Additional Research and Planning

To spice up my Research and Planning a bit, I created a video to show to the rest of my media class..
Having got feedback from showing this, I decided to do some extra notes.. 

Inverted Triangle Example

This is an example of the inverted triangle theory in practice in a local newspaper. This is a story about a woman knitting a scarf and as you can see I have divided it up into the sections outlined in the inverted triangle. 

More Conventions

Contents
The contents often depends on the type of newspaper, ie if it is tabloid it will contain more controversial and celebrity based news than broadsheets which will contain more intellectual arguments and politically based opinions. In local newspapers, this is obvious, the contents must be local. 

Register

The register defines the language and tone of how the newspaper talks to the audience. For my newspaper I will use casual but not slang, and informal language in order to address my slightly younger audience.

Layout
The layout of the newspaper portrays what news the newspaper believes is the most important. Hence, the most interesting story is usually given the most space on the page, with less important stories only being featured in a small area. 

Pictures

These tend to be of very few on a front page, usually with one main picture for the main or sub story and smaller pictures at the side. These pictures aren't usually 'posed' pictures but ones of something happening at an event. Whilst they are likely to include the stock character of the story, this is not essential and they may be of landscape or group pictures.

Other News Values

Positivity 

People often assume that stories in the news tend to be negative. However, stories which have a greater impact tend to be those which are negative as they tend to be out of the ordinary. This can however apply to positivity too, as often events can have a positive effect. Furthermore, news stories can be bad for some a good for others, such as a sports result or an election win. 

News Values

Following my survey, the responses about what attracted people to a story prompted me to do some research into ‘News Values’.

News Values determine how much coverage a story is given by a newspaper, or in other words, how worthy it is of having coverage. For my newspaper, I will therefore have to consider how relevant  it is to my audience of young people, and how  relevant it is to my local area.

According to my research, There is a number of criteria to consider in News Values, which I then related to my own newspaper.

• Frequency: Newspapers are often published late at night ready for the next day, and therefore it is important that evens both fit well with this schedule and are sudden and recent, i.e.: have not been covered in the previous day's issue. On going and long term/events and issues are therefore going to receive less coverage unless there is a sudden change.
• My newspaper: Because of this, my main article is likely to be something that has happened the previous day and not something that is an on-going issue, as this will bore people especially if it is something they have already heard about.
• Example: A headline in the EDP: 'Ambulance service needs up to £30m every year to get additional resources to reach targets' later goes on to say 'revealed today'. This is an example of how although this may have been a long term problem, it was only covered because something new and valuable happened. 

• Negativity and Conflict: 'Bad' news is often more dramatic and more controversial than 'good' news. It is more of a talking point and is therefore considered more newsworthy in news values.
• My newspaper: Many of the respondents in my survey commented on being attracted to controversial news, which relates to this idea of negative news as this often is. It is therefore something that I will focus on. However, my ideology is not to create a negative perspective on young people and teenagers and therefore this will be something I will carefully consider when deciding what articles to feature.
• Example: On the Wymondham and Attleborough Mercury website on the 27th November, headlines include phrases such as 'Driver suffers' 'Residents' fears' 'Police appeal'. Much of the coverage was negative but there were also many positive aspects, which I therefore believe in local news there tends to be more positivity. 

• Unambiguity: This concentrates on making the event of the story clear to the audience, without having a complex background to understand before, as well as story that has a clear interpretation.
• My newspaper: This is relevant to my newspaper as a common problem, as many of my respondents pointed out, with newspapers for teenagers is that it is too 'boring' and 'complicated' and therefore by featuring unambiguous stories, it will be clear to my audience and not complex to read quickly and concisely.
• Example:There was an article in the Norwich Evening News about 'Movember' and in order to ensure the readers knew what this event was they summed it up: 'where people grow facial hair during the month of November to raise funds' meaning that those who were previously unaware now knew clearly what was being talked about.  

• Personalisation: Readers can relate better to news stories where there is individuals involved as opposed to stories with no human 'interest' in them. 
• My newspaper: Someone in my survey pointed out not reading stories that had any relation to them, and therefore I feel it is important to feature my target audiences ages in the stories I used in order to personalise my story as best as possible to my audience.
• Example: There is an example of this on the 'MailOnline' website where all animal stories tend to be featured at the bottom of the page as they tend to have the least interest in them.

• Meaningfulness: This relates to personalisation in that the audience has to identify with the topic and share a similar life with the people involved. 
• My newspaper: This further emphasises the use of teenagers in my newspaper to help my audience relate.
• Example: 'North Norfolk District Council call to save Coasthopper bus service from cuts' - this is clearly aimed at the people who use the service who can therefore relate to the problems they are going through and know that something is being done about it. 

