HW 3/25

Exercise 9.1 & 9.2: 30 secs for 2 stories

9.1

DRINKING BILL

The in-state drinking age has been raised to 21 // The bill, sponsored by our local representative Tom Hartley, saw a marathon debate in both the Senate and the House // 30 hours in the senate led to an 18-12 vote yesterday // 30 hours in the house led to a 55-60 vote earyl today ///

HONOR SOCIETY

The Alpha Alpha university honor society will hold inductions next Friday // the secret inductees will be announced at 10 a.m. at the student center // 5 sophomores, 20 juniors, and 10 seniors will be named ///

9.2

THEFT INVESTIGATION

The local police department continues to investigate the auto theft ring that was responsible for 200-300 local auto thefts last year // The ring has been known to disassemble the parts of the car and sell them // Police chief Clayton Wheat says the departments investigation will expand into surrounding couties ///

INDUSTRY RETURNING

A local group of investors will team up with Textron Corporation to open a machine tool plant // The plant will open in the abandoned Lochs Papermill plant in about a year // It will employ about 200 people // The First Trust Bank president made the announcement this morning ///

9.6 # 3 and 4

HM 3/20

8.1, 8.2
Four Stories, 90 words each (30 second blips)
Read Ch. 9

BASKETBALL DEATH

A Central High freshman basketball player died this morning while running during practice // Todd White was transported to Central Valley Memorial Hospital // He was pronounced dead after attempted revival // The trainer says White had no known illnesses // The county coroner will perform an autopsy today ///

ENERGY PLAN

 
A new energy plan will attempt to reduce dependence on foreign oil and make America greener // The Secretary of the Interior announced the plan Tuesday // The 800-million dollar plan is a 5-year program to reduce strip mining while easing the licensing of new nuclear power plants ///

FACULTY DEATH

 
Education professor Elizabeth Billson died today after fighting a 10 year battle with cancer // The 58-year-old has taught here for 36 years, training  over 10,000 future teachers // Last year Billson received the "Outstanding Professor" award // The beloved Education professor will be dearly missed ///

WRECK

 
Two trucks collided on I-59 last night // No one was injured // Fuel spilled from both trucks causing oil slick and a 45 minute road shut down // The trucks collided head-on in an area of road repair // One truck lost 10 thousand dollars worth of refrigerated goods // The drivers were cited speeding and reckless driving ///

 

 

Ch. 8 & 9 Class Notes

Broadcast
Writing for the Ear
Rules: See Broadcast Stlye Rules
*One main idea per sentence
*present tense to portray timeliness
* X says "...."

Never use names in the lead if the name is unfamiliar to the audience.
When using names, first + last name on first reference, then last name only
context matters: describe time of day rather than a.m. or p.m.

What is the completed circle?
Broadcast writing does not use inverted pyramid (want ppl to stay tuned in)
written in a unified; story is complete functioning unit
stories instead written to fit exact amount of time
3 words per second --> 30 second story = 90 words

What is dramatic unity?
Most common structure for broadcast: 3 parts
Climax: point of the story; the "so what"
Cause: why it happened or circumstances surrounding the event
Effect: context of the story; insight into what the story means
(pg 187)

*One main idea per sentence, even if it sounds choppy

Selection of News

• Timeliness
• immediacy and impact
• often considered most imp news value
• news must be up-to-date- it's what viewers expect
• Information, not explanation
• look for stories that dont need a lot of explanation
• time: average length is 20-30 secs
• radio: could even be just 10 sec or less
• Audio/ Visual Impact
• sometimes, stories chosen b/c of this
• is a criticism

Characteristics of Writing

• Four Cs (not 5 ws, 1 h): correctnoess, clarity, conciseness, color
• correctness (accuracy)
• clarity
• clear, precise language
• simple sentences
• know what youre talking about
• conciseness:
• tight phrasing
• simplify and condense (bring it back to the basics)
• avoid passive
• color:
• allow listeners to paint a picture of the story being reported
• include pertinent and insightful details through personality

