Audience research

After looking at statistics of the local area I was planning to do my local newspaper about, I have found that there is a small percentage of young people in the local area.

Here is a bar chart showing the statistics of the ages in the local area:

From looking at these statistics I can see that there is not a large  percentage of young people in the Eastcote town.

Here are the age statistics of the ages in the county of Hillingdon:

Here are the statistics of the young people in the Hillingdon area and the number of people in age group:

After looking at the statistics of the Eastcote area, and comparing these to the overall Hillingdon county, I think it would be a better idea to do my newspaper for the Hillingdon country rather than the Eastcote town as there is a much larger percentage of young people which I can aim my newspaper towards.

Audience Research

I created a brain storm of different topics for articles to include in my local newspaper. I did this from looking through various local newspapers to see the topics mainly used in them.



















After discussing with my teacher about my ideas we decided I need to think of my own ideas which would appeal more towards my target audience being younger people as most newspapers target audience is adults and elderly people. An idea we discussed and also spoke about with the class was of celebrities visiting the local area, as I learnt from the questionaire I did asking my target audience what would interest them to read a local newspaper, celebrities was a topic they would be interested in. Another idea was writing an article on a new business opening in the area giving the chance of unemployed university graduates or young people who did not go to university to help them find jobs or help them to pursue any business ideas they have.

Here is a newspaper i analysed:

Headline: Community debate about the future of the towns leisure facilities.

Advertisements: The local travel agent promoting a cheap holiday deal.
- Train travel offer with a lead in dedicated towards the details.
- Local hotel offer of party nights and cheap deal.

Sub articles: Tributes to fell run legend with an image of an old man running with a lead in.
- 24 page property guide with a lead in.

Articles Included In My Local Newspaper

Over the past week I have tried taking various interesting pictures in the Eastcote area which I would be able to create articles from. Bearing in mind my local newspaper is aimed towards a younger audience, I can not use all the conventional topics used in the local newspapers I have researched as they do not appeal to them. From my questionaire I know that my target audience is mainly interested in sports, music, events, interesting events, fashion and celebrities, which are mainly topics included in national newspapers. When taking pictures I have kept this in mind, yet I dont feel all my pictures will interest a younger audience as I havent been able to take pictures related to these topics, therefore I will carry on taking pictures which I feel will appeal and interest a younger audience more.

Here are the pictures I have taken so far:

First page Local Newspaper Flat Plan

I made this flatplan to give me an idea of how I would like the first page of my local newspaper to look. I used the local newspaper "Ham&High"to show me the conventions and where to place them. I wish to use conventions such as the contents page, the "Welcome" to the newspaper and various headlines which are included inside, such as the boss of the local supermarket taking on the new role at the theatre, problems at the local GP, a murder of a wealthy man, residents complaining, campaign in the local area, an event in the area, local meeting for the issue of the little number of school places in the area, a photography exhibition, history shown of the area in the local Literary and Scientific Institution, a walking tour to see fungi, a tour of insects in the area and an Art exhibiton.

Flat plan for Local Newspaper Front Cover

I made this flat plan to give me an idea of how i would like my local newspaper to look, I have added the conventions of the newspaper and used the local newspaper "Ham&High" as guideline, I have used typical conventions such as Masthead, Head line, Advertisements etc. I don't wish to copy this exact layout as I feel this is seems quite cramped, especially as my newspaper is aimed towards a younger audience I feel leaving more space between articles will appeal to a younger audience more as it is simpler to understand.

Reviewing Newspaper Articles

I have started to review newspaper articles, mainly paying attention to what is included.

Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?

These are the five most important points which need to be used when writing a newspaper to give the audience a full understanding what the article is about. My teacher pointed out an interesting discovery that if you were to read each first sentence of each paragraph of an article, you are able to find out each one of these points as they are straight to the point giving information about the article.

