What a running order is, how to structure one with segments, durations and cues, how to time it, and how to keep it live and collaborative during the show.
The running order — or rundown — is the spine of a live show: the ordered list of everything that happens, with timings and cues, that the whole team works from. Build it well and the director, operator and presenter are all reading the same plan. Build it badly (or in a doc nobody can edit together) and the show runs on memory and luck. This guide covers how to structure a running order, time it, and keep it live. It's part of our wider guide to running a live show.
What a running order contains
At its simplest, a running order is a table of rows, each row an item in the show, in the order it happens. Useful columns for each row:
- Item / segment — what this is ("Opening titles", "Guest interview", "VT: highlights").
- Type — live, VT, graphic, break, etc.
- Duration — how long this item runs.
- Talent / source — who's on, or what plays.
- Cues / notes — graphics to take, camera notes, anything the gallery needs.
The power isn't the columns; it's that everyone reads the same ordered list, so nobody's guessing what's next.
Structure it in segments
Group rows into segments (blocks between breaks or major beats). A typical structure:
- Cold open / titles — the top of the show.
- Segment blocks — the main content, each a run of items ending at a natural break.
- Breaks / hand-offs — the hard points you must hit.
- Close — sign-off and end titles.
Segmenting makes timing manageable: you time each block and know how much slack you have before the next hard out.
Time it
Timing is what turns a list into a plan.
- Give every row a duration.
- Sum them per segment and for the whole show to get total runtime.
- Compare that to your slot. Over? Trim. Under? Add or stretch.
- For anything with a hard out (a break, top of the hour), back-time: work backwards from the out time so you know when each item must start. More on this in show clocks and timing.
A common mistake is timing only the total, not the segments. You can be "on time" overall and still blow the first break by two minutes. Time each block against its out.
Keep it live and collaborative
A running order in a static document is out of date the moment something changes. On a real show, items move, durations flex, guests drop. What you want:
- One shared rundown the whole team edits, not a file emailed around.
- Real-time updates so a change is seen by everyone at once.
- Versioning so you can publish a clean version and still make live changes.
- A link to the script and cues so the teleprompter and graphics stay in sync with the order.
Running-order checklist
- Every row has an item, type and duration
- Rows grouped into segments with clear out points
- Segment and total runtimes calculated against your slot
- Hard outs back-timed
- Cues/graphics noted on the relevant rows
- Built in a shared, live tool — not a static doc
How Show Runner handles it
Show Runner's running order is real-time and collaborative: the whole team builds and edits the same rundown at once, with durations and cues per row and running totals calculated for you. When you go live, the teleprompter and show clock follow the rundown, and you can publish versions and export a production pack. Change a row and everyone — prompter, clock, operator — sees it instantly.
FAQ
What's the difference between a running order and a rundown?
They're the same thing — "running order" is common in UK broadcast, "rundown" in the US. Both mean the ordered, timed list of everything that happens in the show, with cues, that the team works from.
How detailed should a running order be?
Detailed enough that someone who isn't you could run the show from it: every item in order, with a duration, its type (live/VT/graphic), who or what is on, and any cues. Avoid burying the essentials in prose — keep it a scannable table.
How do I stop the running order going out of date during the show?
Use a shared, real-time rundown rather than a static document, so edits are seen by everyone instantly. In Show Runner the running order is collaborative and drives the teleprompter and show clock, so a change reaches the whole team at once.
Next: feed it to the presenter with a teleprompter, and keep to time with show clocks. Or start for free.