• Predictability: If an event is already known to be happening it is likely to be covered.
• My newspaper: I could relate this to my newspaper in that I could include both a mix of recent shocking events along with predictable events in order to make it as realistic as possible. 
• Example: The coverage of Wymondham's Lemon Day in one of my previous research newspapers, clearly there was an awareness of this happening before and this is why they covered it as one of the front page stories as well as a recent unpredictable event. 

• Proximity: This is  is important as it concerns how close an event is to the audience as to how valuable it is worth publishing.
• My newspaper: This is particularly important for my newspaper as it is local, and therefore the news the news must be relevant to the local area. If it is not ‘local’ news, but regional, national, and international, I will ensure it is related back to my local area whether through people or events. 
• Example: In the Eastern Daily Press’ coverage of the Philippines storm, they covered the entire international story but also had a section in which a local woman, from the Philippines, talked about how it had affected her family, not only adding human value but giving it a closer proximity.

Results of Audience Research Survey and Effect on My Work

In total I received 65 responses, with 28 male and 36 female, one 'prefer not to say' and one person who chose to skip that question.  I tried to avoid this bias of slightly more female participants by asking more males to take part, but obviously as a female myself I am going to get more females to participate as they will feel encouraged to. 

The age of the participants generally reflected my target audience with 92% of people being between the ages of 13-25, which is helpful in terms of showing me what my target audience are looking for. The other 8% outside this category help to provide a more rounded view of expectations of newspapers and also give me an idea of what an older audience might expect that a younger audience are not interested in.

The responses to this question were extremely mixed, with a shocking 6 people who never read newspapers, but I was actually quite surprised at the results, as generally the conception is that my age group do not read newspapers, however, 68% of respondents read newspapers once a fortnight or more, an encouraging number in terms of attracting my target audience. This question also made me consider how much of a regular newspaper I would create and I think I am going to go with weekly because I feel daily would not attract a regular audience, where as people are more likely to have time to read a weekly newspaper. 

 

This next question 'What makes you choose the newspaper' had an extreme amount of lengthy answers as it was a qualitative question where I asked participants to comment. I therefore put the data into a table to make it easier to analyse. I also added the age and gender of each respondent to add some perspective to their answer. One thing I picked up on was content, it was clearly very important to many people and it is therefore I ensure my content is up to date, relevant, and interesting to my target audience. They also talked a bit about price, therefore there is a suggestion that the cheaper the newspaper the more likely they are to buy it, and as most rely on parents for money or are on a student budget it is important I make my newspaper as cheap as possible in order to attract the audience. This will however unfortunately mean an increase in adverts. There was also a focus on politics, and therefore in order to attract the widest audience it is practical to make my newspaper impartial in order to attract both those with strong political views, and also those who are undecided. 

The next question also had a range of mixed responses. Unsurprisingly, the most common answer was local news, which I agree is key in local newspapers and therefore something I will undoubtedly include. There was also a clear focus on the importance of some regional/national and international news, which I will take from the ideas learnt from the Eastern Daily Press, of including international news yet making it relevant and apply it to my own newspaper where/if possible. The lowest scoring areas were weather and health, and therefore it will be unlikely I will make these a poignant part in the newspaper, especially with these being more relevant to national news as opposed to local news. In addition, I will consider politics which I didn't consider before, however again if it is relevant to the local area, as I picked out on an important part in the previous question where someone said they don't read local news because it isn't 'relevant to them' and I therefore want to make sure, using the results of this survey, that everything in my newspaper is relevant in some way to my target audience.

This response was not as mixed and generally I had answers I expected. Black was the most prominent answer, with a few of the 'other' responses asking for 'black and white'. From my research it is clear that black and white is key for the main body of the newspaper, however for the masthead, blue and red tend to be more prominent colours, supported by the results in the survey, as where they do not reply black/white, the response seems to be blue or red, giving me a clear idea on what my audience expect. 

This next question was a controversial one, with many people stating they did not 'like' adverts. Of course no one loves adverts, but as shown in my research, they are essential in a local newspaper and therefore I will pay great attention to the actual responses in this question. Most popular was 'money off vouchers', which I feel given my target audience are generally on a low income, is important as is likely to be an advert featured on the front cover. Events was next, but as this is surely going to be a larger advert in order to include all the details, this would be featured more likely on the inside of the paper. Clothing, Food and Leisure Activities were all of equal importance and therefore will be equally distributed throughout the newspaper in order to fully attract my audience throughout. A respondent made the point of 'Jobs' however, I feel that this would not be appropriate unless on a specific 'job' page as these don't seem to be prominent in normal adverts. 