I read an article called "Faiths stand together to shelter rough sleepers" from the local newspaper "Ham&High". The first sentence of the article is straight to the point, "A church and a synagogue will be throwing their doors open to welcome homeless people this winter to tackle a growing problem in the area". This sentence tells us where, who and what the article is about, being the synagogue and church welcoming homeless people. "The rise i rough sleepers in Golders Green has been put down to the area's transport hubs being used by those leaving the country via Stanstead and Luton airports", this first sentence of the next paragraph gives us more information of where the article is, and why this has happened. "Now Alyth Gardens Synagogue and Golders Green Parish Church have joined up with homeless Action in Barnet (HAB) to offer beds for the  night on their premises", this sentence of the next paragraph gives us more information about the services Church and Synagogues are giving to homeless people and the organisation they have joined with. "The Rev Rex Morton, from the Church in West Drive, said: "We recognise that homelessness in Golders Green is an issue. Its constantly a feature here. There are many people who live on the street and are struggling", this next sentence of the following paragraph tells us  exactly who one of the main people in the article is and his views towards homeless people. "Some of them have mental health issues and others are immigrants who have come to the UK to work and have fallen through the cracks", this next first sentence of the following paragraph continuous to express the Reverend views. "Mr Morton said the problem was largely caused by Golders Green Tube and bus station, saying: "We are currently a hub - you can travel in different directions", this next sentence tells us the cause of the increasing amount of homeless people in further depth and why it has happened. "The recession has now hit us hard. There are people who are struggling to get that first rug on the ladder", again this sentence is giving us more information as to why the amount of homeless people has increased. "He said he regularly has one or two people a week knock on the church's door asking for money, food or a place to sleep", this sentence gives  us information as to what the Church has experienced. "HAB will refer homeless people to the synagogue and church in January and February", telling readers what will happen in the future of the Synagogue and Church helping with homeless people. She said "The current situation in London with immigrants has caused a rise in homelessness as allot of them don't have anywhere else to live", showing the sympathy the Church and Synagogue have towards homeless people. "Rabbi Mark Goldsmith, of Alyth Gardens Synagogue, said "We are looking forward to working across two faiths to create a home and its very special this project is getting started during the Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) which commemorated the years that Jews spent in the desert on their way to The Promise Land", this sentence gives us more information who is involved in this project and the importance of when it is happening. "A really important message of this festival is the precariousness of the shelter we live under", giving more information about the importance of this project. "I think we are quite insulated in our community. We know a number of people sleep outside in all weathers - people who we pass on the street on the way to the station", this sentence is trying to make the readers more aware of homeless people and the lives they have to live, and potentially trying to make readers take more action about the matter. "One of the things I think will happen during this project is that we will get to know the people who live amongst us", this sentence gives the readers an idea of what the Church and Synagogue are trying to accomplish and get out of the project by the end.

Final Newspaper Idea

My final desicion for my Newspaper Title is:

I feel this would be the best Newspaper Title to use for my local Newspaper which is aimed towards a young audience as 

Questionaire for Newpsaper Title

I gave out a questionaire of six different samples of Newspaper titles which I made. I gave out this questionaire to my Media class who are mostly 17/18 year olds, which is my target audience, therefore this will give me the right idea of what Newspaper Title would appeal to this age group.

Here are the results:

After discussing my two most popular choices with other students in my Media class, some of them gave me suggestions of how I can change the Titles with colour, size and boldness. Many of them said they prefer the blue and black combination as the red and black is so commonly used in newspapers, therefore I will keep the blue and black combination.

After giving my newspaper title more thought, I decided "Eastcote Echo" seems quite mainstream. I feel as I am trying to aim my newspaper towards a younger audience the title should be more unique and eye catching. I've been discussing the name of the newspaper with my teacher, and came up with the idea of using the postcode of the area as the title, which would be HA6. I feel this will appeal more towards a younger audience as young people often relate to there postcode, especially in London.

Here are some potential titles, i experimented with fonts and sizes to see which one would be the best option to attract my target audience for the newspaper.

Newspaper Title

Judging by my research which I made for a 17/18 year olds, I feel the best choice would be to use "Eastcote Echo" as it was the most popular In this age group which is also my target audience.

Research for Newspaper title

Today i created a questionnaire and handed it out to 17/18 year olds, which is the age group i am aiming my newspaper towards, therefore i can get an idea which newspaper titles would mostly appeal and attract them.

Here is the questionnaire I made

4


2


1


5

4


2





From my research i can see the most popular title was the Eastcote Eye, there for i feel this would be the best title to choose and use for my Newspaper as it appeals the most to a younger audience

Making a mock article

Who? I interviewed my class mates from media class.

What? I interviewed them about what there views are on local newspapers, such as whether their        interested in local newspapers and if not why. I also tried to find out what they found interesting about local and national newspapers so i could find out what to use in my own local newspaper to interest a younger audience.

When? I did this interview last week on the 17th of October.

Where? I did this interview in the media studies classroom of my college.

Why? I did this interview so i would be able to get a better understanding of what i could include in my own local newspaper which will interest and appeal to a younger audience.

Interview summary

Out of my research i found that most 17-18 year olds do not read or are interested in local newspapers, for the main reason that the stories included do not interest this age group. Many of them said if  the newspaper was to do with sports, celebrities or fashion they would be more interested in the local newspaper in their area. When I asked if they would be interested in a local newspaper if it was aimed towards there interests, half of them said they would be interested and the other half not. I feel that this age group has it set in there mind that local newspapers are boring and include uninteresting stories, which is why they feel even a newspaper being made to match there interests would not be appealing.

