Over the past few lessons I have been working on my script. So far I have:
Jingle: (Alarm clock sound, bright music) Your morning wake up call with 105.4 Radio Electric.
Presenter1: Good morning! The time is 6:01 AM on Guy Fawkes Day and you’re listening to Maura on Radio Electric. In the news this morning, we are officially in an economic downturn. Experts warn that Christmas may wipe us out and more people will be suffering from debt problems as we enter the new year. Now, the recession is something that has been shadowing us all since midway through this year and the collapse of many banks have had us all worried. Many have lost money or are finding themselves having to cut back and the Bank of England have been holding meetings about how to manage the economic downturn. The Governor of the Bank of England warned that:
(Clip of bank person)
But ended with the impression that things can only get better.
P2: Well, we’ll have to hope so. In other news, one garage in Chorley has angered residents by raising its fuel prices to £1.10 per litre. It’s said to be the most expensive in the region and has incensed customers from all over. We sent Rachael on the streets to investigate:
VoxPop1: I use this station often and I think it’s just taking the mick, it is. There’s only a limit to these things and I think it’s been overstepped here. I can barely speak for anger!
VP2: I think, in effect, it could be a good thing. It’ll serve to encourage people to make more use of the public transport available and use their cars as little as possible.
P2: Rachael also talked to the owner of the petrol station:
Rachael: What do you have to say to justify yourself to the people you have angered?
Petrol Station Owner: I’m only an independent garage owner. It’s a lot harder for me to keep going in times like these. I’m doing the best I can to make a living whilst being fair and that’s very difficult.
Rachael: Do you think there is some form of compromise that could be reached here?
PSO: the prices I have at the moment are the closest I can get to compromising before it actually affects my profits. We’ve all had to cut back lately and if that includes cutting back a little on petrol, then maybe in the long run that’s the better thing to do. People are angry but they’re finding it difficult to look at the bigger picture here.
P1: An oil tanker has sunk along the coast of North America. The tanker struck some sharp rocks during a major storm that hit the area. A clean up is in operation and activist group Greenpeace is calling for laws on tankers to be changed.
P2: A local man has died in a Tesco in Wigan. The man, who is believed to have been a caretaker of that store, suddenly collapsed whilst on his break in the staff canteen. An ambulance was called to the scene immediately but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The store has since raised £450 for the Heart Foundation.
P1: And Boris Johnson has been seen falling off his bike as he made his regular commute to work. Poor Boris, who was trying to escape the paparazzi at the time, was snapped losing his balance as he moved onto the kerb. You can see his picture in many of the regional newspapers.
P2: (laughs) You can never take him seriously, can you?
P1: Not at all! In sport, Wigan Athletic have been beaten by Liverpool 3-1. The game kicked off promisingly with a goal for Wigan within minutes but quickly turned sour for them. Fans are said to be outraged by the poor show on Saturday.
P2: Now it’s a bit nippy today as we do have sunny intervals with temperatures ranging between 9 – 12 degrees Celsius but with a northern wind that is making everything that bit chillier. Cloudy with rain overnight and fairly breezy as it goes down to minus four! Wrap up warm as it’s only going to get worse as winter hits!
P1: That’s the latest from Radio Electric. My name’s Maura Flatley, enjoy the rest of your day.
As far as length is concerned, the script may be a bit short of the 5 minute mark. However, once I have another presenter (whose name I will include into the script later on), I will be able to talk through the script and increase its length and bulk out the content.
Also, as I have been writing my script, I have been checking the layout of the radio news bulletin against those of local radio stations (Smooth FM, Wish FM) and tried to construct the script as closely as possible to the layout of those that local people will be used to.