Friday 11 March 2011

Evaluation of My Newspaper

I've now finished my newspaper and ancillary tasks to the best of my ability. So now I'm going to evaluate my coursework as a whole.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My media work follows the codes and conventions of local newspapers that I found from my research for my product in many ways. Newspapers have a general layout in which they all follow, this is how newspapers are recognised, and then each newspaper adds certain factors that makes their newspaper individual and memorable. Therefore, I've also done this with my layout, keeping it very similar to the general layout, yet a few aspects have changed, for example, the layout of my contents section down the left hand side of my paper, the majority of this section on papers is different. I learnt from my focus group that they like this general layout and see it as a good aspect of the newspaper, the style, the layout, the colour scheme and so on. So to make my newspaper realistic I also followed the layout of the local newspapers that I looked at in my research. Although, I added aspects that my focus group said would be useful and they would prefer, for example, my puzzle section on my second page and my contents bar. A large factor of my newspaper that challenged the codes and conventions was the 'Life & Style' booklet that is advertised in the banner on my front page. I added this factor to my newspaper and my focus group had said that they can find local newspaper boring and then same old stuff in there every week, so they believed this to be a good aspect to have as it will make the newspaper more interesting each week. When producing my poster for my ancillary tasks, I very much followed the codes and conventions of the posters that I found in my research section, my focus group also agreed that they're very satisfied with the layout and features of a poster, therefore, I chose to keep it the same, making it bold, eye-catching and easy to read. When it came to my radio advert I found that radio adverts for local newspaper don't in fact exist, therefore, I had no codes and conventions to follow, so I looked into the national papers and took ideas from there. Although, I challenged the codes and conventions that I found as my advert only included me talking, instead of having a background music, as I thought that this took the attention away from the voice.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?
My coursework as a whole works together to create a house-style making my tasks flow and link in with one another. My ancillary tasks support my main product by the way in which my newspaper and poster have the same colour scheme, news stories and style making my work more professional. My radio also supports my product through the way in which it links in the vital information of the newspaper, like the price and certain aspects, for example, the 'Life & Style' section and the puzzle, which are key aspects of my newspaper. I believe that through the way in which my products link to one another, they are recognisable in relation to one another and I believe this to be an important factor.

What have you learnt from audience feedback?
Throughout my production my audience feedback has been crucial to the making of my newspaper the final piece that it is. Earlier on in my blog I spoke about a focus group that I'd be using, I'd communicate with them through a group e-mail so that everyone as able to see everyone else's opinions so that we were able to have open conversations about others ideas. Having this focus group allowed me to get views from various age groups meaning that my newspaper is more likely to appeal to different age groups and genders, a way in which my newspaper appeals to a younger age group is through having the puzzles as they'll use them as a level of diversion. The focus group was also a key aspect to my work as it allowed me to follow the codes and conventions of the local newspapers that I researched as well as having different view points to make my work more up-to-date and what the audience want, as the focus group will be my audience so I needed to make my newspaper what they'd want to read. Having an audience feedback also allowed me to have various views points from all different age groups, allowing to know what the audience wanted let me have the upper hand in appealing to my audience. This focus group made my work a lot smoother, accurate and professional.

How did you use media technology in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Media technology has had a huge impact on my work, and I wouldn't have been able to make my work to this standard without the use of technology, from the use of the internet to Adobe Photoshop. I used various programs on the computer to make my product to the standard in which it is, the main program was Adobe Photoshop which is where I produced my newspaper and poster. Another program which I used to create my product was the word document, as this is the program in which I used to write out my articles. The main media technology I used was the internet, which I needed continuously through my work. I used the internet to research newspapers in general, the way in which they looked through ages, from newspapers from decades ago to the up to date newspaper to look at different aspects of the papers. I also looked on the newspapers website to look at articles that had been written in the past year, this helped me to choose what type of article to write, along with the way in which to write it, the language and grammar used. Another way I used the internet was to watch Photoshop tutorials on youtube.com to help with aspects of Photoshop that I didn't know how to use, therefore, being very useful in completing my product. The biggest way that I've used the internet is to write this blog, as it's caused me to be on the internet more or less every day throughout making my product so I'm able to update you on where my work has got to, this is the aspect of media technology that I've used to evaluate my work also. The internet has also had a large impact on me being able to contact my focus group as a whole, as it's a lot easier to contact my group as a whole through e-mail, compared to phoning each of them up separately or by trying to get everyone to meet up. I also used media technology when recording my radio advert. The final way in which I've used media technology is by the simple use of a camera to get my pictures for the newspapers. So in general, media technology is very much needed in my media product, as without the media technology my product wouldn't be the the product that it has been made in to. It also wouldn't be up to the professional standard, as all of the tasks needed the use of media technology.

Thursday 10 March 2011

Analysis of Second Page and Poster


As you can see above I've analysed my newspapers second page and poster, just like I done with my research papers. I've highlighted the main aspects of my page that follow or challenge the codes and conventions of local newspapers. The aspects that I've changed, like the puzzle section are mainly due to comments in which my focus group has made to help make my newspaper better, more interesting and different. The way that I challenged the codes and conventions on my poster, is through giving it a bit more detail with the information about the free magazine inside at the bottom of the page.

Analysis of Front Page

As you can see from this analysis of my front page, I've followed the general codes and conventions of a local newspaper front page, making my newspaper look realistic and professional. Although, I've also challenged some codes and conventions so that my newspaper will be different from others and also as my focus group had many ideas that they believed would improve a local newspaper, therefore, I listened and used these ideas.