Local Newspaper Interviews.

I did an interview with eight people, asking the questions below, to give me a better understanding of who reads local newspapers are and what people are interested in.

What’s your name?

Where do you live?

How old are you?

Do you read local newspapers or national newspapers?

Would you be interested in a local newspaper which is aimed towards you?

What kind of news are you interested in? Celebrity news, events, education, sports, crime

Do you read any magazines?

What interests you about them?

Do you listen to a local radio station?

What would interest you to listen to a local radio station?

Below are the original recordings -

This is the device I used to record the interviews:













Robbie, East London, 24, reads local newspapers sometimes and also reads national newpapers, would be interested in local newspapers aimed towards him, local news stories, arts events, reads magazines, specific to his interests. Does not listen to a local radio station, something new and different and has music or interesting documentary.

Gabriel, Hampstead, 17, reads national newspapers not local newspapers, would be interested in a local newspaper aimed towards him, sports/world wide sports/local news/sudukos, reads magazines, does not listen to a local radio station, talking to whats going on his local community would interest him.

Ben, Radlett, 17, does not read local newspapers but reads national newspapers, would not be interested in local newspaper aimed towards him, mainly interested in sports, does not read magazines or listen to a local radio station, would be interested in sports/football on a radio station.

Katie, Chelsea, 18, does not read local or national newspapers regularly, would be interested a local newspaper aimed towards her including popular events, horoscopes, comics, news stories to her area, media related festivals. Does not read magazines, looks at online magazines, listens to xfm, the breakfast show, something that makes her laugh.

Josh, Hampstead, 17, reads national newspapers not local newspapers, would be interested in a local newspaper aimed towards him, interested in sports, business, serious topics going on in the world, reads GQ magazine, interested in the gossip, does not listen to a radio station, occasionally listens a sports radio station.

Sam, Finsbury park, 17, does not read local or national newspapers, would be interested in local newspapers aimed towards him, does not read magazines or listen to a local radio station, would be interested in a local radio station with more music and less talking.

Olivia, swiss cottage, 17, reads national newspapers, would be interested in local newspaper aimed towards her, interested in celebrities music politics, reads music magazines and fashion magazines, does not listen to a local radio would be interested in good music or interesting people.

Roofus, Hampstead, 17, does not read newspapers and would not be interested in one aimed towards him, does not read magazines, does not listen to a local radio station or be interested.

  

Local and National Newspaper differences

Local Newspaper values: The main difference between local and national newspapers are the articles and information included in the newspaper. The main article and other articles included are based on the different events that have happened in the local area that week or day. The articles included would not be interesting or important to someone reading a local newspaper who is not part of that specific local community. This also applies to the advertisements  included in local newspapers, such as local businesses which would mainly interest the local community.

National Newspaper values: National Newspapers values are to include news stories from across the country and advertisements which will apply to a national audience as well. The main article would be the biggest event or story currently going on, the sports and weather section would apply to the overall country, where as in a local newspaper both these sections would only apply to the local area.


What difference in bias do local and national newspapers have?

Because local newspapers have a much smaller audience than national newspapers. There opinion in there articles are mostly not bias, as they are trying to please and agree with the opinion of there audience. For example for the death of a young boy who took drugs, a local newspaper will show sympathy and write how upset the family is etc, whereas a national newspaper will


What can a local newspaper function as? 
Apart from information about events in the local area and other information. Some include "noticeboards" giving comments on there views of certain articles, or criticising the newspaper in some way they could improve. Another function are the advertisements, local businesses may depend on there local newspaper to advertise there company.

Here is an example as advertisements
 included in a local newspaper:

Ownership of Newspapers

 I did some research to look at the companies which own local newspapers and found the three main companies.

Newsquest.

Newsquest is one of the UK's largest regional newspaper publishers with more than 200 newspapers and magazines. It has a weekly readership of 13 million and a weekly circulation of 10 million.

The weekly publications include Berrow's Worcester Journal, the oldest continuously published newspaper in the world. Newsquest Media Group  offers full contract printing services, including page design, distribution and digital conversion of newspaper and magazine publications to companies and organisations big and small. Newsquest  employs more than 5,000 people across the UK, and boasts an impressive portfolio of customers including national daily newspapers, international, local and specialist titles and publications for the Public Sector and Local and Central Government.

Archant.

