A brief piece of music used to punctuate the end of a segment is called what?

• A. Sting
• B. Spot
• C. SOT
• D. Standup

Answer: (A)

A sting is a brief musical cue used to punctuate the end of a segment or signal a transition in a broadcast. It’s short, memorable, and often serves as a recognizable signal that a story is wrapping up or the program is moving to the next part. This makes it the best fit for describing a small piece of music that marks the end of a segment. In practice, you might hear a sting as a story finishes and the program shifts to commercials or returns to the anchor, providing a quick audio cue without a spoken line.

Other options refer to different broadcast elements: a standup is when the host appears on camera, typically delivering a field report; a spot is an advertisement; a SOT (sound on tape) is a spoken clip from an interview. These either involve voice content or longer formats and don’t serve the same quick musical punctuation function as a sting.