News anchor script for reading practice
A practice news script is a short bulletin: a greeting, a lead story of about 40 seconds, two shorter items, a light story or the weather, and a sign-off. Each story leads with the most important fact, then where and when, in short sentences with one idea each. Broadcast reading is brisker than everyday reading: at 160 words per minute, two minutes is about 320 words. The example is shorter, so a beginner can read it at 140 and still finish inside two minutes. Every story and person in it is invented.
Target: 2 minutes, about 320 words at 160 words per minute · Example below: 258 words, about 1 min 37 s
How long it should be
Tauroza and Allison measured radio speech at an average of 160 words per minute; the study is cited on the speech timer page. At that pace, two minutes is 320 words. At 140, the same bulletin takes a little longer.
Start slower than broadcast pace and speed up only once every word is clean. A clear read at 140 sounds better than a rushed one at 170.
The structure
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Open
Greeting, your name and the programme. Then straight into the lead.
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Lead story (about 40 seconds)
The most important fact in the first sentence, then where and when, then what happens next.
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Shorter items (20–30 seconds each)
Two or three, each with a clean transition, one supporting detail and, in one of them, a short attributed quote. Sport often goes last.
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Light item or weather
A change of tone. Practise letting your face and voice relax.
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Sign-off
Your name again and a short close.
Template
Replace everything in {braces}. Lines in [square brackets] are cues: they show faintly on the prompter and are never read or counted. Keep, change or delete them. New to the format? See how to format a teleprompter script.
[look at the lens, half a smile]
Good {morning or evening}. I'm {your name},
and this is {programme name}.
[pause]
{Lead story: who did what, in one sentence}.
{Second sentence: where and when}.
{Third sentence: what happens next, or what it means}.
[new beat]
In other news, {second story, in one sentence}.
{One supporting detail}.
[beat]
{Third story, in one sentence}.
"{A short quote}," said {name and role}.
{One supporting detail}.
[lighter tone]
And finally, {a light story or the weather}.
[pause]
That's the news for this {morning or evening}.
I'm {your name}. Thanks for watching. Tapping copies your script first. Paste it into a new script in OwlPrompter (free, no account).
Example: an invented local evening bulletin
Everything in this bulletin is made up for practice: the town of Millbrook, its streets, its school and every person named.
[look at the lens, half a smile] Good evening. I'm Sam Ortega, and this is the Millbrook Evening Report. [pause] The old Millbrook rail bridge will close to all traffic for six weeks from Monday, while engineers replace the supports beneath its eastern span. The town council says buses will be diverted along Station Road, adding about ten minutes to most journeys into the centre. Cyclists and walkers will be able to use a temporary footbridge from the second week of the closure. [new beat] In other news, Millbrook Library will stay open later on Thursdays and Saturdays, until eight in the evening, from the start of next month. The change follows a survey in which more than nine hundred residents asked for later opening hours. [beat] Students at Hillside Secondary School have raised enough money to restore the town's bandstand, which has been closed since last spring. "We wanted somewhere to play music in the summer," said Year Eleven student Priya Lal, who organised a series of fundraising concerts. Work on the bandstand is expected to finish in June. [beat] In sport, Millbrook Rovers are through to the county cup final after a two-one win over Ashford Vale last night. The winning goal came in the final minute, a header from captain Leon Price. The final will be played at Westfield Park on the twelfth of May. [lighter tone] And finally, the weather. A dry, bright start tomorrow, with cloud building from the west in the afternoon and a chance of showers by the evening. Highs of fourteen degrees. [pause] That's the news for this evening. I'm Sam Ortega. Thanks for watching.
Tapping copies your script first. Paste it into a new script in OwlPrompter (free, no account).
Opening a script in the browser replaces the one saved in the online teleprompter on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
Read it on your phone
Practise on your phone: OwlPrompter scrolls the bulletin at the words per minute you set, from 20 to 300, so you can start slow and work up to broadcast pace. After each take, the Delivery Score shows your pace, eye contact, pauses and filler words.
OwlPrompter is free with no account, for up to 3 scripts, with recording, a Delivery Score and an .srt file with every take. Voice scroll (the script follows your voice) and eye-contact mode are part of Pro, and both Pro plans, monthly and yearly, start with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers.
Tips for reading the news
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Find the key word in each sentence
Every news sentence has one word that carries it: "close", "six weeks", "bandstand". Lean on that word and let the others sit lightly around it.
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Breathe at the line breaks
Broadcast copy is broken into short lines for a reason. If you take a breath mid-line, the line is too long; break it on the prompter.
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Bring your pitch down at full stops
Rising at the end of every sentence makes news sound like a list of questions. Land each sentence.
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Reset between stories
The [beat] between a road closure and a school bandstand is where your face and voice change. Practise that change on its own.
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Write names and numbers the way you say them
"Year Eleven", "fourteen degrees", "nine hundred". Add a pronunciation in brackets for any name you are unsure of.
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Watch without sound, then listen without picture
Two passes show two different sets of problems: eyes, posture and blinking first; pace, emphasis and breathing second.
Questions
How fast should a news anchor read?
Clear matters more than fast. In Tauroza and Allison’s measurements radio speech averaged about 160 words per minute, and conversation was faster still. Start nearer 140 and speed up only when every word is clean.
Where can I find news scripts to practise reading?
Write your own: take a local story you have read and rewrite it in short spoken sentences, or use invented stories like the example here. Rewriting is practice in itself, because it teaches you how broadcast copy is built.
Can I use this script for a class or a showreel?
Yes, the example is written for practice; use it, change it or add stories of your own. If your course sets a time limit, change the number of stories rather than reading faster.
Finished your draft? Check its length in the speech timer, then rehearse it in the free online teleprompter or in the app.