Archant is the UK's largest independently-owned regional media business. It is a community media company which does newpaper and magazine publishing, printing and internet communications. Archant began 160 years ago and today remains one of the country’s largest independent media businesses. The newspapers division, Archant Regional, produces four daily local newspapers and around 60 weekly titles with a combined circulation of 2.25 million copies every week. It is a UK top six regional newspaper publisher. Archant 

also owns three magazine companies, which between them produce around 80 magazines.

Johnston press.

Johnston Press is a newspaper publishing company. Its most popular local newspapers are The Scotsman and the Yorkshire Post; it also operates many other newspapers around the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man. It is the second-largest publisher of local newspapers in the UK. Johnston Press plc is a publisher of  local newspapers and local internet sites, basing its publishing on local service to local communities.

Target audiences

I have been researching target audiences and how newspapers appeal to their audiences. A newspaper targets there audience through language and the topic of stories included in the newspaper. There are many factors which vary the audience of a newspaper, such as representation and values. Representation is how the audience is represented inside the newspaper by expressing their needs, interests and points of view. The ideology is the aimes, belieds or morals of a newspaper which the audience shares, mainly with politics, most newspapers support a certain parliament party, which is called a "political stance". The language of newspapers vary on the demographics of the audience, either using formal or informal language depending on the audience of the local area.
For example the local newspaper "Ham & High", owned by an independently-owned company "Archant" are right wing judging by the language used and values shown from the way articles have been written.

Ham & High First Page Review

At the top left of the front page is the page number with a date line placed next to it. The website is placed in bold on the top right hand side. Below the date line and page number is a banner in a gold colour, giving the impression of a new colour scheme. On the left side of the page is a list of the contents, "contents" has been put in capitals and a red font, emphasising this is the title. The first article below the contents title, says "Sainsbury's boss tells of the new role at theatre" which is quite brief and to the point, showing the audience exactly what the article is about, yet also gives a brief description below, "David Tyler from the supermarket firm will run venue in his spare time" giving readers more information about the article without reading it, giving the page number the article is on next to it. The article below this says "GP's" out-of-hours services privatised" with a brief deception underneath saying "NHS trust angers campaigners by leaving local doctors off shortlist" with the page number next to it. There is another article below this with the same layout as the previous two. There is then a sub-heading in a bold serif font saying "Analysis" in gold below this, giving a more classy and less cheesy effect than most local newspapers. Below the sub-heading is the sub-article "Gates "spell death of community spirit" with a brief deception of what the articles about below. Below this is another sub-heading in the same bold serif gold font, saying "Talking point", with the sub-article heading saying "help our campaign to bring home the bacon", with a brief description below of what the article is about and the page number it can be found on. There is then a sub-heading below this saying "Regulars" in the same gold serif font, showing what is in the newspaper each issue. Below this there is a list of different topics included in the newspaper, such as restaurants, films, books, theatre etc. Below this there is a sub-heading saying "sport" with a brief description below saying "10 pages of the latest sports and reaction starts" which would mainly aim towards men. Below this is a box with the contact details of the newspaper, such as the address, phone number, e-mail address, website and twitter name, showing the magazine is up to date with technology and trying to get involved with each modern communication technology available. Below the banner there is the heading in heading "seven days" in red and capitals then next to it saying, "-Agenda for the week ahead with Rachael Getzels".  Below this is a sub-heading saying "Welcome" then giving a brief description what is in the newspaper.