My Final Pieces





Newspaper Stories

I've now finished my newspaper articles, so here they are...

My main front page story...

  • Homophobic Attack on Teenage Boy

A teenager was left for dead after a homophobic attack at 2am on Thursday 20th August

JAMES Moore, 18, of Margate, was attacked by a gang of yobs the night of his A-level results. Just days earlier, James had opened up to friends and family about his homosexuality.

James and his friends had been out on a 6 hour drinking fest after receiving their A-level results and successfully getting in to their chosen universities. Their night finished in Margate and the boys made their way home, they had seen another group of lads from their school following behind, but thought nothing of it as they all live in a similar area. James then left his group of friends and took a shortcut down an alley which leads to his house, the other group followed Moore.

Margaret Smith, 48, was the next person to see James, at 8am the next morning. Although, her view of him was not what she’d expected, a bloody, beaten and bruised teenager lying in the middle of the alley lifeless. Margaret phoned for an ambulance whilst running back to her next door neighbours house to grab Moore’s mother.

Amy Moore, 39, ran round to the alley and dropped to the floor when she saw her sons’ body lying there, with blood covering his face.

Amy said “he was close to be unidentifiable, his face had been beaten that badly”. Mrs. Moore hadn’t been alarmed a the fact that her son hadn’t returned home as he often stays at a friend’s house after nights out, so she assumed this is what had (continue on page 5)

My side front page story...

  • No to Tesco Superstore

THE residents of Arlington House are putting up a fight against the Tesco Superstore being built on their doorstep.

Over the years the housing block has turned into an eyesore for the public, just like a lot of Margate, with the near by shops all closed down and the car park falling into disrepair. Although the hopes were then raised for the lonely town when developers Freshwater revealed that they’d got plans to transform the empty shops into a set of modern looking shops, including a large Tesco Superstore.

At the beginning of the plans for the transformation in March, local residents and town planners were all for the scheme, however, those living in the housing block are angry about the rise in management fees and the loss of the their car park.

The residents of the housing block have began protesting about the change, starting with banners in their windows reading “NO 2 TESCO” and are also arguing that the build of the Superstore will put local shops out of business just like Westwood Cross has done and will also raise the traffic in the area a substantial amount.

Due to the disagreements between Freshwater‘s consultation firm PPS and the residents, they are now beginning new plans.

Your opinion? Thanetmessenger.net@BNnews.co.uk

Second page story (one)...

  • Thanet drivers drive further for a bargain

THE people of Thanet are literally having their money stolen by the local petrol stations.

It has been found that it is cheaper for drivers to make the trip to Canterbury to fill up then it is for them to fill up in their local petrol stations.

The AA has said that Thanet has been labelled a 'problem area' on the local news. Locals have found a price difference of 7p per litre just a few miles apart in the next town.

This should not be happening; people should be able to get the same price petrol in close areas, instead of them having to travel a distance.

It’s been said that it is down to supermarket wars, where the big stores e.g. Asda, are fighting for lower prices and therefore other supermarkets have to battle with this.

It’s now said that this type of crisis is when people are scrutinised for where they live, as if you’re in a specific area

Locals have argued however, that the petrol stations are going to hit a problem soon as drivers are making the trip further so that they can get the cheaper petrol, instead of paying these high prices.

Your opinion? Thanetmessenger.net@BNnews.co.uk

Second page story (two)

  • Graffiti – art or mess?

YEAR after year the level of graffiti in Thanet rises. Last year 150 houses in Thanet were raided and graffiti equipment was found in over 100 of them, does this mean that this 'hobby' comes with a certain sub-culture of our society?

It is argued throughout society whether graffiti is art or mess, many people have different opinions on this matter and have different ideas of what can be done to lower the damage being done.

There are many people who believe that graffiti is art and should be allowed to be done, yet in specific areas. Ideas have been given are that the council should allocate certain areas for graffiti; lowering it in unwanted areas. or example, they could do their artwork in alleys, or places where it'll be appreciated by others by doing murals around town, therefore, putting their artwork to a good cause.

However, many others argue against this idea and see graffiti as ruining our town and making it 'ugly' and 'dirty'. A group of society believe that graffiti shouldn't be seen anywhere except on peoples private property.

This argument has been going on for years and still there is no consensus between the groups, the council need to decide one or the other before the problem escalates and the police become even stricter then they already are.

Your opinion? Thanetmessenger.net@BNnews.co.uk

Second page story (three)

  • New Plans for Westwood Cross

PLANS have been released for the latest developmental work at Westwood Cross shopping centre. The main works will be focused on Sainsburys, where they are going to be enlarging the supermarket. There are also plans to be building an additional 10 shops and a hotel in the Westwood Cross area. This developmental work means that there will be 150 jobs avaliable at Sainsburys, as well as a further 50 jobs at the other shops being built.

Along with this there is going to be two large shops, two resturants and a new road being built between Margate Road and New Haine Road. The plan of this road is to control traffic congestion at peak times.

After this set of development, there is plans to build another six shops and a hotel by Sainsburys.

Ross Castle said: "We are excited at the prospect of investing in a replacement store in Westwood Cross and creating new jobs."

Sainsburys have also made a new website www.sainsburys-thanet.co.uk. This website is dedicated to give the audience information about the new developmental plans, as well as giving the public a chance to give them feedback about the project. This allows the public to have a say in what happens in their local area and the changes that are made to their town.

