Inside Page Analysis

I have annotated two local newspaper inside pages (page 2) in order to research the common conventions of how inside pages usually look. I chose to do my research in The Daily news, which is a newspaper local to Portsmouth, and The Bath Chronicle which is local to Bath and Bristol areas. By researching these newspapers I will be able to reach a conclusion at what I should include in my own inside page of a local newspaper.

The Daily News

On this page, I found that there was no particular colour scheme or artist theme followed. In terms of graphology, the page is mostly black and white other than the images and one advert. the main image featured is of a local boy who appeared in a trailer for Strictly Come Dancing. This shows that they have included a sense of local pride as anyone who wasn't from the area will most likely not be interested. They have done this by including the feature word 'paperboy' in the headline - which in itself has many local and community connotations. 

This page also includes smaller stories about local events, for example "man suffers slash wound" and "CCTV of kebab shop attacker released" - which are both stories that occurred in the local area. 

The other parts of this page that are printed in colour include a quote from the main story about the local boy. They have done this in order for it to stand out and make it easy to get a sense of what the story is about even if the reader only sees the quote and doesn't want to read the whole story. Next to this quote, the editors have also included the boy's name 'Tom Cawte' - also in bold red font - to make it clear the quote is from the same story. 

The local advertisement is also featured in colour. This is a large advert in the bottom right hand corner of the page. The advert's text has been printed in white writing on a red background and on yellow backgrounds to make the ad more appealing. The advert is for a local carpeting company that is local to Portsmouth.

The Bath Chronicle

This page presents a lot of similar features that the other inside page that I analysed did. For example there are links to the newspapers website and social media username for the newspaper at the very top of the page, just like the other newspaper, which shows evidence of technological convergence. Along with this, as it is a local newspaper and not a global tabloid, where the author of an article's name is written, the editors have included a web address for the author or a contact phone number. This represents the fact that the newspaper will be read by a condensed number of people in a small area where people are more likely to include personal contacts. This is something that appears in both the newspapers i have looked at.

This page also doesn't seem to follow a particular colour scheme and the only parts that are printed in colour are the images and the adverts. For example there is a large advert banner across the bottom fo the page for a marketing website and a local vets - 'Bath Vets'. 

The text on this page has been written in justified columns and includes an introductory strap line to the main story. There are also three smaller stories included on this page; two of which only present jump lines as to where the story continues on a further page. this is something the other inside page did not have. 

As for lexis, the adverts on this page have used inclusive pronouns to entice their readers into buying their products/using their services. Shown in "Your weekend magazine."

The images included on this page are taken by local artists, (by lines under images) and show local children from the area holding their dog. this is something that is too personal to put in a National or Global newspaper and will only been found in local newspapers. 

Conclusion

From analysing these two local newspaper inside pages, I have identified common conventions that have been featured in both and seem to be a reoccurring theme. Such as using pictures of local people, taken by local photographers, including social media links and web addresses and contact numbers of writers and editors. I also plan to include adverts on the page's border that promote local businesses. 

Local Newspaper Images

 Image Analysis

Bristol Post

• This edition of the Bristol Post features a large, central image that shows two men kissing which is a representation of how modern and socialist this specific newspaper is. An image like this can trigger controversy and would only belong in a newspaper aimed at a liberal audience. This has been a running theme when investigating The Bristol post conventions.  
• The photographers haven't used actors, they have taken photos on someone's wedding day - this along with the fact that this photo has not been heavily edited, adds emotion and draws the readers attention. 
• This front cover has a main image taking up roughly 50% of the page, with smaller images scattered around it. The newspaper features an article about a singer called Christina Marie and so has a cut out photo of her on a white background in the top right hand corner. It takes up less room that the photo of the two grooms, which shows the article to be of lesser importance than the story the main image is attached to.
• The same technique of placing figures on a white background is also used for two articles in a column along the left hand side. 
• This newspaper in general adds a lot of various different shaped and sized images on its front cover, compared to other local newspapers who are usually more lexis focused. The newspapers imaged are collaged together in a geometric fashion where all photos fit neatly but artistically onto the front cover.