Ham and High Front Page Review

At the top left  of the front cover of the newspaper is the logo of the company that own the newspaper "Archant", which is most likely to be used on each issue of the newspaper. There is a sky line saying "Your quality newspaper at the heart of the community" promoting the newspaper as being the best local newspaper avaliable in the community. Below is the masthead "Ham & High" in a bold and serif font, with the "&" in red, potentially giving the impression of the colour scheme being red and black. Below the masthead is a sub-title saying "The Hampstead and Highgate Express" showing the newspaper is for these two communities. There is an advertisement for a local business on the right side of the masthead, with the dateline and price below it in a bold black sans serif font. There is a banner below the masthead saying "Find what you want, when you need it using LONDON24 app", promoting an app for iphones, showing the newspaper is up to date with technology. Below the banner shows three sub-articles, the first one has a bold bright pink image of a pink piggy bank with the title in bold serif font next to it saying "Pigs 4 Kids" using texting language, aiming mainly towards a younger audience or emphasising how the article is to do with a younger generation. Giving a brief description of what the article is about below the title, "Join campaign to help special children" and then showing the pages the article is on. The article next to it is to do with moving houses "Looking to move home? we have more than 250 homes to rent of buy in our 80-page property supplement" the "250" is in a bold enlarged sans serif font, carrying on the black and red colour scheme. The article next to this "Your etcetera goes larger..." with a brief description below saying "our unrivalled features section is now 20-pages, every week. Promoting local events or events near by the local community, the "et" has been put in red, again carrying on the red and black colour scheme, there is also an image a woman wearing a mask next to the article, showing some sort of a play or event. The main article "Tragic death of laughing gas teenager" placed in a large bold serif font, with the sub-heading "family mourns loss of promising UCS art student" with a large main placed image next to the heading and an image below with his sister. The title is to the point and instantly gives away what the article is about. This newspaper issue may appeal more towards a young audience in the local community as this may be something they are able to relate to. There is a caption under each image, the main image by himself says "Joseph Bennet lay in a coma for four weeks" and the other image of his brother and sister saying "Camille Benett with brother Joe" and the name of the photographer in a smaller font below the caption. The articles on the left side "Welcome to our new look" is an article written by the editor-in-chief, saying how the price of the Ham & High has gone up this week and is the first increase in five years. Below this is a sub-heading saying "Top stories in this edition" showing three page numbers and giving a brief description of the articles included inside. I feel the impression i get from the front page is the newspaper is mainly aimed towards elderly and adults/parents, yet this issue may appeal to a younger audience because of the content of the main article. I feel the black and red colour scheme is nice and simple and would like to give the same kind of impression on my own magazine.

Kerning and Letter Spacing

Kerning is when you adjust the space between certain characters in a line of text. Without kerning, several letter combinations e.g WA and VA, can look awkward. Kerning is important in italic types, and as the size of the font increases. These smaller, precise adjustments may be used to tweak a specific word, such as in a logo design, or a large headline of a story in a newspaper.

Letter Spacing, also known as tracking, is the amount of space between a group of letters to affect density in a line or block of text. Letter-spacing adjustments are frequently used in news design. The speed with which pages must be completely by a deadline does not usually leave time to rewrite paragraphs that end in split words. Letter-spacing is increased or decreased by modest and usually unnoticeable amounts to fix these unattractive situations.


After researching the importance of kerning and letter-spacing, i think i will use them both in my newspaper for headlines and the masthead as it makes words easier to read and also doesn't give the impression of words being cramped.

The Sun Newspaper

I have looked at The Sun newspaper, the most successful tabloid newspaper. The latest figures show The Sun's newspaper sales are roughly 3.2 million daily, down from a late 80s peak of over four million. Surveys of Sun readers suggest that they look elsewhere for information about the world and the majority are oblivious to the newspapers ideology. The Sun is the perfect example of a red top newspaper with a snappy title, white on red, bold and sans serif font. Demographics show the target audience leans towards young males, though the coverage of celebrities and TV soaps makes it popular with females. Geo-demographics the newspaper makes more sales in the south of England than the North, where the Mirror is the strongest. The profile and outlook of the newspapers audience can often be partly identified through a study of the adverts it carries. 

Ham And High Interview

The masthead of the newspaper is done with a large bold serif font. The Ham and High words have been done in a black, and the "&" in between in a red. The newspaper website has been placed underneath the masthead and is also done in black and red, giving the impression of a colour scheme being done in a black and red theme. The price and date line has also been placed next to this in a smaller font. There is also an advertisement placed next to the masthead for a local business. Underneath the newspaper website is a menu bar showing the various topics included in the newspaper, giving the audience an idea of what else is included in the newspaper other than the articles shown. There are two sub articles underneath the menu bar, one of the articles titles is "Trapped in the Roundhouse: James Mullinger on why his last gig was a real riot - see etc" giving the impression of an interview with the artists and persuading readers to read on, there is also an image of the artist as a medium shot under a spot light which seems to have been taken in a studio. The other article next to this title is "Mind, Body & Soul: Your 8-page guide to looking and feeling great this autumn - free inside", this article would mainly be aimed towards woman, and persuading them that it is free with buying the newspaper, there is an image of a celebrity next to the title on the red carpet. The main article done in a large, bold and black serif font "Unique air raid shelter uncovered in garden" giving a very brief yet to the point description what the article is about, there is a sub-heading underneath the main heading saying "Residents shock unexpected discovery un-hearted this week" giving slightly more information about the article. The main image of the article is of a Long shot of the raid shelter with a woman standing inside, there is a caption underneath the image saying who the woman in the picture is and where she is. On the right side of the newspaper are two more sub headings, one of the titles is "My pledge to William Ellis" with a brief description underneath what the article is about, and the other being "Hotting up on the heath" also with another brief description of what is included in the article and what page to read the article on. There is also an advertisement of a local school in the right hand corner.

