Writing a Radio Script (For Editing) Writing a Radio Script By
Dave Gilson Writing for radio is different than writing for
print. You’re writing for the ear, not the eye. Listeners have
to get it the first time around- they can’t go back and hear it
again (unlike re-reading a sentence in a magazine). And while a
reader may get up and come back to an article, a radio listener
who gets up may not come back. So you want to grab their
attention and hold onto it for as long as possible. Writing
feature stories like the ones aired on B-Side is also different
than writing news copy. You can loosen up a little. You can be
more literary, more creative, more personal. This handout is a
quick guide to writing a script for a feature radio Getting
Started: Logging Tape After you’ve finished your reporting, it’s
time to log your tape. This means listening to everything you’ve
recorded and writing it up. You should transcribe quotes, note
who’s saying what, time how long the tracks are, and (if you’re
using a minidisc) note