Locals have complained about the fact that the traffic in the area is going to heavily increase, like it already has done with having Westwood Cross there. The workers have said the new road being built is going to level out the traffic out, although, locals are arguing that they said this about the road that’s been built behind there now, yet this has only just happened, so how can they trust the fact that this road is going to be built quick enough to level the traffic out when the shops open up.

There is also going to be a larger car park, to help with the high increase of attention that Westwood is going to attract.

A date hasn’t been released for when the project is going to be completed but is said to be worth the wait.

Your opinion? Thanetmessenger.net@BNnews.co.uk

These are the articles which will be displayed in my newspaper. The main story (Homosexual attack), second page story (graffiti - art or mess?) and second page story (plans for Westwood Cross) will also have pictures within the articles, allowing the audience to link the story to the place or issue.

My articles have followed the codes and conventions of newspaper articles due to the topics that I've written about, especially the Westwood Cross article and rise in petrol price articles. The articles have also followed the codes and conventions by the language that I've used through out them, as I've used simple and easy to read language, this allows anyone to be able to read my newspaper, as it's believed that working-class people have a less educated.

Also, when my articles are written on to my newspaper, they will include the journalists name and their e-mail, allowing the audience to know who has written the article as well as who to contact if they have any queries about the article written.

The articles will also include the newspapers e-mail address as this allows the audience to e-mail the newspaper to give their opinion on the articles that's been written in the paper this week. This will also make the audience feel like they have a voice and a say in the news of their local area. Having this feature will make the local people feel closer to their local news.

Choosing The Name

It took me a while to decide on the name of my newspaper, I looked at the existing names of local newspapers and from this I decided that I was including 'Thanet' in my name as I saw this as a key aspect for a local newspaper - to have the name of the area in the title of the product. I also chose to have 'Thanet' in my name as this is following the codes and conventions as after doing research I found that local newspapers have the name of the area in the name, for example...
  • Isle of Thanet Gazette
  • Thanet Times
  • Your Thanet
Therefore, after looking at these names I came up with a couple of idea for my own newspaper...
  • Thanet Weekly
  • Thanet News
  • Thanet Messenger
These final three were the names in which me and my focus group had decided on, yet couldn't decide between them. There were split thoughts of each of the names for different reasons, a group within my focus group favored 'Thanet Weekly' as the newspaper is being sold weekly, therefore, this name demonstrated that, as well as being catchy. Each group within the focus group each had reasons for their favored name. So, to help make the decision I went and spoke to the editor of one of my local newspapers, and spoke to them about what was needed from a newspapers name and which one they preferred out of my final three.
The editor said that in their opinion the name of a newspaper has to be catchy so that it stays in the readers mind, gives a cross a message, has the name of the area it's looking at, to name a few.
After taking this into account, I spoke to the editor about which name they could see being on the front of a local newspaper, after I explained the reasons for each of the names, the editor gave her opinion. Her decision was 'Thanet Messenger', she thought of this one to be the best and most appropriate news as the name was catchy and memorable, it includes the areas name, has a certain ring to it, and gets across to the audience the way in which the newspaper passes on information about their local area.
After discussing to my focus group again and taking into account what the editor had to say about the names, I decided on...'THANET MESSENGER'

Choosing My Masthead




The top three pictures are of existing mastheads and the bottom image of the masthead that I made for my newspaper.
My masthead has followed the codes and conventions of the local papers through being bold, large and eye catching. I looked at various mastheads to look at the main factors that they use, as well as speaking to my focus group about the type of masthead that they like and find attracting.
My focus group said that they prefer plain and simple mastheads, yet still eye-catching. Examples that they gave were the 'Thanet Gazette' as it's simple, but still eye-catching due to the bold writing and the way that 'Gazette' is written in a different colour, drawing attention to it. My focus group also gave me examples of national papers, for example, 'The guardian'. So i took ideas from both of these examples to make something new.
From the gazette I took the way in which the masthead is on two lines, so I've taken this aspect of the masthead, by placing 'Thanet' and 'Messenger' on different lines. I've done this as it then allows me to have space for the symbol as well as it making my writing larger, so catches the audiences eye easier. Then from 'The Guardian' I took the style of writing that they use as I saw it to be a smart and formal font, compared to others that I've seen. I also took the comments that my focus group made about it needing to be larger, therefore, I also took inspiration from 'Thanet Times' by writing my masthead in capital. You can clearly see all of these aspects working together in my masthead above.


Wednesday 9 March 2011

Radio Advert

This is an idea of what my radio script is going to be, although it may change when I put it all together...
"Ever feel like your local paper is always the same, old, boring stuff?
Well It's time for something new...
So pick up the Thanet Messenger today.
The new local newspaper for Thanet giving you all the local news and needed information for you!
As well as puzzles for those boring moments of the day and a Life & Style booklet for all you women, now that's no normal paper!
SO have a change and pick up the brand new local paper the THANET MESSENGER!"

