Live Scripts -to Read or Not to Read
Live scripts are a great way to communicate information to your listener in a personal way (not just in canned commercial format). Station promos and announcements, community notices and even commercials.
Most stations who use these, simply pre-script the notice, hand it to the announcer, and write a note on their schedule to say, “read here.” A pre-scripted notice is good in that you can control exactly what is communicated to the listener, and it can take stress and guesswork off the shoulders of the announcer.
However, radio is a personality media. Listeners can get the music on Spotify, the weather and traffic from an app, and the news on msn. But the one thing they can only get from radio is…the company of a real human. When disseminating information through a live script, allow your announcers a little leeway in how they present it. Allow them to inject a little of themselves into it.
Sure, give them a script, or give them the bare information. Then, it’s their job to read it to themselves, understand it, and then communicate it to their listeners in a way that only they can (as long as the announcer communicates the information correctly). It gives a bit of variety as you aren’t communicating a script the same way twice, and it allows personality to shine through.
Having said this, you may need to monitor how your announcers are going with this, and give guidance as required.
Remember, the job of an announcer is not to read, but to communicate.
Happy broadcasting.
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