Broadcast News Vocab

Affiliate

a person or organization officially connected to a larger group, company, or institution.

Anchor

the main person who hosts and presents news stories on television, radio, the internet.

Beats

a specific topic, institution, or geographical area that a reporter consistently covers to build deep expertise and trusted sources.

Bumpers

a brief audio or visual segment—lasting two to fifteen seconds—used to transition a broadcast into or out of a commercial break.

Cue

a specific signal—visual, verbal, or technical—used to coordinate timing, direct anchors or reporters, and manage transitions during broadcast.

Dub

replacing the audio of the recording

Feed

a continuously updating stream of stories, posts, or data headlines delivered on a website, app, or broadcast.

Headlines

the title or short summary at the top of a news article, printed in large letters to tell what the story is about.

Kicker

a short line of type above the main headline to provoke interest, provide context, or categorize.

Lead

the opening sentence or paragraph that delivers the most important information and hooks the reader.

Public Service Announcement

a free massage broadcast by media outlets to raise public awareness and change behavior on important social issues.

Running Time

the exact duration of a pre-recorded news story, segment, or package from the first frame to the very last frame.

B-Roll

supplemental or secondary video footage used in a News Package.

Nielsen

standard metrics that measure the size and demographics of television and media audiences in the U.S.

Sound bite

a short, catchy audio or video clip taken from a longer speech or interview for use in news report.

Stand-Up

a segment where a reporter appears on screen speaking directly into the camera, usually from the scene of a story.

Voiceover

an off-screen narration spoken by a reporter or anchor that plays over a sequence of video footage.