Audience for Local Newspapers

The audience of local newspapers is the most important aspect as it eventually decides how successful the newspaper is. The target audience of local newspapers is the community the newspaper is aimed to and the daily or weekly events and local businesses that are advertised. The values of the newspaper are constructed by the interests of its target audience as well as the structure and content which are adapted to the needs of the target audience. The target audience is based on various things, such as social class, deciding the type of advertisements and price of the newspaper, area/location, mainly implying to local newspapers, the articles and advertisements have to be to do with the local businesses in the area, such as schools, estate agents, supermarkets etc. The target is also based on age, you can normally tell straight away who the target audience of a local newspaper is and who it would appeal to, most local newspapers are aimed towards adults/parents and the elderly rather than teenagers. Gender is also a factor in who the target audience is, mainly local newspapers are aimed towards both genders rather than leaning towards males or females.

Hackney Today Review

The masthead of this newspaper "Hackney today" has been put in a Sans Serif font, the name "Hackney" has not been written with a capital at the beginning, which normally would be done as it the name of a place, giving a casual and less-informal impression. There is also a multi-coloured line intertwining through the text which is quite an eye catching effect. You can tell immediately there is a 3 colour scheme which has been used of blues.  There is a date line directly under the masthead with also the issue number included. The main picture is of three young people, one dancing, one posing and looking away from the camera and the other crouched down, there's graphics art used as the background of the picture and also been edited on top of the images of the people as well. This would most likely appeal more towards a younger audience rather than older. The main story "Fashion Central" would most likely also appeal more towards a younger audience than older. There is an index going along the right side of some of the main articles included in the Newspaper, most of the articles shown are covering various subjects such as "artists eye" and "200 days to go" with an image of a basketball game, there is also an article on "Hackney history", which would probably appeal more towards an older audience, showing that the newspaper is trying to aim at all ages. There is an advertisement at the end of the page for Hackney Volunteers, which is mainly aiming towards a younger audience, especially as the image included in the advertisement is of 3 young people. 

First Page Of Watford Observer

This scanned image is from the first page of the Watford observer. When looking at this page there are the normal conventions, such as a the date line, page number, email adress, written in columns with the sub-headings larger and bolder than the article itself. This page is of the local crimes that have been committed in the past week, this is a very unconventional content in a newspaper, especially for the first page. There is an advertisement in the middle and top of the page of a Hair salon that is sponsoring this article, it stands out especially as it is the only image on the page that is in color. The two articles on the right side are also crime related, "praise for sharp-eyed neighbours" and "smoker is fined for dropped butt. This page gives the impression that this would be a rough area as there are this many crimes made in one week, it also gives the impression that the local people are interested in the crimes in there area.

Newspaper Production Schedule

Watford Observer Review

I bought this Newspaper for 60p at my local news agents in Northwood. The masthead of the newspaper "Watford Observer" is done in a plain black Serif font, giving a simple and too the point effect. The overall front cover is not colorful at all, which immediately would not normally attract a younger audience such as teenagers and instead appeal more towards an older audience. There are two advertisements directly above the masthead, one is to do with weddings and the other football, both aiming towards an older audience and appeal to both genders. There is a subheading underneath the masthead saying "Your first choice for news in print or online" promoting there newspaper more to readers giving the impression they are the best newspaper for local news. Underneath the sub-heading is a yellow banner with the the date line, price and email address, laid out simply leaving large gaps between each. The main article heading is a quote from the article itself "It's a nightmare for us" attracting readers to read on and find out what the article is about, the main article picture is a close up of a woman looking at a framed old photograph, as this is the main image and the first thing that would catch your eye when looking at the front cover. The sub-heading to the main article "daughter's anger as £9,000 is stolen from war veteran's safe" seems quite simple and straight to the point, just by readers reading this they know immediately what the article is about. The language used in the article is also quite simple.There is also an "Inside" bit at the bottom of the front cover with the title "Bald and Bold" with an image of a bald smiling man. There is a MP advertisement at the bottom of the page for the watford area, which would only be shown in local newspapers, giving contact details such as an e-mail address, twitter, phone number, address and website. This newspaper is owned by a company called Newsquest which is the third largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom. The overall effect the newspaper i feel is quite boring and simple, it seems aimed towards middle and lower class adults and elderly people who wish to be involved and up to date with the Watford community. This newspaper would personally not appeal to me as i don't find it very exciting and wouldn't think it would be aimed towards my age group just by looking at the front cover.

