Radio Commentary

Radio Commentary is one of the best events for a student starting out in Speech & Debate. In this event, a student does not show their face; they project to an audience with their voice only. The student reads current news stories, reacts to and analyzes them, and organizes a commentary which weaves between the news stories and their analysis of each event. The student should have a central message in mind, organizing their introduction, body, and conclusion. Radio commentators have a great deal of personality which comes across in their episodes. Students should focus on delivering a voice with volume, fluency, energy, enunciation, and emphasis on their central message. The commentary has a strict time limit of 5 minutes, with a 15-second grace period on either side of the window (4:45-5:15). See the PDFs above for event rules and a sample ballot a judge uses to evaluate the round. View example Radio Commentaries below (the first with audio only and the second a championship-level version). At the bottom of the page, view sample radio commentary written speeches.