This is similar to the question which asks what makes my audience choose the paper they do, and the same sort of answers come up, that the headline and therefore the newspaper needs to be relevant to my audience or 'on a topic which interests' them, therefore being important to include topics relevant to teenagers in the local area. In addition, the shocking option was quite popular, meaning that my headline not only has to be relevant, but if possible it also has to be something my target audience was perhaps not already aware of, something I will try to accommodate. The aesthetics of the headline were less important to my audience than the content and therefore I will concentrate more on what my headline is saying as opposed to how it looks. 

 

Whilst upon first view, this response seems varied, there is a clear outcome; 2 or perhaps 3, pictures on the front page, with 1 for the main story and 1/2 for sub stories. I very much agree with this, at will look busy but not clustered, and attractive but not unprofessional. I found the responses that said 'no pictures' to be interesting, but I feel this may put of my young audience who would like information to be accessed quickly and immediately gain an idea of the story. I also feel it is important, from this, to make my pictures as eye catching as possible and therefore people will not think they are a waste of space but in fact add to the story. This question was one of the most helpful in the design of my newspaper.  

This last question is relevant in many ways, to not only how I actually choose to price my newspaper, but also affects the content. Such as, if it is cheaper there are likely to be more adverts, and perhaps, a shorter newspaper and less stories, much to what is common in a local newspaper. It is quite difficult to stem an idea of the overall majority because there was such a large range of responses for this question, depending on what people considered local. 57.81% of people did response 55p or below, and as a majority, it is likely that my final total will be under this number, and perhaps even free.

Questions for and Distribution of Audience Research Survey for my Newspaper

In order to best gain an idea what codes and conventions I should apply when creating my own newspaper, I conducted a survey, mainly into my target audience, and asked them an array of question to direct my future planning.

QUESTIONS (with ANNOTATIONS)

1: Are you male or female?

• Male
• Female
• Prefer not to say

This question is one of the basic, yet significant questions. It is important for me, when looking at individual responses to understand the point of view this comes from and whether this changes the response in any way. Although I am aiming the survey at both male and female, I feel that it is important to know the gender of my participants in order to get a fair representation from both. 

2: What is your age?

• 10 or under
• 11-12
• 13-14
• 15-16
• 17-18
• 19
• 20-21
• 22-25
• 26-30
• 31-35
• 36-39
• 40-49
• 50-60
• 61+

The reasoning for this question is similar to my gender question, especially as my target audience is 13-25, I will pay most attention to the respondents in this age group, and use the other age groups, if applicable, as a simple guide and well-rounded view. 

3: How often do you read newspapers?

• Daily
• Once or twice a week
• Weekly
• Fortnightly
• Monthly
• Every couple of months
• Once a year
• Never
• Other (please specify)

By asking this question I will gauge an idea of the popularity of newspapers among the people doing the survey. This will likely to therefore effect their comments on how much they are willing to pay and the price. It will also influence how regular I choose to make my newspaper. 

4: What makes you choose the newspaper you read? ie, what attracts you, price, content etc. (If you don't read local newspapers state why not)

• Comment Box

This question will give me an idea of the things to include in order to attract my target audience, as by pinpointing these things it will allow me to directly target them. 

5: What sort of story do you enjoy reading in a local newspaper? 

• Local News
• Regional News
• International News
• Sport
• Education
• Health
• Arts
• Weather
• Other (please specify)

This will give me the idea of the sorts of articles to make on my front page, and the kind that will be less popular and to keep to smaller boxes throughout the newspaper. It will also give me an idea of the type of audience I want to attract with their interests in mind. 

6: What main colour would you expect the colour scheme of a newspaper to be?

• Red
• Blue
• Black 
• Green
• Yellow
• Pink
• Purple
• Grey
• Other (please specify)

This question, along with my research into pre-existing newspapers, gives me an idea of the aesthetics of my newspaper, which although is a more minor part, is key in the planning and creation of my artefact. 

7: What advertisement(s) do you like to see/attract you in newspapers? 

• Clothing
• Sports
• Food
• Money Off Vouchers
• Leisure Activities
• Events
• Other (please specify)

This is important as adverts play a key part in local newspapers, and therefore knowing what adverts to include are key to attracting the right audience, as well as giving me an idea of the type of audience to address. 

8: What attracts you to read a headline?

