both the verbal language and the musical language of the program. A copy of the script is distributed to each person who works on the program, including the station's audio operator.

The physical aspect of the radio script is characterized by two columns on the same page written in a clear, large font, without studs and without errors to avoid errors by any member of the team during the air transmission. The first column is the technical script and the second is the literary script or text.

Radio script parts can be divided into literary script and technical script.

- Literary script

It is the written speech that will be read aloud by the announcers and details the dialogues between them, such as the questions they must ask, the bases of the interlocutors' comments, the section changes, the moment to go to and return from commercials., etc.

The literary script is then formed through the following elements:

Parliaments

It is the dialogue delivered by the announcers or narrators, for the better understanding of the story or the subject in question. It starts from the greeting of the announcers until the farewell to the program.

When building the parliament or script, it should be done based on 3 elements that give cohesion to the text:

The topic

It is the clear and simple idea of ​​the story that is going to be developed in the form of a script. The simpler the topic and the more original the way it is approached, the more interesting it becomes for the listener.

Logically the topic should be presented in an organized way for easy understanding of the listener. The basic elements of any narrative text apply perfectly here: beginning, development of the theme and closing.

If it is a dramatic or journalistic radio program, the events can be counted synchronously, from the end to the beginning or from the middle by exchanging actions from the beginning and the end.

The space

It is the time that will be necessary for the subject to be developed and can be captured in the form of sounds by the listeners.

Characters

If it is an entertainment or journalistic radio program, the characters will be the announcers themselves.

If it is about the narration of a story, then it is about the radio actors who will bring the characters to life.

Annotations

They are the indications written in parentheses so that the announcers execute them at the indicated moment but they are not said aloud.

Such indications can be change in the tone of the voice, modulation of the words, warning of the beginning of the commercial strip, silences, etc.

- Technical script or production code

This section is especially aimed at musicians and operators. Here are all the instructions about the sound and the musical atmosphere that the radio transmission is going to have.

The musicians choose the appropriate music for the program according to its type (entertainment, informational, dramatic, etc.) and its audience.

The operator is in charge of managing and controlling equipment such as the sound console, computer with special audio programs, and others.

The technical script is composed of:

Sound effects

They are the sounds that stimulate memory and "decorate" the stage of any radio genre.

Examples of these sound adjustments can be a classic romantic song if it talks about love, honking horns and shouts of joy if a participant has just won a prize or making a screeching sound of brakes if it is talking about a traffic accident.

These sounds tend to be short and are intended to attract the listener's attention and / or intrude on what is being told.

Silence

They are pauses for the listener's ear to rest, mark transitions of space between places and characters, build psychological states, incite reflection on a point just discussed or mark interaction rhythms between the members of a discussion.

Music

They are the melodies emitted during the program that suggest a certain type of emotional climate, create a sound environment and place the listener at the scene of the events.

Within the music there are certain unique pieces of each program that give a touch of originality to the program and help the listener to associate the musical accompaniments with that specific program after several repetitions. These types of pieces are:

Rubric or tune

Helps identify a specific program. It sounds at the beginning of the program and at the discretion of the directors, at the end of the transmission and to go out to the advertising strip.

Burst or curtain

Musical accompaniment that sounds to separate thematic blocks or sections of the program. The time it should last is marked and ideally it should not have a voice.

Musical background

It is the melody that plays in the background while the announcers speak. The volume is low and preferably without a voice so that both do not interfere with the understanding of what the program's hosts are saying.

Capsule

Brief subtopic of the main program topic.

Knock

Very short music (2 or 3 chords) that works as a sign of dramatization or emphasis of an action.

References

1. APCOB. (18 of 7 of 2017). Radio training manual. Obtained from WordPress: toolteca.files.wordpress.com.
2. Atorresí, A. (2005). Radio genres. Anthology. Buenos Aires: Colihue.
3. López Vigil, JI (18 of 7 of 2017). Urgent manual for passionate radio-listists. Obtained from Radioteca: radioteca.net.
4. University of Chile. Institute of Communication and Image. (18 of 7 of 2017). Radio programs: scripts and creativity. Obtained from Class V: classv.net.
5. Our Voices. Comunication center. (18 of 7 of 2017). Radio production guide. Language, genres and tools. Obtained from Voces Nuestro: voznuestras.org.