24-05-2023, 07:38 PM
(24-05-2023, 07:17 PM)DTV Wrote: but having to hit the thunderclaps meant that the newsreaders had to really think and be disciplined about how they summarised each story - giving the headlines a real punch.This point is spot on for me.
I am not averse to longer headlines - but the thought that had to be put into fitting a story into 5 seconds made the writing so much more focused and so much better.
Writing for and delivering short, snappy radio news bulletins, which I did for years, made me the writer I am today. Every word has to count, nothing superfluous, etc.
The Sissons 9/11 headline sequence and opening is a masterclass in this. Still gives me goosebumps today. Today it would be a 2.5 minute headline sequence, but then it was 90 seconds of headline, titles, introduction - and all the more powerful for it.