• Size of Font
• Colour
• Literary Techniques within the headline (Alliteration, Puns, etc)
• On a topic which interests you
• Contains something shocking/controversial
• Other (please specify)

The headline is one of the most eye catching parts of the newspaper and it was therefore important I find out what my target audience look for in a successful and attractive headline. 

9. How many images do you expect to see on the front page of a newspaper?
(explain your answer in the comment box)

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7 or more
• Other/Add Detail

This is again a question to do with the appearance, but is also key in planning my photo shoots in order to know how many I need to feature to target the correct audience. 

10. How much do you expect to pay for a local newspaper?

• Nothing (Free)
• 1p-15p
• 16p-25p
• 26-40p
• 41-55p
• 56-70p
• 71-90p
• 91p-£1.10
• £1.11-£1.40
• £1.41+
• Other (please specify)

This is not only important in giving me an idea of how much to charge for my newspaper, but generally, the cheaper the newspaper, particularly with free newspapers  the more advertisements and it is therefore key in a number of aspects of the planning and creation.

I created my survey with the website surveymonkey.co.uk and in order to direct my survey straight at my target audience, I posted it on the social networking site 'Facebook' and waited for the responses to roll in! 

Radio Adverts Research

After searching long and hard, I again found it difficult to track down radio advertisement on any newspaper, let alone a local newspaper, therefore, I feel researching into other successful radio adverts would be the most viable and helpful option.

Radio Advertisement 1: More Than 'Courtesy Car'
The first thing than you notice is the distinctive voice in both its TV adverts and it's Radio adverts which makes it extremely memorable.

The script/sound is as follows.

• Opens with a piece of classic music. 
• SFX: A car motor.
• Main narrator: When you wrestle a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired; you stop when the gorilla's tired. 
• (The car motor and music stops.) 
• Main narrator: That's why, if you have a prang and your wheels just aren't turning,
• (classic and inpiring music plays) 
• Main narrator: the good folks at More Th>n could send you a courtesy car within two hours.
• (The car motor starts again.) To find out more, visit morethan.com. I'm More Than Freeman, thank you for listening.
• Second narrator: Excludes Northern Ireland. Offer may be withdrawn at any time. Terms and conditions apply. Comprehensive cover only using our recommended repairers. Excludes total loss.

Length 

The advert is also only 30 seconds long, something I will consider when creating my own advertisement  as too short will mean a lack of information, but too long will mean bored listeners and a lack of interest.

Script

There is a metaphor at the beginning of the advert which draws the audience in as they are keen to know what this gorilla has to do with anything. There is also the use of a personal pronoun 'you' to directly address the audience and let them put themselves in that situation. 

Sound

The music plays not only adds a sense of drama but also is important in not letting the audience get bored, along with the SFX, therefore I feel I should include both of these in my own advert to sound effective and professional. The end of the advert with terms and conditions, however boring, is also important as it gives a sense of legitimacy to the company and is therefore something I should bear in mind also. 

Radio Advertisement 2: Cravendale 'Cats with Thumbs'

For anyone that knows the advert, it is clear this links to the TV advertisement with a similar stock even, having cats with thumbs. This is an important advertisement technique as it gives the brand a recognisable slogan and campaign, something that will be important when I create a poster along with my radio advert, as I will have to continue a similar theme with the two of them.

The script/sound is as follows.

• Main Voiceover: Why do cats stare when you're pouring milk? Scary the way they watch. It's like they know it's only a matter of time. (repetition of time in an almost sinister fashion)
• (Tense and thriller-like music begins to build in the background, gradually getting quicker and louder.)
• Main Voiceover: Time! The only thing between them and opposable thumbs. Imagine that! Cats with thumbs.
• SFX: A cat, sounding slightly sly and evil, meows. 
• Main Voiceover: And what if they got together? Gangs of cats with thumbs . An organised army with one thing on their mind. (VO sounds scary and dramatic) Pure, filtered Cravendale. Well, jog on, kitties. (music stops) It's ours. (music starts up again) Cravendale. The milk matters.

Length

This advert is again short at only 40 seconds long, and this gives me an idea that in order to be most effective, my advert should remain between 30 and 40 seconds. 

Stock Event

Again like the previous advert, there is a stock event, this time involving cats, and therefore I feel it may be important to centre my advert around something in order to keep the audiences focus until the very end. 

Sound

I have also found it to be important to have a strong voice over to keep the advert going, as both adverts have very distinctive voices that are also easy to listen to and therefore I must do the same. The music and sound effects also hold importance in this adverts and are therefore something I will address. 