Galtung & Ruge - News Value

Earlier on I wrote about Galtung and Ruge's theory of news-value, here I'm going to explain the ways in which I've used their factors within my newspaper.
  • Negativity - Negativity has been used in my newspaper in various occasions. My main use of negativity is my front page story about a violent attack on a teenage boy, to add to the negativity the attack was a homophobic attack. This story will then attract the audience as they'll be worried about such violence in their local area. This story was then chosen as my front page story as this has the highest news-value as this is the news that the audience are going to want to read about the most. Another story in my newspaper that I've used the negativity factor is the article about the council going against what the local people want by building a Tesco superstore by their block of flats. Although, this isn't bad news for the whole of the local area, other locals may be interested in changes in their local area attracting the audience. My third article (on my second page) also uses the negativity factor of Galtung and Ruge's model. The story is about the rise in petrol prices in the local area, explaining hoe it's cheaper to drive to the local city of Canterbury to fill up. This story will attract the audience as they'll want to know the reason for this as it's highly affecting them.
  • Closeness to home (proximity) - I've used proximity in my newspaper through my articles, I've done this as all of the articles are about what has happened in the local area, for example, the main story on front page is about an attack in a local town, therefore, this is going to be meaningful to the audience. This is a key aspect that news gatekeepers have to consider. Although, I've also used proximity for good news in local area with my article on the development of Westwood Cross shopping centre. This will then interest my audience as they'll be keen to know the changes happening in their local area. Adverts?
  • Recency?
  • Currency - In my newspaper I've got an article about the rise in petrol prices, this would be linked to the currency factor as this issue is continuously in the news as it's been going on for a long time now. So every time a little change occurs newspapers will update their audience.
  • Continuity - Continuity has occurred in my newspaper with three of my stories. Continuity will occur with my main story on my front page as the audience will want to be kept up to date with information on the attack. They'll do this to see who done it, what will happen to the attackers and so on. Continuity also occurs with my article on the petrol prices rising, as already this story has been involved in many newspapers already as the audience want to be updated on the story. Another way that continuity is used in my newspaper is with my article about the development at Westwood Cross shopping centre. Again, the audience will want to be kept up to date with the changes as it's in their local area and may affect their day to day life.
  • Uniqueness - My newspaper has uniqueness with my main story, as although it is likely to see an article on an attack on the front page, it's much less likely to have one about a homophobic attack. This is why i went for this story as my front page story. As it will catch the audiences attention when they see it on the news-stand.
  • Simplicity - I've included the simplicity factor with a few of my articles. The main article to include this factor is my graffiti article which shows the debate of whether graffiti is an art or a mess. The article is written very simply and easy for the audience to follow. The subject is also a very basic subject that all members of the audience will understand and be able to relate to as it's part of their life. Therefore, with a story like this the audience will be able to relate to it and due to this they'll be more likely to buy my product.
  • Expectedness (predictability) - The predictability factor of the model has been used continuously through out my newspaper. I've done this as the audience have these expectations for the newspaper, so these expectations need to be fulfilled so that the audience get what they feel they should out of their local newspaper. The predictability factor is used in my articles, for example, I've informed my audience of stories like James Moore's violent attack as this will be on the locals mind, due to the impact it would have on peoples lives in the local area. The article on the petrol prices rising is also a predictable story as it's a very popular story to be in local and national papers. Therefore, giving the audience what they want, as again it's having an impact on their lives. Giving these stories a high news-value.
  • Size - With my main story the size factor is heavily used. This is because this story is a massive story for a very little area and will have a huge impact on a large amount of the local people, giving it a higher level of news-value. Another big story I have in my paper is the article about the Westwood Cross development work. This is a big story for the area as it's going to have a large impact on everyone that lives in the area for various reasons. Due to it having such an impact on the local area it makes it have a high news-value.

Tuesday 8 March 2011

'Life & Style' Section

Inside my newspaper I've placed a 'Life & Style' booklet, this will tell the audience about fashion, advice on relationships, horoscopes and their inner self. This section is mainly for the women that buy the newspaper, I've used a female section as from what I've heard from my focus group is that women are more likely to buy a newspaper based on the extras that the newspapers are offering, therefore, by displaying the 'Life & Style' booklet on my front page.
I've placed the advert for the booklet in the banner section of my front page where you're more likely to find adverts for offers in local newspapers and more likely to find this type of banner in a national newspaper, for example, 'The Daily Mail' often does this.
Therefore, I've challenged the codes and conventions of local newspapers. I've done this as after talking to my focus group about what they want from a newspaper, I got comments like this...
  • Danielle - "I buy a local newspaper every week, although, I can find them to be very bland and not give you anything to get you attracted to the paper and are very same, same every week"
  • Michael - "My wife buys us both the local newspaper and the 'Daily Mail', she likes to gain the news from both papers, especially her local news, although, the feature that grabs her attention in the 'Daily Mail' is the way that they offer you features that you don't get in other papers"
Due to these comments, I've given my newspaper a feature that will stand out from others, gaining the audience's attention that other papers wont be able to.
Although, this 'Life & Style' booklet links in with my local area, it does this through featuring opinions and fashion ideas form local shops, the well known brands, like 'New Look' and 'Topshop' and also the one of shops like 'Clothes Boutique', they will also run competitions to win outfits or pieces from their shops. Another way in which this booklet is going to be linked in with the local town is through comments from medians and psychics from Broadstairs, telling the audience horoscopes and other facts that could be affecting their lives. Along with the medians/psychics there will be competitions to allow a number of the audience to win a free session. Inside the booklet there will also be facts about the body, herbal supplement, essentials oils and other products to help and advantage your body, from your local 'Holland & Barrett'.

