TV conventions

• News package: a pre-recorded, and self-contained, television news story. The reporter is likely to be in vision at the story location and the package may contain interviews.
• Actuality footage: for instance - a news reader reports breaking news and a short clip of footage is shown from the event/story itself.
• Piece to camera: when a reporter presents directly to the lens of the camera.
• Cut away: a shot that cuts away from the main action to a separate or secondary action
• Voice over: the audio track of a presenter or reporter, over a video clip and pictures to explain what is going on.
• Two-way interview: Studio news reader interviews a contributor or correspondent 
• Graphics: on screen images used to explain or clarify the story. Often used to show statistics.
• Standard out cue: the form of words agreed by a television station, and used by all reporters at the station, to sign off at the end of a story.
• TV straplines: the two lines of text that appear along the bottom of the screen on, for example, the BBC News Channel. e.g. 1st line: Baghdad Bomb 2nd line: 40 killed by suicide bomb at market

Radio Conventions

Actuality

Audio material recorded on location. In news programmes it is usually someone speaking and lasts for 10 to 20 seconds.

Cue

Generally the introduction to a radio correspondent's report. A cue might also introduce a clip of actuality, a sound bite or other audio, such as a piece of music.

Intro

The intro is the presenter’s introduction. It generally involves a greeting, a time check and the news reader’s name. For example: Good evening, I’m Seamus McKee. Here is the news at six thirty.

Outro

The outro is the presenter’s sign-off. That was the news at six thirty. Our next bulletin will be at seven o’clock.

Stinger/sting/jingle

A short burst of music or sound (with pictures if on TV) played at regular intervals during a programme. Stings are often used at the beginning or the end of a report or to highlight the headlines.

Atmos 

Short for atmosphere: Background noise recorded on location. 

Audio clips

A 15 to 20 second piece of pre-recorded audio taken from an interview with someone related to the story, for example an eye-witness of a plane crash. 

Fades

When sound effects (SFX) or music gradually fades away