Newspaper Adverts Research

I found it difficult to find existing examples of Local Newspaper advertisements as these simply do not exist, however I found a number of examples of advertisements for National Newspapers. I feel the reason for the lack of Local Newspaper advertisements may not only be the move towards a digital world, but generally with a smaller audience than national newspapers, often word of mouth is used to spread awareness of a newspaper and therefore huge billboard posters may not be needed. I will therefore take what I learn from national newspapers and attempt to apply them to my own local advertisement. 

Example One: METRO

The Newspaper
Metro is a free tabloid newspaper which is most commonly seen distributed on public transport across the UK, at bus stops and train stations, as well as being distributed to pedestrians, and has been described to contain 'bite-size' news for reading on the go. 

Codes
Image
Immediately the idea of public transport is clearly the key focus of the main and, only image on this advertisement. There is a train in the background, and other passengers clearly rushing around in the background, demonstrating this is a busy scene in which the stock character has stopped to read the newspaper in, supporting the ideology of the newspaper as well as presenting the view that the newspaper is worth reading even on the go. The stock character is clearly a man of business as he is dressed in a suit, and as a young man, goes against the typical stereotype of newspapers being for the older generation, widening the target audience at which this advertisement can be aimed. The use of a 'Railway Modeller' magazine to cover up the 'secret' of the Metro newspaper not only relates to the main text of the advert but also creates a sense of comedy as the stock character is pretending to have stopped at the train station in order to study trains, but the real reason is to read the metro, emphasising that it is not only something worth reading, but also something you don't need to hide. The expression on this man's face also shows he is clearly enjoying reading this, adding to the appeal of the newspaper and increasing it's potential readership and it is shown to be something light hearted to read as opposed to having to really read into the stories to understand the news, again supporting the newspaper's ideology.

Text
'Your dirty little secret' is clearly a pun in relation to the hiding of the metro behind a magazine, and it also immediately draws your eye to the advertisement to find out what the 'secret' is. Furthermore, the use of the word 'your' is a personal pronoun and therefore directly addresses the audience, almost encouraging them to also take up this dirty little secret along with this man in the image, with the ellipsis afterwards as an almost lingering, waiting for them to also read this newspaper. The simple use of just 4 words to advertise the newspaper is also effective as like the readers of the newspaper,the target audience of the poster would not have time to read a long-winded advert and it is therefore important they get their message across in as few words as possible.  

Other Details
The masthead of the newspaper is also repeated at the bottom of the poster in order to reiterate the subject of the advertisement as well as making sure the audience know it is free, as the masthead of the actual newspaper in the advert is slightly harder to see for those just walking past the advert. The inclusion of the website is also important as it emphasises that there is a possibility to access this newspaper online which a lot of people 'on the move' would find useful. In addition it adds extra information for anyone who has time to stop and look into the advert, but is also small enough for those passing by to ignore if they do not feel if they need to look into it further, in a similar way to the inverted triangle theory of newspapers. 

Conventions
Ideology
Due to the joke slogan on the advert, this suggests this newspaper has a more light hearted ideology than most. Overall it displays it as a necessity for everyone to have in their life, and suggests it is everyone's dirty little secret. It generally has a very open ideology, and is clearly a product that is not exclusive but for anyone to enjoy.  

Example Two: THE GUARDIAN 

The Newspaper
The Guardian (and it's sister Sunday paper The Observer) is a national newspaper, daily in the case of The Guardian and is the third most read in the world. It is a Berliner newspaper, a format which covers the middle ground between tabloid and broadsheet newspapers, and is also a Liberal party inclined paper. 

Codes
Image
The image is not just simply a visual representation of the pull out of the newspaper it is advertising, but it is also very eye catching. It appears to be on fire and the bright colours this therefore creates makes it extremely eye catching to a passing by audience. This fire could not only represent obviously the subject of cooking, but also the expression 'hot off the press', implying this something you should purchase while you can.It also looks as though it is making an imprint into the background and it is therefore something very significant and something the audience should let make an 'imprint' into their lives. 

Main Text
The main text is a series of rhetorical questions, immediately drawing the audience in as they wonder what the subject of these questions actually is and therefore leading them to read the sub-text. In addition, the final question uses a personal pronoun, directly addressing the audience to continue reading into the advertisement and they wonder how they actually do 'like their own'. The questions are extremely ambigious, making them more curious to the audience and causing them to be draw in, and as white text on a dark background, also stand out. 