Each week this booklet will change contents, with tips from different shops about different aspects if life. This booklet will also vary between information for females and males, therefore, it will attract both genders.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Newspaper Adverts

As I've mentioned before newspaper advertise local businesses to fund their paper, as the businesses pay the paper for the space on the page. It's common for the newspapers to have the same adverts, in the same place weekly, as the paper and businesses form a good relationship. Also, by the adverts being used weekly they get recognised by the public and stick in the publics mind., The public also then know where to look when in need for say a window - 'The Window Workshop' is a local business advertised in my local newspapers. Due to these facts I've followed the codes and conventions and placed four adverts for local businesses at the bottom of my front page. I've designed all of the newspapers myself, althoughthey are very similar to the real adverts used in local newspapers. I've made them to look very similar as the specification was to make the newspaper, and the adverts aren't actually part of the newspaper (produced by them) as they are sent in from the business, so they don't technically act as part of the newspaper. Therefore, I've made them similar to follow the codes and conventions and make my newspaper look realistic. Here I've compared the adverts that I've made and the real adverts.
As you can see, the adverts are very similar, however, a number of changes have been made to stop them being copyright, yet still look professional.
(I apologize for the positioning of the adverts yet I wasn't able to make them go in line)

The Contents Section

In this post I'm going to look at the contents sections of newspaper and explain why I've challenged the codes and conventions.
As you can see from these examples there is usually a box on the page that includes the contents of the page, they will usually show you a few of the stories that are included in the newspaper. They're large and take up quite a bit of the room. The contents also includes pictures and the story lines from sections of the newspaper.
These are a few examples from numerous local newspapers.



However, instead of a contents section, I've chosen to use a bar style for my contents, as after talking to my focus group they told me that they find the contents sections incredibly useful, especially when they just want to flick quickly to a specific section. Although, they said that they'd prefer the second page to have more news then a contents box being there. They also mentioned that after having the main headlines of sections on the front page, they don't see why they also have to be shown again on the second page, once again, taking up more room. Therefore, to reduce the room taken up I've placed my contents into a bar design at the top of my second page, which gives you the names of the sections and the page numbers that they'll be on. This gives the audience the use of the contents section, yet takes up a lot less room, leaving room for the news.
This is what my contents bar will look like...




This contents bar will reach all the way across the top of my second page, although the size isn't shown here.

Tuesday 1 March 2011

Story Plans

I've been keeping an eye on local newspaper stories so that I can write an article that is similar to the stories that are in local newspapers. Although, I'm planning to make my front page article to be out of the ordinary and to stand out.

Main front page story: the main story on my front page is going to be about a boy has been attacked and killed in my local town. This attack is going to be a homophobic attack on an 18 year old boy called James Moore, it will have happened the night that he received his A-level results. I have chosen this story as although it's against the codes and conventions as it is very rare that this sort of incident happens and I haven't seen a story like this, I have chosen to use it as these things do happen and people need to be aware of this. A photo will be included with this article.
Front page story (2): there are going to be two stories on my front page. The second story is going to be about the way in which a Tesco superstore may be getting built next to a block of local flats. The article will involve the views of the locals, along with quotes from professionals.
Second page story (1): on my second page there is going to be 3 articles. The first article is going the inflation of petrol prices in my area, as it was found that it is cheaper to drive to Canterbury and fill up then it is to fill up in a local petrol station. The article is going to include quotes from professionals. This story follows the codes and conventions and it is informing the audience of needed information about their area.
Second page story (2): the second page is going to be looking at both sides of the argument about whether graffiti is art or mess. In my local area, graffiti occurs regularly, some of the public see it as something good that can be used positively although others say that it's ugly. A photo is going to be included with this article.
Second page story (3):the third story on the second page is going to be about the developmental work that is going on in my local town, where 10 new shops are being built along with restaurants and a hotel. Again, the opinions of the public and professionals will be included in the article, this is following the codes and conventions of local newspaper articles. An image is going to be included with this article also.

Monday 28 February 2011

Poster Draft

This is a computer mock up of my poster. Newspaper posters are incredibly simple and get to the point so this I've kept to this and kept mine very plain and straight to the point. I am going to have a navy (following the house colour of my newspaper) banner at the top and bottom of the poster. The bottom banner will include the name of the newspaper the 'Thanet Messenger' being written in the same font as it is on my front page. This is following the codes and conventions as newspapers use this feature so that the audience will recognise which newspaper the poster belongs to. Along with this the newspapers symbol (a boat) will also be shown alongside the name of the newspaper. I haven't yet decided what will be in the top banner, maybe the website, although i may swap the banners around.
In the centre of the two navy banners and the centre of the page, the main headline of the newspaper is written in large, bold and captivating letters, catching the audiences attention. Having the headline written like this is following the codes and the conventions of newspaper posters.

