A news bulletin is a summary of current events that a radio audience wants to hear. A good bulletin will cover a mix of subjects that are important to your listeners, including politics, crime and major disasters. It will also feature local stories, human interest items and some sport.

The way you build up your bulletin will vary between different days and times of the week, for example weekend bulletins tend to have fewer stories available than on other days. It will also depend on the style of your station – a serious national broadcaster might choose to have a more serious tone with the most important stories while a youth-oriented music station may have a brighter tone with stories about popular culture.

It is usual to start a bulletin by headlining the major stories, especially those that are likely to attract listeners and hold their attention for the duration of your broadcast. It is also common to include a dramatic story in the first part of your bulletin. The headline for this should hint at the drama, rather than giving away all the details of the story.

It is often useful to include a light or humorous story towards the end of your bulletin. This can help to break the pace of a long broadcast, as well as easing the tensions caused by stories that are more serious. These stories are sometimes called tail-enders, and are often a play on words that appeal to the audience’s sense of humour.