Sub Text
The sub text begins by explaining the information and extra detail not addressed in the main text, providing extra information for those draw in already by the main text, so the intention is not to attract the audience but to inform them, as if they have got to this point, they are likely already interested in the product being advertised. It ends with two extremely short sentences 'Dinner time. Owned', which finalises the information in an effective and capturing way, as having informed the audience, they have now 'owned' them, but expressing the view that there is no other way to have a truly successful dinner time than to purchase The Guardian 'tomorrow' and subsequently also get this pull out that goes along with it. 

'Hash tag', Slogan and Logo
'we own the weekend'  is a repetition of the word 'own' from the sub text, and again implies that this is the only way around having a good weekend, and that it is not possible anywhere else as the Guardian 'owns' it all. The hash-tag in the bottom right hand corner also reiterates it with #owntheweekend, encouraging the use of the social networking site 'Twitter' to spread the word about this advertisement and therefore furthering the audience, social networking is something I hope to make use of in my own product. Finally the logo 'g' in the top right hand corner is well known to represent the Guardian and therefore gives the audience and immediate idea of which newspaper is being advertised. 

Example Three: THE TIMES

The Newspaper                               The Times is a national daily newspaper in 'compact' format, meaning a broadsheet quality newspaper in the format of a tabloid newspaper. It was printed as broadsheet up until 2004 when it began being printed in 'compact' to appeal to commuters and younger readers. It is a varied newspaper in terms of political support.

Codes

Image

The image is simple in terms of detail, being a oversized football in a goal at a football stadium. However, it is highly symbolic in relating to the main text, as well as perhaps implying that as a newspaper it represents a larger football whereas in comparison other newspapers only represent the size of a normal football. This image also gives the audience an immediate idea of the advertisement without even having to read the text, which is handy for those interested in sport as they would become drawn in to the advert, however, for those without an interest in sport, they would be put off and therefore pay no attention to the advert. This advert is therefore clearly aimed at certain readers of the newspaper as opposed to the whole readership. The football in the goal could also represent a goal being scored, and therefore the audience would be winning at the 'game', perhaps of life, if they choose to purchase this newspaper. 

Text

The words 'BIGGEST FOR SPORT' is self explanatory, because as well as relating to the picture, it is a simple statement that portrays to the audience why they should choose The Times to read about sport news. It is important as seen in the other advertisements also to keep words to a minimum in order to not bore or put off your audience, especially as my target audience is young people. Underneath this text there is a list of famous names who also 'read' the newspaper for sport, and as famous people in sport, this will surely not only encourage fans of them to read the newspaper, but also anyone who recognises them as popular names to be reassured this is worth reading. By endorsing these names almost as 'brands' it increases the validity of the advertisement and therefore creates a more popular response. 

Other Details

The logo of the newspaper is included underneath all the other information to inform the audience what newspaper it is actually talking about once it is ensured they are interested in the content of the sport. It also includes the website in the top right hand corner to ensure that if readers wish to know anymore information, they can. 

Existing Products: Mercury

The Wymondham and Attleborough Mercury is also published by Archant and has a sister paper (featuring most of the same stories), The Diss Mercury. It is the most local newspaper to me as I receive it, along with everyone else in my area, free every week (as a weekly newspaper). It is also available to buy for anyone that wants to. It again has Facebook and Twitter and I now know this is something essential to include in my newspaper campaign.


Example Front Page: 7/11/2013
This front page is unusual in that the main photograph is not linked to the main headline. There is instead almost a sub box which features another story further elaborated on in the newspaper. This is most likely because the main story is one of a more solemn theme than 'Lemon Day' and therefore a picture isn't as neccesary or appropriate. Where as 'Lemon Day' is a more mysterious headline and may confuse readers who do not know what 'Lemon Day' is and therefore a picture is perhaps needed for a sense of explanation. The rest of the front is filled with adverts, again important in getting money for a newspaper that is distributed to thousands of houses for free. These adverts are for 2 places in Wymondham, 1 in Diss and 1 in Attleborough, truly covering the whole area of the newspaper's audience. One this I noticed about these adverts is the bright colours used to make it stand out, especially the Yellow in Diss' dentist advert. This is perhaps to do with the connotations of yellow, happiness, opposing those general associated with the dentist, i.e., fear, and therefore show an attempt to change this view and portray it in a more positive light using this colour. The garden centre has very naturally chosen Green as it's main colour for advertisement, along with red to create not only a nature theme but a Christmas one also. There is also an offer at the bottom of the page, something I will likely include as one of the adverts in my newspaper as I feel that everyone is always looking for ways to save money and it would therefore be a way to attract readers to my newspaper. One thing I do not like about this front page is the advert for 'Howards Cycles' on the top right hand corner. It seems randomly places and too small for the space it occupies, and for that reason I would be very careful if considering putting an advert next to the masthead, and it would be more likely I would keep the top part of the newspaper reserved for the masthead only. 