Saturday 26 February 2011

Radio Advert

As an ancillary task I need to produce a radio advert, advertising my new local newspaper.
In my research I haven't yet found any local radio advert examples yet I can for mainstream newspapers, although I can't find examples to show you, even though they're played on the radio, strange I know. Mainstream radio stations like 'Capital FM', 'Kiss 100' etc. all play newspaper radio advert, getting the newspaper out to the audience. The adverts don't usually have background music, and use a male voiceover. The male voiceover talks in an exciting tone of voice, as he's trying to interest and excite the audience. The main newspaper that uses radio adverts is 'The News of the World', they tease the audience with an exclusive story that will be coming out in the next issue, using the word 'exclusive' gives the audience the impression that this story wont be found in any other newspaper, having this may keep the newspaper fresh in the audiences mind, with the thought of it being exclusive. The fact of it being exclusive will also give it a competitive advantage and a powerful image. Their exclusive stories are usually about celebrity scandals or interviews with celebrities. The advert will then repeat the name of the newspaper at the end, to subconsciously store the name. Although, looking at a local newspaper, these types of exclusive stories will not be present, especially in the way of celebrity ones. The advert is more likely to talk about what you can find in the paper, the type of news that will be included and tell you what news is going to be in that weeks issue, for example, the score from that weeks local football match. The radio advert needs to make the audience want to read or buy the paper, to make them interested in the product.
Like I've just explained, I haven't been able to find any examples of local newspaper radio adverts, so I took it upon myself to speak to an editor of a local newspaper who informed me that local newspaper radio adverts don't exist, which is why I couldn't find any examples. Due to this set back I've looked elsewhere for advert examples that weren't mainstream papers, but new newspaper adverts. I've now found an example for a new newspaper that's only recently been released called 'I'. So I'm going to take this as my influence, although it is a TV advert. However, I believe that this TV advert is suitable to use as an influence for my radio advert as the script for the advert is very radio like, I will try to find an example of this advert and post it at a later date.
My plan is to create a radio advert that promotes the newspaper, rather then describing the content of the newspaper. I will be doing it this way as the plan of an advert for a new newspaper is to make the audience aware of the newspaper, so that the brand stays in the audiences head, rather then going in and out. This advert will hopefully make the audience keep their eyes out for my paper the 'Thanet Messenger' when they're next out shopping, and will make them think of my paper when they're planning to buy a newspaper to get their local news.
I am between decisions about having a backing track behind my advert at the moment, yet if i do have one it will be very low in the background, this is so that it wont draw attention away from the purpose of the advert and wont interrupt my voice, as I'm going to be using my voice for the advert, as people will be able to relate to my voice as it will be similar to their own.

The script will be coming soon.

Thursday 24 February 2011

Newspaper Draft


This is my computer draft for my newspaper front page. After looking at the codes and conventions of local newspapers, I've followed some codes and conventions, yet I've also challenged others. Some of the aspects are following codes and conventions of certain papers, yet aren't the most conventional. The reasons that I've challenged some of the codes and conventions is to make my newspaper stand out from the others, and hopefully making it a bit different will do this. Although some of the codes and conventions have been challenged, the newspaper is still recognisable to the local newspaper brand.
My masthead is one of the aspects of my product where I have slightly challenged the codes and conventions of a local newspapers, this is due to the way in which I've used a navy masthead. This is challenging the codes and conventions as I found that local newspapers have 'tabloid' mastheads - having them red. Although, by choosing navy, I have followed the codes and conventions of a broadsheet. However, a local newspaper in my area called 'The Isle of Thanet Gazette' uses navy as the colour of the writing for the newspapers name, therefore, looking at that, I have followed the codes and conventions. Underneath my masthead I have placed the date, the price (as it's being sold) and the website for the newspaper. To continue, I have added a symbol to the right hand side of the 'Thanet Messenger' masthead, the symbol will be a boat. I have used a boat as my symbol, as the home of my newspaper is a seaside town. The symbol will then be an aspect of my newspaper that will help the audience recognise my newspaper. Down the left hand side I have included a contents section, which has 3 headlines for stories that are in different sections of the newspaper, 2 will also include pictures (the pictures used above are not the real photographs, but I used these ones as I haven't taken the proper ones yet). There are two articles on my front page, the main article is in the centre of the page, including a picture (again isn't the picture that will be used in my final product) this states that this is the main article, then on the right hand side of the page is the second article. This organisation of my front page is following the codes and conventions of local newspaper the 'Isle of Thanet Gazette'. At the bottom of the page there are 4 adverts for local business', having local business adverts on the front page of my newspaper is following the codes and conventions that I found with all the local newspapers that I analysed. The main way that I have challenged the codes and conventions in my newspaper is by having the 'life & style' section at the top of my paper. In a local newspaper this section would usually include offers, for theme parks for example. However, I changed this section on my newspaper due to comments from my focus group, my focus group said that they liked the 'life & style' like feature that's included in the 'Daily Mail' (broadsheet) newspaper, and said that a feature like this is missing from a local newspaper, therefore, this is the reason why in which I went against the codes and conventions that I found, and included this feature in to my product.


This is my computer mock up of the second page of newspaper. My second page, more or less follows the codes and conventions of general newspapers, although, it could be argued the fact that I've placed a puzzle section on this page could be challenging the codes and conventions. However, I done this as this is what my focus group recommended, they said that it would be good to have these here to use as a level of diversion for the readers, linking in to the uses and gratification theory. I chose these two games as a poll that I carried out showed that these are the two most popular puzzles within newspapers. It could be said that this is following the codes and conventions however as the newspaper the 'Thanet Times' also included puzzles on their second page and it was found that among my focus group, this was a popular aspect of the newspaper. My second page included three articles, the general number of articles varies from paper to paper, yet I've decided to follow that of the 'Thanet Gazette' by having three, the layout is also similar to that of the 'Thanet Gazette' following it's codes and conventions. The first article is a small one based on the petrol prices of Thanet, focusing on the way that it's been found to be cheaper to go and fill up in Canterbury then to fill up in their own town. Within this article I've included quotes from local people and professionals, following the codes and conventions of newspaper articles. I have also tried hard to follow the language in which journalists use when writing their articles, I done this by looking at the internet articles and the articles in the newspapers. The second article that I've written is again a small one, although it includes a picture this time. This article is going to be about the graffiti in my local area, as it's seen as a problem to a group of the people within society, although on the other hand it is seen as a talent and a pleasure to others, and this is the argument that I will be writing about. An article that includes the disagreement of a town is one that you often find within a local newspaper, therefore, I've continued to follow the codes and conventions. I haven't quite decided what my final article is going to be on at the moment, so I'm planning to take a look through a few more newspapers to gather a few ideas of what stories are in the local papers, there will also be a picture linked to the article.
At the bottom left hand corner of the page there is an advert, I am planning to have an advert for a special meeting being held at Broadstairs Sailing Club. The advert will give the name of the place, the date, the time and the details of the evening. Having this advert at the bottom of the page will be following the codes and conventions, as all local newspapers include adverts for local business' and events, as the newspaper gets paid for having these adverts and this gives the papers it's funds to keep running.
Down the left hand side of the page I have included 'Contact Details' this allows the audience to get in touch with someone in each section of the newspapers e.g. sports. This is useful to the audience in case they want to hand in a story, a picture or a mention of somebody close to them. This is also following the codes and conventions, as from my research I found that numerous newspapers have a contact details section. My focus group, also advised me that this was useful information to include in my second page.

