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Supplementary material to complement the A-Roll, such as establishing video shots or graphical overlays.
What is B-Roll?
Reports of events that are coming in while a radio or TV newscast is on air.
What is Breaking News?
A pre-recorded, pre-produced news story, usually by a reporter, with track, sound, B-roll and possibly a stand-up.
What is a Package?
Unscripted talking, usually by a broadcaster
What is Ad-lib?
When an anchor or reporter turns over a portion of the show to another anchor or reporter.
What is a Toss?
A script read entirely by the anchor on camera, without sound bites or video.
The news of the day. Factual coverage of serious, timely events (crime, war, business, politics, etc.)
What is Hard News?
An electronic or paper form created by the line producer of a news broadcast. Gives specific details of every element in a newscast, including the order of stories, video, audio, graphic elements and timing for each
What is a Rundown?
A full-screen graphic, shown on screen before the beginning of pre-produced video which identifies the story title, the reporter's name, and the total running time. Only for newsroom/resume use; not meant for broadcast.
What is a Slate?
A news script, usually read live, that includes video, track, and at least one sound bite.
A question phrased in a way that encourages a source to give a lengthy, in-depth answer. A closed-ended question is designed to elicit a yes/no answer.
What is Open-Ended Question?
A news story focusing on a personality or individual's story with wide appeal to a general audience.
What is Human Interest?
A short description of an upcoming story designed to keep the viewer watching through commercial breaks.
What is a Tease?
In broadcasting, a sudden and inflexible ending of material in a bulletin, usually determined by a fixed-length pre-recorded segment or a pre-programmed computer event.
What is Hard Out?
Lining up stories within a newscast based on their importance and relationship to one another.
Natural sound on video that the microphone picks up. (i.e. rain, noise traffic outside, cheering at a game)
What is NAT Sound?
A type of pre-produced package that has no reporter track; the only audio is the natural sound of the video being shown. It may also use interview sound bites. Often used to convey the mood or atmosphere at a scene or an event.
What is NATSOT or NAT Package?
An edit in a news package that interrupts continuity. Example: an interviewee speaking followed immediately by another shot of the same interviewee speaking at a different time, so the image "jumps." Avoided by using cutaways or b-roll.
What is a Jump Cut?
The final three or four words of a news package, included in scripts to signal to the anchor and control room staff when the package is about to end so they can cue the next element in the program.
What is Outcue?
A recorded comment, usually audio and video, from a news source other than the anchor, narration, or voiceover, played during a news story. Usually an edited portion of a larger statement.
What is a SOT?
The name given to a story for newsroom use.
The bottom third of the frame containing text information regarding the current story, the anchors' or interviewee's identification, location and other relevant information about the story.
What is Lower Third/Super/Chryon?
Short for news angle, it is that aspect of a story which a journalist chooses to highlight and develop. Usually the most newsworthy of its key points.
What is Angle/Hook/Peg?
The practice of rehearsing the final segment of a news broadcast and timing it; during the live broadcast, the director may then speed up or slow down this segment to coincide with the scheduled finishing time of the program. Reporters are often told to back-time their day to make sure they make slot.
What is Back Timing?
A type of journalism in which journalists openly and intentionally takes sides on issues and express their opinions in reporting. It attempts to be factually based and is not to be confused with badly-practiced objective journalism or propaganda.