Focus Groups

Today I created layouts, font ideas, colour schemes and title ideas.I will show my drafts in a focus group and ask what their favourite type was, the favourite will be the one that will get chosen for my newspaper.

Questionnaire Results

The following graphs show the results from my questionnaire. I asked males and females ranging from ages 16-18.

My graphs showed me that most 16-18 year olds do not read local newspapers for the simple fact there not interested. My job will to create a local fun newspaper with entertainment and sports being the main topics linked in with local news. I will have my newspaper free and able to access in local transports and also be delivered to Knowlsey homes. Knowsley Council buildings would also get copies delivered i.e. Schools, Colleges and Sports Buildings. With the Echo being the most popular of all local newspapers my analysis of this will help me look more into detail about my newspaper. The people I asked said they find out their information on television and Internet the most. As Internet based newspapers are becoming more popular I will advertise my website for my newspaper clearly on the front page, this will let people who didn't get a chance to read that days newspaper to go on the Internet an catch up news. It will also be a better profit market from advertising.

Merseymart. Anyalsis of locals newspaper

Out of all newspapers I have analysed I would say Merseymart is the most interesting, this is probably because it is has more colours and large coloured images, this would attract more people to the overall newspaper. The advertising on the front page relates to all ages, mobility scooters at the top and fashion at the bottom. This leads me to believe the audiences range from all ages of this newspaper.

Merseymart conforms to typical codes and conventions, one main mast head, advertisements and fillers.

The middle section of the second page is a picture and column about the 'X Factor' this would grab peoples attention, especially being most relevant to most audiences. The left section of the newspaper is a column dedicated to contacting the newspaper and important peoples names and contact information linked in with the paper. It also has a large section that asks people do they need to advertise, this will be most important to them has all profits come from advertising as it is a free newspaper. The right section of the newspaper has five small fillers, the top story being more important as the bottom, you notice this as each filler has less text the the filler above it.
It also has an advertising strip at the bottom of the page.

Email from newspapers.

I did not receive an Email from the ECHO, I also tried to call them but I couldn't get hold of anyone who knew about the audiences of the ECHO.

Local Anyalsis of The Challenge. Secondary Reseach

First Page Second Page


The newspaper to the left is The Challenge, it is a Knowsley based free newspaper. The Challenge is distributed in Knowsley community college. As my newspaper will represent the same target audience, I was hoping that analysing this newspaper would give me ideas for my own. I found this newspaper helped me in many ways with ideas, but was the opposite of what I was expecting. The Challenge's front cover is bland and boring, the title and logo is plain.
The only interesting piece of the front cover was the advertisement. As the paper does not appeal to me in the slightest, my analysis of this will hopefully make my final piece more interesting with less text and more colours.
The paper plays to codes and conventions with advertising prominant on the front page.

The second page of The Challenge is more interesting, this is confusing as it has more coloured images, less text and easier to read layouts then the front cover. Overall the second page is what would be expected from a local newspaper as it conforms to several typiccal codes and conventions. Overall the second page is more similar to how I would like my local newspaper to look, unlike the front cover.

Primary Research- Email

I have sent Liverpool ECHO an email asking them relevant questions I would like to know, hopefully the answers they give will help me make my final decisions on who my newspaper will target and ideas for the content and news worthiness of stories.




I hopefully receive an answer in the next few days about my enquiry.

Newspaper Analysis

I have analysed a local newspaper in Liverpool; the Liverpool ECHO. I have looked into its codes and conventions and how it conforms to and challenges typical ones. ECHO contains a lot of news in it, and also has a significant number of local advertisements. Both news and advertisements relate to its audience. The news is not to hard to read and the advertisements relate to the local news and needs.

Questionnaire

Today I created a Questionnaire asking students various questions about themselves and what they prefer in a newspaper. The first questionnaire I created was leaning off topic so I decided to start again and make the questions relate to subject topic.

Research & Planning

Below is going to be the order I am going to schedule out my research and planning for my local newspaper. I do not know the exact times and dates I will carry these out, but this will give me a basic idea of what to do on a step by step basis.

Research

For my primary research I am going to produce a simple questionnaire aimed at the age group of 16-19. I am choosing this as my target audience, as I belong to this age group and I have a direct opinion on the given topic. There is also a gap in the market for a free local newspaper for a teenager of this age group. The questionnaire I will produce will be asking 16-19 year olds what they would prefer a newspaper targeted at their age group to be like. Although my main newspaper will be targeted at this age group I will also have news that would relate to all ages. When I have collected the results I will create a graph to easily identify the most popular trends. For secondary research I will also look at other local newspapers and look what information they give and if it fully appeals to their target audiences. I will also look specifically at free newspapers to see what type of advertising they use. I will then also hold a focus group to obtain more in depth information to help me produce my final draft.

Planning

Planning is essential in all areas of media, especially when making a newspaper. The planning that I carry out will hopefully develop my final product to be as good as it could possibly be.

I will plan basic structures, layouts, colours and fonts on photoshop that I think will be appropriate to my target audience. I will want my pages to be busy and every space filled to keep the audience interested. I will also plan the content of my newspaper, deciding what is newsworthy for my front and first pages.

I will always update my blog and check what I have last completed and what I need to do next.

As my newspaper will be available to access in local colleges and other local services in Knowsley, i.e buses, sports centres and NHS buildings, it will be free to access and will earn all profits from advertising.

What my coursework involves.

For my A2 media studies coursework I am going to produce the first two pages of a local newspaper, this is going to link in with a poster and a radio advertisment.

I am starting to gather up ideas and think up a proposal then begin to start researching into my product.

Throughout the next week I will start on my primary research. I will create questionnaires and hand them out to people aged around 16-19, this will be the target age group of my newspaper, as it will be based in colleges around Knowsley and Liverpool.

A newspaper definintion from www.thefreedictionary.com :

1. (Communication Arts / Journalism & Publishing)

a. a weekly or daily publication consisting of folded sheets and containing articles on the news, features, reviews, and advertisements Often shortened to paper.

b. (as modifier) a newspaper article.

2. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) a less common name for newsprint.