Bath Chronicle

• This version of The Bath Chronicle has a main image covering a large proportion of the front page, from a low angle, taken outside of a well known building in Bath itself. This is something that people from the local area will recognise and be drawn into before anything else, which works as a marketing tool.
• This front cover includes an advert in the top right hand corner for discount on a certain magazine.To advertise this product well, the newspaper has arranged a collage of the magazine fronts to look as if they are in a pile - displaying various different options available.
• This newspaper has used the same technique as the Bristol Post newspaper, by which they have used the image of a rugby player and cut out the background in order to take up less space on the page. This works well as its clear what the story is about and there are no distractions away from the player, by cutting the background out there is also more room made for other adverts.
• Along the advert banner at the bottom of the page, the company 'Silcox and Wicks' are promoting a discount in beds, and so have included a landscape, small picture of one of the products they are selling. It seems to work well including an image of the product itself as it doesn't allow for false advertising. 

Local Newspaper Layout Conventions

Local Newspaper Layout Conventions from Lucy Taylor

Language Analysis

Local newspaper advert taken from The Bath Chronicle

This local newspaper article, taken from The Bath Chronicle, is a factual and informative  article written about a car accident in the area. In the sentence "killing 18 year old Alex" the gerund 'killing' and the passive voice makes this an objective article. In this article it is revealed that the perpetrator was under influence and also had possession of an illegal drug and therefore has put a direct blame onto someone. In terms of this being in a local area, it will be comforting to hear that there was a direct reason why someone was killed and not just a common occurrence or someone intending to kill people. The leading, active verb 'crash' in the headline draws the reader in and and words 'man charged' will also attract readers who may have been following the story and were seeking a conclusion or justice. In this story, the reader has been positioned as an onlooker in the case and as it is written from an objective point of view it almost puts the reader in the position of the jury in court. From regularly looking at local newspapers myself, I have found that it is common for a story to position the reader at some point in the story to make them feel more involved.

Advertisement Further Research

Advert Layout

In these examples of local newspapers, you can see that typically adverts are placed around the outskirts and borders of the page. In the Bristol Post example, the adverts are placed at the very top as an advert banner and in other examples of the same newspaper are either found this way our down the sides in a column. In the Bath Chronicle example a similar technique has been used. There is an advert banner at the very bottom of the page. This leads me to the conclusion that conventionally adverts are placed outside of the articles themselves, which is why I will do the same on my own newspaper.

What is being advertised?

From the audience research I have done, I have found that the audience of my local newspaper is most likely an elderly person in their mid 70's and therefore local newspapers are most likely to advertise products aimed at that group of people. For example in The Bristol Post (above) they have chosen to advertise a chance to win a cruise. Stereotypically, elderly people are more likely to book a cruise than for example a young family. Therefore this is something that will appeal to the reader and hopefully lead to a good response. In the Bath Chronicle (example above), the product advertised is a reduction in bed prices. Furniture is also something that will appeal to an older audience. I am planning to follow this theme and advertise something similar that will appeal to my target audience in my own newspaper.

North Somerset Times and Bristol Post Representation of the Local Area

I decided to look at two very different versions of local newspapers in the same area in order to analyse the targeted audience by each one. The North Somerset Times and The Bristol Post are in the same county and are both covering news about the South West of England, however, each newspaper has a different audience because of the news they include in their paper.

North Somerset Times

This newspaper regularly includes more positive news like the examples below. This is usually things such as local flower shows or charity events that have taken place, or how much money someone has raised for the community. Although both my examples are based on the community, this newspaper doesn't usually include any sport (unless a big event) or any crime and such in their paper as this newspaper has a particularly older audience who may not be interested in things like that. The newspaper itself has contributions largely from an older audience and is therefore who the newspaper is aimed at.

These are two examples of stories from The North Somerset Times. The front page (far top) features three main stories.One about changes in the local hospital, one about a new M&S opening and one about how much money was recently raised for a charity. This front cover is a good representation of how more positive and community friendly articles are published rather than crime and such.

The Bristol Post

In comparison to the last style model, The Bristol Post seems to have a very different theme, based on the location where the newspaper will be published. This paper is published in the city, Bristol is also known for having a young, left wing population and therefore will be read by young, open minded people. The paper usually features local crimes, problems the community is facing as well as achievements and political topics. This is unlike The North Somerset Times, who focus on the 'flowery' articles for the older and more traditional population.

A current controversial article, in relation to the recent EU Referendum vote. Youth today are more interested in topics like this and more interested in current goings on in the local area.

Logo Analysis

Logo Research and Planning from Lucy Taylor