The Audience


Before I start producing my newspaper I need to take into interest who the target are going to be and what they're going to want from their local newspaper, this will then help me know how to design my newspaper and the type of news that will be inside it.
Firstly, I need to define the target audience. The target audience is consists of individuals, groups and communities who have an influence on a media. Newspapers attempt to appeal to a certain audience by fulfilling the specific needs and interests of a target audience within its structure, layout, stories etc. The target audience is different for different newspapers, the main difference is between a tabloid newspaper and a broadsheet newspaper. A tabloids newspaper, like 'The Sun', aims at a working-class audience - with semi-naked women, sports and celebrity gossip, this newspaper has a reading age of 6 and a half, showing that it isn't an incredibly formal, well written newspaper. This is compared to a broadsheet newspaper, like 'The Daily Mail', which is aimed at the upper-class audience - with political, international news, this newspaper has a reading age of 16, almost a decade difference, showing that it is formally written and is very well constructed.
For a newspaper to find their target audience, they use market research to find out who their main readers are and then they edit their work to fit what the target audience wants from the product. A newspaper can also use mass media to attract their target audience, this can be done through offering different sections to the audience that they're interested in, like, sports, business, life style, health etc. This enables newspapers to target specific markets interested in those topics. This factor can be used in local newspapers but not to the same extent to the national papers that use this technique. However, they do this through giving the sections that relate to their local lifestyles, through giving the local sport from their area.
A national newspaper has to try a lot harder to find their target audience then a local newspaper does, and this is because the target audience for a local newspaper will be the people that live in the area. Although, different regions will have different target audiences, for example, the small town that I'm from - Broadstairs - will have an older target audience, as it's more likely that the older audience will read the local paper. Where as, in a city like London, as there is so much more happening, it's more likely that the target audience will be of a younger generation. So overall, even though there is an overall target audience, it still can't be specific. Although, a local newspaper in my area the 'Isle of Thanet Gazette' can find it's 'specific' as it's a paper that has to be brought, therefore, research would be done.
So, throughout my work I am going to be asking and deliberating with my focus group for what is best and what is wanted to be put and done with my newspaper. This focus group will be taken from a range of ages from 15-80 year olds from my local area, in my focus group there will be 15 people, so that there will be roughly two people from each decade. I will then be able to get an overview of what my target audience want and expect from their local newspaper. As it is difficult to get a group of 15 people together when everyone is free, i will be contacting my focus group through e-mail.

Analysis of Local Newspapers

Apologies for the break of the front page analysis, but here's the analysis for the 'Thanet Gazette', this is the newspaper which I am going to follow the codes and conventions of.

'Thanet Gazette' Front Page


Now, here's the analysis for the second page of the 'Thanet Gazette'

'Thanet Gazette' Second Page



Wednesday 23 February 2011

The Codes and Conventions

In this post I am going to conclude the codes and conventions that I have found through my analysis' for local newspaper front pages, second pages and posters. Having these codes and conventions will then help me to design my own newspaper as it will allow me to know the features that should be included in my newspaper to allow it to be realistic to the real media product which is a key aspect of creating my local newspaper. So here are the codes and conventions that I've found...