Stages and roles in making newspaper

Here are the roles of creating a newspaper:

Editor - The editor manages the whole newspaper, they are responsible for making sure the newspaper runs smoothly and makes the decision which articles are included in the final product. In large newspaper companies there are normally separate editors for each area of the newspaper, such as news or sports. They are responsible for proof reading the journalists articles and correcting them.

Reporter - The reporter is seen as a type of journalist, they write the stories to be put in newspapers, some reporters cover all subjects such as sports or crime, yet some may only do specific features. Reporters are normally graduates and people who want jobs for poor money.

Photographer - This role is normally done by the chief photographer who takes images for each newspaper issue which is then looked at by the editor who decides which pictures will be used.

Designer - The designer designs the layout of the newspaper, keeping in mind how to attract the audience and how the newspapers overall identity is reflected.

Graphic Artist - The graphics artists create graphs,maps, charts and diagrams to help explain the story visually, which makes the story more interesting and easier to understand.

Advertising Manager - This is mainly a role for one person who has overall responsibility for all of the advertising and its department in the newspaper.

Marketing Manager - They are responsible for the marketing and advertising if the paper to the general audience in order to raise sales. They must get it right as it could damage the newspapers reputation and effect sales. If a newspaper is not marketed correctly it may not be well known.

Print Manager - They control the production of every issue of the paper in the printing process.

Distribution Role - They make sure that the newspapers are distributed out to vendors and customers correctly, this is likely to be done daily



These are the stages of making a newspaper:

News Gathering 

The first stage of making a newspaper is news gathering. This can be done in various ways such as interviewing, reporting and writing, taking photos, gathering press releases and getting letters together to the editor. Each decision for the newspaper is made in this stage. This stage involves reporters, photographers and editors.

Advertising

The second stage is advertising, which is one of the most important stages for newspapers. Because most newspapers are cheap, and some free, they make most there money from the advertising. Each newspaper has an advertising staff responsible for selling advertising space to businesses, which can be local, statewide or national. 

Composition

This stage of the newspaper is the process by which the editorial content and advertisements are placed throughout the paper, edited and finalized. In small companies the editorial or advertising staff may take on this role, and at larger publications there will be a composing team responsible for this stage. The pages are normally designed with a program and then the content is proofread by editors and the advertisements are verified by an advertising manager.

Printing and distribution 

The final stage is the printing and distribution process, once the newspaper has been composed it is sent to a printing shop. For large newspapers the printing facilities are often in the companies building, the images of the newspaper are loaded into the printer and the copies are printed, folded, stacked and bundled. From there, they're sent to or picked up by delivery people who will take the newspapers door to door, fill boxes around the community and drop them off at stores.

Institutional Information

There are 1,200 regional and local newspapers and 1,600 associated websites in the UK.

The local press is the UK’s most popular print medium, read by 33 million people a week.

42 million unique users rely on their local newspaper websites every month.

Over 60% of people act on the advertisements in local newspapers.

More than 6,100 local newspapers are sold or distributed in the UK every minute.

Local media employs over 30,000 people including 10,000 journalists.

This is where i got the information from

I looked at this website which promotes and advertises local newspapers and also includes a data base of all the local newspapers in the UK.

Research Methodology

So far for my research methodology:

- I have looked online at an A-Z of local newspapers, trying to familiarise with the standard layout and the type of language used.
- I have also looked at various local newspapers from different locations and written reviews on them, contrasting them and also pointing out similar features.
- I have looked at Media books with sections based on local newspapers, saying what to expect from them and the standard layout.
- I have created a page in which i have scanned a newspaper and then pointed out the different features of local newspapers e.g. masthead, with the help of a media book.

Initial Research

Today i have been looking at the difference between Tabloid newspapers and Broad Sheet newspapers:

Tabloid newspapers have a more relaxed layed out and written newspaper, they're designed to appeal to a mass audience and readership. The format is smaller giving the news in condensed form, usually with many pictures. This style of newspaper is also commonly known as the red top's, mainly because of the snappy title, white on red text, bold, sans serif font and 30p price.

Broad Sheet newspapers is the most common style of newspaper formats, it is regarded as more serious and less sensationalist than tabloids. Comparing the front covers you can see the images are completely differet, Broad Sheet newspapers are more serious.

Research-Newspaper design

I have began my research by looking at local newspaper websites using a website which has an A-Z list of local newspapers:



I found this really interesting link when looking for the conventions of newspaper design which also provides templates. I will not be using the templates however i will be creating flat plans that will be very similar but will take into account my own design ideas.

Click here for the link


Looking through each website helps me to see the type of stories which are published in each one. Most local newspapers are not aimed at the younger generation, therefore i am trying to aim my local newspaper to the younger generation and need to find out the type of things i can include to gain interest from them.

