Meaning of Radio Script - What is it, Definition and Concept

The radio script is an instrument that is used to plan any type of radio program, whose purpose is to provide the necessary material for production.The radio script describes in detail each of the steps to follow according to the type of program to be carried out, configuring a key piece so that sound technicians and speakers have full knowledge of what is stipulated for each space at all times.

There are different types of scripts, according to the content of the information, the possibility or impossibility of introducing modifications and the form of presentation:

• According to the information content : we can distinguish literary, technical and literary technical scripts.
• Depending on the possibility or not of introducing modifications we distinguish open scripts (which have ample flexibility to insert modifications of the script) and closed scripts (those that do not allow modifications), depending on the choice of each of the type of space and the complexity of its production.
• According to the form of presentation, we can differentiate the American scripts from the European scripts .The first ones are written in a column separating the technical guidelines from the locution by paragraphs, highlighting the name with capital letters of the announcer and underlining the technical indications.The European scripts are presented in several columns, reserving the left one for the technical guidelines, and the others for the locution text, being able to have similar items, vinetas and resources.

The literary scripts give relevance to the text read by the broadcasters, giving indications to the radiophonists such as:

• Announcer 1 (with melancholy): «She was lying on my shoulder».
• Announcer 2 (with laughter): «Surely I was asleep snoring like a man».

In the technical scripts there is practically no verbal text but only indications of informative programs, for example: announcer 1: informative entry; announcer 2: body news; announcer 3: advertising guideline: announcer 1: farewell.

To prepare a radio script, all these variables can be combined depending on the personality of the program to be produced.