Radio advertisement
Commercial radio stations make most of their revenue selling “airtime” to advertisers. Of total media expenditures, radio accounts for 6.9%.
Radio advertisements or “spots” are available when a business or service provides valuable consideration, usually cash, in exchange for the station airing their spot or mentioning them on air
They have a broad range of choices when it comes to the type and length of radio commercial message they air. With changes in the radio industry and better production technologies, the mode of commercial presentation has changed, and commercial advertisements can take on a wide range of forms. The two primary types of radio ads are “live reads” and produced spots.
Cousin to the ad-libbed commercial, live read refers to when a DJ reads an advertiser’s spot on the air, delivered from a fact sheet or from personal knowledge.] It can also refer to when the DJ “endorses” the advertiser’s goods or services. The Radio Advertising Bureau defines an endorsement as: “A commercial in which the…program personality personally recommends an advertiser's product or service, often done live during the program.” Live read and endorsement are not synonymous. An endorsement takes the form of a personal recommendation by the DJ to the listening audience, whereas a live read could simply be the DJ reading from a script.
Efficacy
More than eight out of ten Americans feel listening to commercials in exchange for free radio is a “fair deal”. Thus, radio advertising can be an effective, low-cost medium through which a business can reach their target consumer. Studies show that radio ads create emotional reactions in listeners.[59] In turn, consumers perceive the ads as more relevant to them personally, which can lead to increased market awareness and sales for businesses running ad schedules. Twenty-five percent of listeners say they’re more interested in a product or business when they hear about it on their preferred station.
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Learning how to write a radio script is critical for proper execution of a radio performance. The script must include various cues for dialogue, music, and sound effects and be able to quickly and clearly communicate the writer's objectives to the cast and crew. Here is a guide on how to write a radio script
Instructions
- Formulate a story idea. Outline your characters, plot, setting, conflict and resolution.
- Write a narrative of the story. Put the "meat" of the story on the bones of your outline. Always keep the limitations of radio in mind. You are writing for listeners, not viewers.
Divide the narrative into scenes, with good descriptions of setting, character, and sound effects.
- Write the dialogue based on your narrative. Let your characters and sound effects give the listener a clear picture of the action in their mind.
- Put the story into radio script format. This includes:
a. Write a page heading. This is used to specify what program or episode you're working on and what page you are on in the script. It should be placed across the top of the page.
b. Write a scene heading. This specifies the scene number, description of the scene's location, and time of day.
c. Include script cues. There are three things a listener mainly retains from a radio drama: dialogue, music, and sound effects. Each of these audio components is identified as a "cue"-because they happen at a given time in the script and the director may have to instruct someone ("cue them") to produce it.
d. Insert music cues. Varying emotions can be achieved through the choice of music. Clearly written instructions regarding music cues will greatly assist the cast and crew in influencing the mood of a given scene.
e. Include the dialogue cues. This helps the director and the actors prepare themselves for proper timing and execution.
f. Insert the sound effect cues. Sound effects help to establish the scene or depict action. Sound effect cues are always underlined.
g. Compose your production notes. Engineers, cast or crew require specific instructions that are handled as production notes--comments from the writer on how to coordinate cues or achieve particular effects. These need to be clear and precise.
- Edit your radio script after letting it sit for a few hours or days. A fresh set of eyes will help you catch any mistakes in grammar or plot. Consider having a third-party scrutinize the script for you.
- Present the script to your producer or editor and make revisions as necessary.
Tips & Warnings
Radio scripts are the blueprints of your presentation. There is seldom time in radio programs for script memorization so your notes and cues must be precise to achieve the results in real time.
Detail the setting and characters as much as possible, so the actors and actresses can embody the characters, and the sound-effects operator can plan his effects.
Always remember you are writing for listeners, not viewers or readers.