Review on the Camden New Journal:

Briefly looking through the newspaper its obvious it is aimed mainly at parents and the elderly generation. the stories included are very low key and not stories which would be included in a national newspaper. The magazine is free therefore there are many adverts included which fund the newspaper. Nearly every story and adverts , of not all is aimed at the elderly or a parent, for example on the second page there were 5 adverts for funeral directors and towards the end of the newspaper there were many adverts on school open days and local clubs which children could join. The newspaper seemed to be organised in categories, the first few pages seemed to do with general community, the crimes are not very serious and not something which would be included in a national newspaper, for example a miniture art work stolen from a charity shop window, which does not seem serious especially if it was in a national newspaper. yet local readers may find this big news as they may know the shop well or even the owner. Ther re also stories about local religious groups and churches people can get involved in.

Media Language For Newspapers

I have started to analyse local newspapers but in order to do so i needed to understand the terminology used with newspaper design. I researched on the internet and found a useful resource that enabled me to analyse a local newspaper. The following is a list of the terms

Some or all of these may be found on the front pages of newspapers.

Box-out – A small part of the page, shaded in a different colour.

By-line – The name of the reporter, if they are important is often included at the beginning of the feature, rather than at the end, or not at all.

Caption – Typed text under photographs explaining the image.

Credits – The author of a feature may be given credit in the form of a beeline. Photographs may have the name of the person who took them or the agency that supplied them alongside them.

Crosshead – This is a subheading that appears in the body of the text and is centred above the column of text. If it is se to one side then it is called a side-head.

Cover Story - Leading story used on the front cover.

Deck - Part of a headline which summarises the story.

Exclusive – This means that newspaper and no one else solely cover the story. The paper will pay their interviewees, buying the story so it cannot be used by another paper.

Feature – Not necessarily a ‘news’ item (current affairs), but usually with a human-interest angle presented as a spread.

Headline – This is the main statement, usually in the largest and boldest font, describing the main story. A banner headline spans the full width of the page.

House Ad - An upaid advertisement put on a palge to fill a gap left by a lack of paid advertising. Often a promotional ad for the publication.

Jumpline - A line indicating a continuation, or jump, on an article on a subsequent page.

Kicker – The first sentence or first few words of a story's lead, designed to stand out from the rest of the page by the use of a different font or set out in a font size larger than the body text of the story.

Lead Story - The main story on the front page, usually a splash.

Lure – A word or phrase directing the reader to look inside the paper at a particular story or feature.

Masthead – The masthead is the title block or logo identifying the newspaper at the top of the front-page. Sometimes an emblem or a motto is also placed within the masthead. The masthead is often set into a block of black or red print or boxed with a border; the ‘Red-tops’ (The Sun, The Mirror, The News of the World) are categorised by style and the use of a red background in the masthead.

Menu – The list of contents inside the paper.

Puffs - A news story with editorialised, complimentary statements.

Pugs – These are at the top left and right-hand corners of the paper and are known as the ‘ears’ of the page. The prices of the paper, the logo or a promotion are positioned there. They are well placed to catch the reader’s eye.

Secondary Lead – This is usually only a picture and headline, it gives a sneak preview of a story that you might find inside the paper.

Sidebar – When a main feature has an additional box or tinted panel along side of it.

Splash – The splash is the main story on the front of the paper. The largest headline will accompany this, along with a photograph.

Spread (Or DPS: Double Page Spread) – A story that covers more than one page.

Standfirst – This is an introductory paragraph before the start of the feature. Sometimes it may be in bold.

Strapline – This is an introductory headline below the headline. Similar to a Subheading.

Source - An individual who provides imformation for a story.

Tag – A word or phrase used to engage a reader’s interest in a story by categorising it e.g. ‘Exclusive’, ‘Sensational’

A2 portfolio

I have decided for my A2 media coursework to create a local newspaper with a radio advertisement as promotion. I will need to research other local newspapers to familiarise with the layout and language used to be able to make my newspaper as realistic and believable as possible.

The brief that i've been given: The first two pages of an original local newspaper (if done as a group task, each member of the group to produce an individual edition of the newspaper, following the same house style), together with two of the following three options: - A billboard poster for the newspaper
- A radio advertisement for the newspaper
- Two hyperlinked pages from the papers website.

I have decided i will be doing A billboard poster and a radio advertisement. I feel these two options would be most suitable for me as i am familiar with photoshop which i used in my AS Level to create an album poster in my project. Creating a radio advertisement will be a new experience but something i feel i will find helpful to learn how to do.