How to Do a High School Newscast

High school newscasts present current events and school news.

High school newscasts keep high school students informed of school, local, national and world news, while giving them broadcast experience. High school newscasts vary in length and timing, depending on the daily school schedule. Some high schools have newscasts daily, while others do newscasts once a week. High school news organizations also help keep the community informed of school events, concerts and sports by providing content to local cable stations. Teach high school students the basics of public speaking prior to putting them on the air in a newscast.

Instructions

1. Divide the broadcast journalism class into two groups so that one group is always working on the next broadcast while the other is putting the finishing touches on the current broadcast.

2. Stay ahead of the news at the school by assigning special coverage topics early in the school year. Look at the school calendar and decide which events need to be covered and who will be working on those assignments. Look at sporting events, musicals, plays, competitions and special speakers for your special assignment calendar.

3. Assign students stories based on their area of interest. Design the stories for the newscast based on a regular newscast format. Use breaking news, top stories, national and world news, sports and weather. Add in human/school interest stories weekly and assign them as special reporting.

4. Write newscast copy in groups for each specific segment. Select news editors for each section to guide the writing and editing process. These students should be upperclassmen with experience.

5. Rehearse the newscast the day before the broadcast and edit out any information that seems bulky or irrelevant for the story as it's told. Stories that sound good and complete on paper may or may not be right for the broadcast.

6. Designate several students to be camera people during the newscast and others interested in the production end of broadcasting as camera people who accompany the reporters on assignment. Edit each video segment prior to the rehearsal so it can be a complete run-through.

7. Have other students working on the production end of the broadcast in charge of the sound equipment. Do sound equipment testing during the rehearsal to work out any bugs before broadcasting.

8. Look at a recording of each broadcast the next day and take notes with the students, observing what went well and what needs to be worked on for the next newscast.

References

• School-Video-News.com: EZNews Newscast Production System
• Post-Gazette.com: High School Students Learn to Write, Film and Anchor Television and Multimedia Productions
• Media Awareness.ca: Video Production of a Newscast