Theatre, film and television can use light, colour, exciting sets and beautiful actors to hold their audience. A radio writer must combine good dialogue with the appropriate use of sound effects and music to stimulate pictures in the minds of their audience. It is important to note that good dialogue, that which is interesting and exciting, will carry a play a long way. This last element is vital in a radio play. Pauses allow the listener time to absorb what they have just heard and prepare for what happens next.
Dialogue is the dominant element of a radio play.
It carries information for the listener about character, story and at times location. However, radio dialogue has to be more explicit than that written for a visual medium. So a radio writer's skill is in making this extra description sound natural. Poor dialogue in a radio play is when the characters just chat on aimlessly. The writer's skill is in choosing the precise lines needed to tell the story and bring their characters to life.