Red top newspapers

Due to the fact that my newspaper uses a red masthead it could be said that it takes the style of traditional 'red top' newspaper. These newspapers tend to focus on entertainment news, sports and celebrities. Within my newspaper , it does have feature these things. My newspaper also focuses on the important news within the community also.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

•I have learnt that audience feedback is essential when creating a product that has a specific target audience and is trying to be distributed into the main stream market. Audience feedback is important before the construction of the product , throughout the product and post construction of the product. When evaluating the target audience, it is imperative to find out the common trends within that market, which in other words means the main likes and dislikes. Without customer satisfaction the product will most certainly be a failure because there will be a lack of audience. In regards to my audience feedback for Croydon Weekly, I learnt that before the main product is finally launched its important to test the market so that the target audience is happy. Audience feedback is really important to any launching project due to the fact that the creator of the product finds out the strength and weaknesses of the product.


For Croydon Weekly, I created an online questionnaire in which I got important results in which I based certain aspects of the newspaper on. The results of this questionnaire can be viewed in my blog.



In order to gather feedback from what the audience thought about the final products , i created a questionnaire to ask there opinions on what they felt could be improved and what they liked and what they disliked.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

For my A2 production , I have created a local newspaper by the name of  Croydon Weekly. Alongside this I also created 2 hyperlinked pages for the newspaper website and in addition a poster for the newspaper. Real local newspapers , websites and posters adhere to several conventions which are used to identify these media products.

Local Newspaper

Croydon Weekly uses the main conventions that we would usually find real local newspapers that would be considered essential.

1. Masthead

The masthead is an essential convention to newspapers as it is important for the audience to identify the newspaper. I used the font 'Impact' on a red background. I used the font of impact due to the boldness it carries and in addition I used a red background to capture the audiences attention. My masthead was created with a wave through the background as I felt this offered a contemporary feel to the newspaper. In comparison to South London Press their masthead also uses a brighter background with the use of a bold text.

I also feel that my masthead developed conventions as it has a red wave through the background and conventionally newspapers who tend to use a colored background would use a still colored background.

2. Images

I also followed newspaper conventions by using a range of images throughout the newspaper which represent different things. For example my sports story photo shows the delight of a local teenager who has accomplished his dream and has a feel good feel for the audience. He is photo'd holding an Arsenal shirt at Arsenals stadium.

For my main headline photo , there is a photo of a house that has been burnt down. I used this photo to show the audience the remains of the house, and the tragedy that had taken place. Similar photos could be found in both Croydon Guardian and Croydon Advertiser when taking the image of a scene. The concept of this photo fit in well with my newspaper as it informs the audience of a loss to the community.

•My media product uses numerous conventions that best-selling newspapers would usually use. I did this by using such things a headline in bold and underlined, an introductory paragraph, use of photos and a banner advertisement.

•I decided to use numerous pictures as my market research showed that on a front page they would like to see pictures instead of one picture and all text, this decision should be successful in enticing readers.

•Another convention which I followed was the use of the sports story in the top right hand corner, which shows readers that the headline sports story would be.

•I decided to input the inside section as I felt that if the newspaper introduced what was inside it would give the audience more of an insight into what to expect further into the newspaper.

Website

I followed the main conventions that would usually be found on a newspaper website and some from all websites in general which are shown above.

Poster

I followed the convention of having a focal point as poster usually need one in which i made mine the celebrity to automatically capture the readers attention. I used a black background as i felt that this would make the artist stand out and emphasise the fact that she was the focal point. In addition , my use of text i felt stood out more so the audeince can clearly see the text and the interview.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

The combination of my main product and ancillary texts is very effective due to the fact that it expands the product market. The main idea behind doing the website was to expand my target market audience to online. The main product I created was a newspaper in which there was a banner underneath the logo which shows that a website is available. In addition to this on the poster the website has also been identified. The use of the poster is mainly for promotion as it advertises an exclusive feature within the newspaper which interests the audience that this edition of the newspaper will be special.


Website and Newspaper

  The website link is clearly identified on the front page of the newspaper so that the audience is aware that there is one available. Stories published within the newspaper will also be published on the website , but in addition further features will also be available on the website. The website and newspaper will also have corresponding home colours being red and also the colours used for each sub section i.e sport being orange. Articles published on the website would be longer than the ones that are published in the newspaper. The croydon weekly masthead is used on the website to identify with the audience the croydon weekly.

Poster and Newspaper

My poster is based on the exclusive story in the newspaper to make my audience aware that that particular interview was taking place in that edition of the newspaper. This creates a direct link between the two media products. This is effective in the fact that the poster promotes the newspaper from a marketing aspect.

