Format for Informing Date/Time Changes?

Is the novel linear? Do you need to put in dates/times at all? If you're not jumping back and forth in time or if the date/time are not central to understanding the story, then I don't think you need to include date/time.

I think even for a 30-day story, you can get by with setting the date once, then using "the next day" or "A week later" and so forth to show the passage of time, unless it's a ticking clock kind of thing. Even then, you might do better with just a "Day 1" kind of thing.

Do anything you want, as long as you stay consistent. If, after the editing process, you still have dates and times in your chapter titles then the editor will set it into house style.

The goal is to not confuse the reader.

I tend to make the passage of time purely contextual (what does the MC see that establishes time?), unless time itself is necessary to point out to the reader (e.g. a ticking timebomb story). But yes, do anything, as long as it's consistent and doesn't detract from immersion.

That would work if the POV character flicked the radio on while in the car or something. But the exact illustration you use doesn't seem to add much unless he's in the emergency service or in an accident scenario somewhere.

A broadcast means the POV character has to be listening to it. Is it chance that he just happens to be listening when the event is reported? Does this happen often?

The POV character doesn't have to learn via a broadcast.

More important is how these events/things affect the POV character.

He can learn through how it affects him - maybe a relative calls to say their fridge has packed up and the lights have gone out and grandpa is outside somewhere and it's torrential rain... You have a lot of experience in movie scripts - you can think of scenarios other than broadcasts..

In the power outage scenario- is he using an electrical tool? Is he somewhere where light is essential? Is a power supply interrupted while he is using it? Do the street and building lights all go out as he travels the freeway approaching the city?

Ron Maiden said:

thanks for the thoughts. i have an other one for you: i've used radio broadcasts of news reports to describe what's going on certain parts of the plot, ie as a kinda transition tool to describe things that will affect the plot but would be needless/too cumbersome to write out in full; eg, it's far better IMO to have a broadcast covering the points of a power outage causing issues and danger than to write out a scene or more showing some pylons going down or wahtever. so point is, what's the best format for these broadcasts? i was thinking something simple like
Radio ABCD: " - and reports say the power loss will impact emergency services"
or whatever.
TIA

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I also use this device. Based on ad nauseam examples in published novels, I think it is perfectly acceptable when used to further the scene or contribute to backstory. The question of how to format such is one left to the imagination of the author. There is no formula. The only stricture would be to use the device in context.
For example, if the novel or MC or scene is military in nature, use formatting which lends itself to military jargon. Etcetera.

Sometimes I jump backwards in time, like several years, in a scene as a setup for say a new chapter. I will usually work the date (normally no more specific than the year) in to the opening sentence in a narrative and maybe tie in some key events, like the release of the new Rolling Stones album or maybe Aunt Mavis' new push button telephone to replace her rotary dial, and then make it very clear in the following scene that we are back in the present, by jumping back in to the story line and treating it as if it is another opening for a new chapter.