Example Double Page Spread

The first thing I notice about this double page spread is the dominance of adverts on the page. Throughout this newspaper this was the case for pretty much all the double page spreads and its therefore probably something I will strongly consider when planning my own double page spread. There is also two smaller articles rather than one large one, this is something I feel is unique to local newspapers as there is less likely to be large stories and events to cover, and is something I will bear in mind. I really like how busy this newspaper page is, every cm is covered and it has clearly been carefully designed to fit everything in, which makes me think I must think very carefully about my design in order to make it most effective. 

Example Double Page Spread
This double page spread also caught my eye because of the involvement of the General public in the newspaper. This page is entirely dedicated to Letters and I feel this may be an aspect to consider in my newspaper. It will make it stand out in comparison to normal articles as id adds a personal touch, attracting a larger audience as they know if there is anything they want to say, they are able to. I am considering incorporating the two designs above to have one side letters and the other side an article, obviously with adverts as they are very prominent. Either this or I would have letters along with my editorial on my second page. 

Exisiting Products: Eastern Daily Press

This is an example of another Local Newspaper from my area: Eastern Daily Press or EDP. It covers the larger area of Norfolk, North Suffolk and Eastern Cambridgeshire. It is the 'sister' newspaper to Norwich Evening News and consequently shares not only many of the same stories, but also without a doubt the same ideology. Although it is a regional newspaper, it aims to cover the most poignant national news also to allow it's readers to get a wider perspective. It does however aim to be impartial to any political party, with a mission statement of: 'champion a fair deal for the future prosperity of the region'. Like many of the newspapers in the region it is also published by 'Archant'. Again as you can see it uses the same modern technologies that are arguably essential in today's ever-changing world. 

Example Front Cover: 30/04/2011


Headline:
This headline is both simplistic but eye catching and cliché  It does not detail what the story about, however, as a nationwide story as well as one that is relevant to the region (an example of the EDP's wider stance on news), there is no need for a descriptive headline. It is almost associated with fairy tales, therefore making this story have an emotional appeal as the audience both enjoys reading a 'happy ending' and longs for a happy ending themselves. 

Main Image:
This not only compliments the existing headline but also as an image that will surely become iconic in years to come, adds a sense of 'up-to-date' to the newspaper, as it is including one of the most pivotal events, and therefore photographs of the year. 

Masthead
Like many newspaper masthead, it is sans serif, with a colour that is not only simple, but ties in with the rest of the newspaper. It has also become a recognised logo that is associated with the newspaper where ever the same font/colour is used.

Advert
The advert is arguably placed to link to the main article. As an article about a wedding, there is then an advert about 'Formal Fashion', this is a marketing technique that is commonly seen, such as on TV when an artist is featured on a chat show, their album is then featured in the adverts. It is expected that the readers of this issue would be interested in formal occasions and hence the inclusion of the advert.

Other Features
At the bottom there is an almost contents page listing the articles in the issue, this is particular important in this issue as much of the main body is taken up with the same story: the Royal wedding. It is therefore essential that EDP continue to provide the same service to the readers as usual with things such as weather, letters, and lottery numbers.

Example Front Cover: 11/11/13

Headline
The headline starts by using a collective pronoun, not only supporting the ideas and respect behind Remembrance day, but also encouraging readers to show their support too. In addition, this is overall a very simple statement which, along with the poppy, immediately portrays the meaning behind the article and exactly what it is about. 
Image (s)
The main image on the article shows a man bowing his head in respect, showing him 'remembering them' as 'we' should too (according to the headline). The composition of the photo allows a British flag to be shown to the left hand side of the image, with a black clothed man in the foreground this clearly makes him stand out, as a symbol of respect and someone to idolise on this day. In keeping with combining local with international and national news, a smaller photo of the Queen is also included to give the headline a wider and important stance.

Adverts
Adverts are often more featured in local newspapers than they are in national due to the smaller audience and therefore the need to earn money in other ways. Whilst this advert is for furniture, it is something for a local company, important to consider for my newspaper as otherwise it would become very irrelevant to my audience if I were to advertise something national and perhaps less to do with the local area. 

Other Features

There is a box in the right hand corner which also features the rest of the articles under 'INSIDE TODAY'. This is a simple but effective way of featuring a few other stories on the front page as although it does not take up a lot of room, it includes a lot of information and is therefore something to consider when doing my own newspaper.