 

Direct link between the poster and the ‘Feature’ story in my newspaper. The poster acts as a promotional tool for the newspaper to entice more readers to purchase the newspaper. The use of a celebrity from the local area should persuade the audience to have an interest in the newspaper and also widens the target audience also.

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

The use of media technologies have been integral in creating my final product as the use of Adobe In design has allowed me to create the newspaper and my ancillery texts into what it is. For me to accomplish all I wanted to do with both front page of the newspaper I had to make a logo for the newspaper and also a banner advertisement.

•Throughout my project I used blogger.com to keep track of what I was doing on each specific date, I found this really helpful as it kept me organised, and I was also able to reflect on the work that I had been able to achieve.

•In terms of research I used survey monkey to post a questionnaire in which I received 35 results. This was largely helpful in my decision making as it helped me make key decisions regarding my target audience and there preferences.

Indesign CS5

I created my both pages of my website and both pages of my local newspaper in Adobe Indesign. In terms of the website I originally planned to use Dreamweaver but i found it too difficult to use especially with limited time available. I found out that Indesign does offer website features which was convenient in the task i was trying to do. I was able to add several hyperlinks on to the two pages so that they interlink with each other.

In terms of the local newspaper indesign helped me to apply some of the conventions of a newspaper to my own newspaper. Things such as splitting my articles into columns and the ability to embolden text where necessary. In addition i found it really helpful that indesign shows if text has been lined up with text that may be above it or below it which i felt was really helpful in trying to create a product that looks professional.
Photoshop CS5
I used Adobe Photoshop for editing my images and also to create my poster. Photoshop allowed me to create a product that looks professional and a product that links directly to my other media products. 

In order to remove the background i used a variety of tools in order to do this. To remove large chunks of the background i used the 'magic wand' tool on photoshop. When it came to removing the finer edges of the background , i used the polygonal lasso tool.

I implemented a black background as i felt that the text would stand out more and also the artist would stand out more.

I used this camera to take my pictures which i felt delivered good quality photos.

Laptop

I carried out most of my work on this laptop. I also used MACs at school during lesson time , but the majority was completed on my laptop. I used a USB device to carry work between school and home.


Blogger

I used a website by the name of blogger.com to keep track of the work that i have been doing and uploading various images and text. The blog helped me to keep track of the progress i have made from the start of the project.

Survey monkey

In order to carry out market research i created a questionnaire to find out the audiences views on what they would like to preferably see within the newspaper. To do this i used a website called survey monkey in which i posted the survey onto social networking site 'Facebook' to gather results. This audience research was invaluable to my research and planning.

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Photo taken for my poster

I removed the backgrounds from this photos in order to create the poster and implemented a black background.

Photos taken for my project

Burning House

Photo I opted to use

Youth Centre story

Front of the old town youth centre

Croydon Council photos

Website flat plan both pages

Home page

Main Story page

Change

Originally to create the website for Croydon Weekly , i planned to use Adobe DreamWeaver , but due to complications getting the hang of using the program , i opted to change the program that i used. To complete the website i used Adobe Indesign as i realised i could still create hyperlinks and have website features using this program.

Website both pages

Original final website production 

Poster

Original final poster production

Local Newspaper

This is my original final product for my local newspaper pages 1 and 2

Audience Research

I conducted audience research using website survey monkey in which i posted a link to social networking site facebook to gather some responses. Here are some screen shots for the results i received :

Based on these results i made key decisions about the newspaper and the features based on what the audience wanted to see. Key decisions were made in regards to pricing of the paper and also how often the paper will be distributed. I also conducted research into what the audience preferences are within a newspaper.

Articles

These are the articles that I planned to use in my newspaper and also on my website

Sports Story

Premier league giants Arsenal have completed the signing of free agent Thierry Hawes from Croydon. The highly rated 18 year old striker from Croydon has said " Im delighted to be signing for such a wonderful team. Coming to a team like Arsenal , gives me the opportunity to play with world class players every day.

It is said that manager Arsene Wenger is a huge admirer of the wonderkid and has tracked his progress for a number of months before finally approaching him. "Thierry wont be in the first team straight away as he needs to build up his match fitness , we will be looking to use him in the reserves until we feel he is ready to step up to premier league level."

Croydon Council Cuts Youth Club Budget 


Croydon Council today announced their plans to cut the budget on youth clubs around Croydon. This has come about following reports that the government spending on local councils was cut in half to solve the national economic deficit.

