News Reading Script · Evening news lead story with live toss
Council Approves Bike Lanes (Anchor Lead Story)
Practice a news anchor lead story script: a fictional city council approves new protected bike lanes, with a quote, an opposing view, and a live toss.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Length
- 145 words · ~58 sec
- Skills
- news delivery, emphasis, credibility, toss to reporter
- License
- CC BY 4.0
The script
Good evening. Port Ellery is getting its first protected bike lanes.
After more than three hours of public comment, the city council voted seven to two tonight to approve a 4-point-2 million dollar plan. It adds eleven miles of lanes along Calder Avenue and Fenwick Street, separated from traffic by low curbs and planters.
Supporters, many of whom rode to city hall, packed the chamber in bright yellow vests. Councilmember Rosa Delacourt, who sponsored the plan, called it 'a street for everyone, not just everyone in a car.'
Not everyone was cheering. Several shop owners on Fenwick Street say losing about two hundred parking spaces could hurt business, and they've asked the city to add loading zones.
Construction starts in April. The first section should open by the end of next summer.
Our Nadia Brooks was at city hall tonight and joins us live. Nadia?
Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0. Original script drafted with AI assistance and edited by SceneDub; any resemblance to existing characters is coincidental.
Practise it now
The teleprompter scrolls at the speed you set in words per minute. Tick "Record audio while reading" to capture a take; the audio stays in your browser until you download it.
Coaching notes
- The first sentence is the whole story. Stress 'first' and 'protected' so a viewer who hears nothing else still knows what happened.
- Read the quote, 'a street for everyone, not just everyone in a car,' as reported speech: a slight shift in tone so it's clearly Delacourt's words, without acting it out.
- 'Not everyone was cheering' turns the story. Drop the energy a notch and keep it neutral, so the shop owners' side gets the same weight as the supporters'.
Try it three more ways
- Read it as a morning radio newsreader with thirty seconds to fill, slightly faster and tighter.
- Read it as a national anchor treating it as a quirky local story from somewhere far away.
- Read it as a community station host who lives on Fenwick Street, still neutral but clearly closer to it.
Take it further
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Frequently asked questions
How long is the "Council Approves Bike Lanes (Anchor Lead Story)" script?
145 spoken words, about 58 sec at a conversational 150 words per minute and 1 min 7 sec at a slower 130 wpm. Your take will vary with pauses and character choices.
Can I use this script in my voice acting demo reel?
Yes. SceneDub's original scripts are licensed CC BY 4.0. You can perform, record, edit, and publish them, including in demo reels, classes, and auditions, as long as you credit "Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0" where you share the recording or the text.
How should I practise this script?
Read it silently once, then perform it with the direction above: authoritative, even-handed, engaged, steady broadcast pace, ~160 words per minute. Record a take with the teleprompter, listen back, and try one of the alternate reads to stretch your range.