BROADCAST NEWS STORY CLASSIFICATIONS

A reader:

A story without video
The anchor reads the information
No more than 15 to 20 seconds and used sparingly.

A VO (pronounced voh or vee-oh):

The anchor talks over the video
This type of story is no more than 30 seconds
The script should match the video as much as possible.

VO/SOT or VOB:

These are stories that include video and part of an interview related to the story.
The VO stands for voice over, the SOT is “sound on tape” or if it is a VOB it is bite as in “sound bite.”
The SOT should be not longer than 15 seconds long; the total story should be about 45 seconds long.

Package:

All of these married together, plus the reporter’s or anchor’s voice recording to narrate the story.
Packages are typically 90 seconds long, but it is determined by the content of the story.