Youth clubs in recent years have reduced the amount of youth crime in recent years. A spokesperson from the Old Town Youth Centre has said " We're really disappointed as our budget has been slashed in half. Consequently we have to reconsider some of the activities we had planned , which will come as a real disappointment to all of our kids. "


Family of 4

A family of 4 has been tragically killed in a house fire in Croydon in the early hours of this morning. Fire  services were called to the scene immediately when neighbours were awoken by an explosion within the household. Flames within the household were so vicious that they blocked all points of entry into the house which consequently left fire fighters unable to enter the house , leaving  the family stranded inside.

Local residents expressed their shock at the situation commenting upon how the family were such loving and caring people. One resident said " I cannot express how shocked I am by the events that have taken place , it was just yesterday I saw them so cheerful , this is a  loss to our community as a whole."

Investigators from the scene have found the reason why this tragedy has taken place. They stated that an electric malfunction in a socket caught fire to the carpet in the early hours of the morning which left the family unaware and trapped inside.

Survey shows drivers are hit with £5.5m in parking fines a year


Drivers are handed over more than £5.5million in parking ticket fines in a year. We have been given statistics which shows how much money has been made through penalty charge notices in Croydon. On Brigstock Road in Thornton Heath roughly £165,000 came from nearly 3,630 being handed out.

Croydon Council to slash its housing list


Thousands of people may be cut from the council house waiting list in an effort to find homes for those who need them most.These proposals are aimed at single people with no children that are in work who are putting a strain on the system.

Flat plans

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This is a detailed flat plan of what I expect my Newspaper structure to be like and all the features that will be included. This flat plan shows my front page and the second page of my newspaper.

Existing Newspaper Posters

The Guardian World Cup poster

This poster was used as part of The guardians world cup campaign , it uses the corner of a football pitch to clearly show the poster is relating to football. The poster uses numerous colours to capture the readers attention.

The poster illustrates that the Guardian newspaper will be capturing the World cup in full detail in which they list all the features they would be including in their newspaper.

In addition , the use of the phrase 'Obsessive detail' identifies the Guardians stance in showing that they would be covering the World cup in full detail and stating the case that their the best newspaper to follow the World cup.

The Times Ballet Campaign

This poster campaign shows a ballerina in sequence in which in the middle she is reading a newspaper. The phrase that is used is 'a short, sharp read' with 'The Times' logo following. 

The poster focuses on the athleticism of the ballerina in which a ballerina sequence is short but requires perfection. The Times is almost saying through this poster that their newspaper is essential to read , in which she incorporates it as part of her routine. 

  

The Shropshire Star : RAF Cosford Air Show

This poster was used as part of The Shropshire Star : RAF Cosford Air show. The use of a paper plane shows that it was in relation to upcoming air show. The poster shows the newspaper masthead to ensure the audience knows who the poster is coming from.

The use of the words 'up there' relates with the aeroplane which also tells the audience that is in relation to the air show.

Newspaper Website Analysis

Homepage

 Croydon Advertisers home page is very informative as it allows the audience to choose from numerous different headline stories. It has numerous interactive features, for example if the mouse hovers over a story it introduces that particular story in the main box. It also features a slide show of features within the website.

Information on the homepage is short and concise as it is introductory information for the audience to go into the website further to view

The website has a clear structure , with a particularly large masthead in the top left hand corner , and the navigation bar is clearly laid out with the user being able to choose an option from numerous choices.

The website also boasts features of having a search bar and in addition , a member login , for regular users to access.

Text size seems to be quite small and a user with impaired eyesight may struggle to see the text.

In terms of advertisements throughout the website , the main focus seems to be on  jobs and properties and there are few of these.




Main story on homepage



Large headline 

Use of a central main image

Comments section for readers to share their opinion

Croydon Advertiser uses links along side the page to other stories

Croydon Guardian Home page

The Croydon Guardian website is well structured as it works within three invisible lines working from north to south.
Offers a clear navigation bar which has numerous features which would be very informative to the audience.
In terms of photos on the home page , there is a photo  for each sub headline throughout the home page.

Croydon Guardian Main story

Croydon Guardian uses several links to other stories

Use of  a main image

Structure at the top of the page remains the same as from the home page and remains the same throughout every page

No adverts used in these pages

South London Press Home page

Clear masthead at the top of the page

Use of numerous conventions that would be associated with a website

Informative and clearly laid out stories

Use of photos kept to a minimum on the homepage

Clear home colours used throughout the website

Use of numerous adverts

South London Press Main story

Structure is kept the same on this page just like on the homepage

Home colour of blue is kept consistent

Use of large photo

Comments section

Adverts used along the side