Ch. 10 Class Notes

Chapter 10 Class Notes
6 Characteristics of the Web

1. Immediacy- easier and less time-consuming to "broadcast" or "publish"
2. Flexibility- Web can handle variety of mediums and new forms
3. Mobility
4. Permanency
5. Capacity
6. Interactivity- traditional media: cannot chose, variety is plus for web, Linking is another form of interaction

Demands of the Audience

1. Speed- certain items increase load time- but those items may be necessary for the site
2. visual logic- what site's about should be obvious at first glance, as should what it contains
3. Simple organization and navigation- well-organized website = where visitor can figure out where to find info, Layering infor is key
4. Depth- Must constantly be updating information, keep in balancase w/ other important factors.
5. News- Not every website is a news site, but almost all sites need to present new and updated information, static site: one that changes so little that visitors see the same thing each time, which do you consider most important (speed, visual logic, simple org. and navigation, depth or news)?

SON KILLS MOTHER, WOUNDS FATHER

Son Kills Mother, Wounds Father

A local 20-year-old male was arrested and charged with the murder of his mother and attempted murder of his father in the family’s home in the early evening of March 6.

A neighbor reported hearing gunshots and seeing Ben Wagnar leave the 134 Donald St. home with a gun. The neighbor called 911 at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday after seeing Wagnar drive off in a white Chevrolet Camaro.

Police arrived at the Wagnar residence to find the body of Diane Wagnar, 54, in the kitchen. Two gunshots had passed through the mother’s chest. Burt Wagnar, 48, was found unconscious on the garage floor with a gunshot wound to the leg.

Following the police’s arrival at the Donald St. residence, an all-points bulletin was issued on Ben Wagnar’s car. Police found Wagnar at 8:21 p.m. buying a snack at the Shell gas station on Lee Highway. He was arrested peacefully.

“We are confident we have the one and only suspect behind bars for this crime. All the evidence we have collected points to him being the only suspect,” Police detective Bennett says.

Investigators found a 9 mm handgun in the backseat of Ben Wagnar’s car. Tests will determine if the gun is the confirmed murder weapon.

Burt Wagnar was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital where is expected to be released soon.

The Lynchburg father reports that his son shot him when he returned home from work. The reason for Ben Wagnar’s actions are unknown.

Ben Wagnar is an employee at Burger King. His mother, Diane Wagnar, worked at a local daycare. Burt Wagnar, father, is employed by Lynchburg Construction Company.

A neighbor describes Ben Wagnar as a nice boy and claims that the Wagnars were good people who kept to themselves. Burt Wagnar states he will continue to love his son despite the events.

Ben Wagnar will appear in Lynchburg General District Court March 12 to face charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and malicious wounding. The court appointed Attorney Harry Davis to represent Wagnar. 

HW 3/4: Prosper

Exercise 7.4

Prosper to face coal mine shutdown, new town budget

The United Coal Company announced Sunday that they will close Mine No. 3 indefinitely in two weeks, sending the small town of Prosper into a period of cutbacks and depleted revenue.

The deep-shaft coal mine locally known as Hellpit has been the major source of employment for Prosper citizens since its opening in 1901. The United Coal Company states that a shutdown in nationwide manufacturing has lead to a severe cutback in the demand for coal. According to company president Wilson Standridge, the mine will close until demands increase.

Prosper is a town in the northeast corner of Crocker County with a population of 909 people. Over 800 additional people travel to the town daily to work in the state's deepest mine shaft which employs over 1,000 people. Financially, the mine is the main source of revenue for the small town government. 

“With the closing of the mine, our revenue is just about gone,” Mayor Lester Jenkins states.

The mine has allowed Prosper’s local budget to rise from $40,000 to $300,000 since 1901. The shutdown will necessitate cutbacks and a new budget. City clerk Wilma Foster asserts that the new budget will not exceed $60,000 and will go into effect within 30 days.

Fortunately, the town will not face debt. Councilman Ed Barnes reports that most of the coal money went into building projects. The two most recent projects, the city hall and the park, have already been paid off due to wise planning and budgeting.

The town council will meet Tuesday night to discuss the new budget.