Exisiting Products: Norwich Evening News

This is an example of a Local Newspaper from my area: Norwich Evening News. It is the best selling newspaper in Norwich and in 2011 it topped the UK regional newspaper league table. It is published daily, currently costing 60p. It is published by Archant, the company which is in charge of nearly all publications and newspaper in Norwich and Norfolk. It has its own website, Twitter and Facebook. I feel it will be important to include such technologies when creating my own newspaper as it will allow me to market the product to my audience easily and quickly. In addition, I feel it would be beneficial to not only create my own newspaper brand, but a publication brand such as Archant also, as this gives the newspaper a recognised logo and strong reputation. This social networking and websites also fit in with the house style of the newspaper, with the same colour scheme, fonts and logos. As a local newspaper, the register of the newspaper and its news agenda is therefore changed accordingly. The register, like most newspapers, is formal and the agenda of the news concerned with local news and priorities within the local area, in this case, Norwich. Its news values are very much to do with proximity and what is close to home in terms of the readers of the newspapers, as when they read a local newspaper they expect to read only local stories, as for national stories they would read a national newspaper.

Example Front Cover: 18/10/13

Colour Scheme

There is a clear colour scheme of red, white and black. This ties in with the logo of ‘Archant’ which is also red, and shows a clear link between the two.  This is

continued throughout the red of the front page, with the main article also being in these 3 colours. 

Archant's Logo

The inclusion of Archant’s logo is

important as it links it to other publications in the area and makes sure the audience is clear that this is a reliable newspaper and one that is likely to contain accurate, relevant and up-to-date news due to Archant’s reputation within Norfolk.

The Website

The website, whilst it is small, is also included in the front page of the newspaper. This is important in portraying that the target audience are more modern than perhaps first considered as this shows and

encouragement to get online as well as read the actual newspaper. It is interesting however that Twitter or Facebook are not referenced on the front cover as perhaps social networking is not as relevant to audience who read the newspaper as a website may be. 

Price

As a daily newspaper I would consider 60p a pretty reasonable price, however, if you

consider that the main headlines are also available on their website, twitter and Facebook, it becomes considerably more expensive. This is therefore arguably a price that is aimed at those who still enjoy buying an actual paper and not necessarily aimed for everyday purchase. 

The Main Article

The main article is set against a black background, immediately portraying the dark  mood of the story. A rhetorical question is used as the headline, making their reader question their own knowledge of the story and therefore be drawn in. In addition, the inclusion of a seemingly sinister photograph of the man the article is talking about also catches the readers eye as he is looking directly into the camera and therefore almost directly at the reader. The article also has evidence of the Inverted triangle with bullet points at the beginning

portraying the most important information, and then smaller writing for those who want to know more. 

Adverts

The adverts included are for a wide range of businesses, from a bus company, to carpets, to gold buyers. This allows a wide audience to be draw in to these different businesses as they are presented with a wide ideology of the newspaper and therefore there is likely to be at least one product, if not then an article, that appeals to them.

Iwitness24

Iwitness24 is an important advertisement to include as it links to a southern organisation  that allows readers to send in their own photos and news into papers in not only

Norfolk, but all over the south. It lets the reader feel involved in the news and therefore encourages interest in the paper.

Masthead

The masthead, as expected in a newspaper, is kept very simple and addresses straight to the point. Particularly poignant is the way Evening News is one logo whereas Norwich is then added on. This makes the idea of Evening News seem like a nationwide thing, and this issue is just particular to Norwich, improving the reputation and appeal of the newspaper.

Sub-articles

These smaller articles that are also featured on the front page are

important in drawing the reader in, as even if they are not immediately appealed to the  main story, these stories, both of which are about local places in Norwich, Dragon Hall and the Royal Arcade, may be of some interest and draw them to the newspaper. In particular on the Dragon Hall article, the colour scheme is continued and the red makes the box stand out against the white background. 

Example Front Cover: 26/10/12 

Here is another example of a Front Cover. Much of the same applies with the previous page, with some minor changes. On this newspaper the cover story is much more light hearted and even includes a rhetorical question, this is also shown through the more coloured, most notably in yellow and green (Norwich City Football Clubs colours) as well as the exciting image and the costumes within it. The adverts on this newspaper also appear to be more family aimed, with a voucher for a popular local restaurant, as well as tickets for a local family day out. As a year previously, the price is also notably 5p cheaper, something I would need to address should my brand be a continuing one. The prominence of the website still remains but this time the sub-article is featured at the top as opposed to the side. This is likely because it is a sports article and therefore those interested would know to turn to the back and it does not therefore need a place in the main body of the newspaper.