Front Page
  • The front page will include a masthead at the top, this will have the name of the newspaper in large, bold, capital letters. The masthead will be a way in whichthe audience can tell if the newspaper is a broadsheet or a tabloid by the colour that is (like I explained earlier on). The masthead will also include the date of the paper, the price (if it's being sold), thewebsite for the local news and the saying for the area (if the area has one). It's placed here as the audience's attention isdrawn to the masthead, therefore, they've placed the important information in this area as well.
  • The newspaper will also have a house-colour, this is when the newspaper uses a specific colour/shades of one colour throughout the newspaper and all of it's issues. The colour used as the house-colour is often linked to the colour of the masthead, so very often in the tabloid papers that house-colour will be red, or a shade of red. The house-colour is a way in which the audience is able to recognise and notice the paper.
  • Along with keeping the house-colour, the newspaper will also have a specific layout in which they follow in all of its issues, this is called the house-style, again, this is the way in which the audience can recognise the paper easily. The layout will include where the editor places the adverts, or the contents section for the newspaper, the place of the articles and other aspects of the newspaper. Along with this, the newspaper will continuously use the same font throughout the paper and the following issues.
  • Newspapers use a theory called gate-keeping which is where they place the most important news (known through experience) on the front page, drawing in the audiences attention, as this is the news that they want to know. (If you remember, I spoke about this theory earlier on in my blog). The theory was stated by Galtung and Ruge, who came up with 12 factors to define news that was newsworthy, a few of these are...negativity, exclusivity, uniqueness and prominence. This is also described as news-value, tabloid papers have a lower news-value standard then a broadsheet, as broadsheets tell information that is seen as more important and newsworthy, like politics, compared to the news given in a tabloid, like celebrity gossip. Just like the way in which although news in a local paper is important and 'newsworthy' to the local people, the 'newsworthiness' changes from place to place in local papers.
  • The headlines of the newspaper are written in bold, large writing to catch the audiences attention, although, they're not always written in capitals (varies between papers). The writing is made large and bold so that it stands out and catches the audiences eye, making them want to read it and then the full story.
  • The front page of the newspaper will include one or two articles. One of the articles will be the main story of the newspaper, including a picture, and the other will be a small article either underneath or to the side. Having a large and small article will balance out the page. The articles that are written on the front page are not the complete article, yet teaser like articles which get the audience's interest, making them want to read on. At the end of the article, it will then say what page it will be continued on, for example - page 3. Also, at the beginning of the article it states the journalist that has written the article along with the journalists e-mail address. The articles of the paper very often have opinions from the local people, as the local paper is there to give the local people a voice. The language used in the articles are formal, straight to the point, question answering, and informal.
  • Local newspapers have numerous adverts throughout the newspaper, especially on the front page. Local business' pay the newspaper to advertise their business' as this is the way in which the newspapers get their funds. The adverts then usually have their specific place on the page that sticks with the house-style of the newspaper.
  • The newspaper will have contact details, so that people are able to contact the newspaper for various reasons, whether they have a story that they want to be published, a picture or an advert. (This can vary between being on the front page or the second page).
  • The front page will also include a 'contents' section (will vary for different paper). This will include mini headlines for the story, as well as a picture for 1 or 2 of the stories. Having the contents section on the front page will give the audience a teaser of the stories that will be included in the paper, this may then attract the individual to buy the newspaper.










Second Page
  • Just like there was on the front page, there is another contents section on the second page. This again lets the audience know what else is going to included in the newspaper.
  • On the second page there is very often a box/shaded area that includes contact information for the staff at the newspaper. I also mentioned this as a code and convention for the front page, although, it's more likely to be placed on the second page. This is the section that gives the audience an opportunity to call in/e-mail the newspaper, allowing them to have an advert in the paper, or to publish a story for example.
  • The second page usually includes 1 or 2 articles. These can either be small articles, or large articles taking up a majority of the amount of the page. There will also be pictures to attach to these articles (a picture for one of the articles). The language used in these articles, is the same as the language used for the front page articles. The articles will also include the journalists name and e-mail at the top of the article, allowing the audience to contact the journalist is they have any questions about the article they've written.
  • Local businesses will also be advertised on this page, again the local businesses will have to pay to have these adverts here.
  • The house-colours will be continued onto the second page, this will be done through carrying on the colour used on the front page, either the same colour or a shade of the colour. Like the front page, the second page will also have a specific layout which is used in every issue, this will let the audience know where to look when they want to find something specific, for example, if they want to find a contact number for the editor of the paper, the individual will know where on that page to look for the contact number as it will be kept in the same place in every issue. The newspaper will also continue to use the same font throughout the newspaper that was used on the front page.
  • At the top of the second page, like the front page, there is the page number, the date of the newspaper, the website and a phone number for advertising.
  • The headlines of the articles on the second page are written in bold, large writing to catch the attention of the audience as they're flicking through the pages.










Poster
  • The poster will have a bold, large, capital writing which takes up the whole poster, this will therefore catching the audiences attention as they walk past the poster. Having the writing bold and taking up the whole poster, means that the poster is very plain and simple, so that people are able to read the headline quickly and easily without having to fully pay attention to the poster.
  • The name of the newspaper that the headline is from will be printed at the bottom of the poster, allowing the audience to know what headline the newspaper is from in case the individual wants to read the story matching the headline, then they then know which newspaper to purchase. The poster will also have the symbol/image of the newspaper if they have one, as this is another way the audience is able to recognise what newspaper the headline is from, if not then it will have the masthead from the newspaper.
  • The poster will be placed outside a local news-agents in a poster stand, allowing people to see the poster as they are walking past the shop or from the other side of the work or from driving past. Therefore, with it sticking out it is able to catch more attention, compared to it being placed inside the news-agents.

These are the codes and conventions that I've found from my analysis' of local newspaper front pages, second pages and posters. These are then the codes and conventions that I'm going to follow while producing my newspaper, although, I will also challenge these codes and conventions.

Tuesday 22 February 2011

Analysis of Second Pages

This post will include an analysis of the second pages of local newspaper. The local newspapers I will be using are the 'Thanet Extra' and the 'Thanet Times'. I will then go onto conclude the codes and conventions of the second pages of local newspapers in a later post.

'Thanet Times'

'Thanet Extra'




Analysis of Newspaper Poster

Here, I am going to analyse a local newspaper poster that is placed on a newspaper stand, and I will then later go on to collect the codes and conventions of a newspaper poster.

'Thanet Extra' Poster



Monday 21 February 2011

Analysis of Local Newspapers

In this post I'm going to analyse the front pages of 2 local newspapers from my area, in this post I'll be looking at the 'Thanet Times' along with the 'Thanet Extra'. Later on I will go on to analyse the 'Thanet Gazette' as well, yet I am waiting for the latest issue to come out, so it will be coming soon. I will then go onto compare the three, and come up with the codes and conventions of local newspapers.

'Thanet Times'

'Thanet Extra'