GMG cuts 12 stations' daily news shows


Tuesday May 6 2008

GMG Radio has axed its two daily news programmes across all but one of its 13 FM stations a month after it won four nominations in news categories at the Sony Radio Academy Awards.
The two 15-minute news programmes ran in the lunchtime and drivetime slots across its stable of Real, Century, Smooth and Rock Radio stations.
The group said the resources would be put into providing exclusive material for its news bulletins throughout the day, and a new campaigning strand called The Big Story.
It said there were no planned job losses as a result of the changes, which came into effect yesterday.
Century Radio bagged a total of four nominations for this year's Sony radio awards, which take place next Monday, including the news and current affairs programme award, news journalist of the year, the news feature award and the breaking news award.
105.4 Century FM, which is based in Manchester, was also recognised at the IRN News awards last month, winning three prizes for its coverage of the shooting of Liverpool schoolboy Rhys Jones.
The GMG Radio group head of news, James Rea, said: "By refocusing our news resource we will be able to provide more compelling and original news content for our stations with a focus on the key day parts of breakfast and drivetime."
In a statement, the group said it was refocusing its news resources "to give its stations a more original and campaigning news feel" with a "focus on providing exclusive material for key bulletins as well as news specials on the issues most relevant to our audiences"
It said The Big Story would be an "umbrella title for its news specials and campaigning journalism strand which involves news programming across some or all stations".
The changes affect 12 of GMG Radio's 13 FM stations. The only unaffected station, Rock Radio in Manchester, launched yesterday and has the two bulletins included as part of its licence agreement with Ofcom.
GMG Radio employs journalists across its stations with a 14-strong news hub at its Manchester base.
A GMG Radio spokeswoman said: "There are no planned redundancies as part of these changes. We are constantly assessing our news resource to ensure we have the right teams and support staff in place and this will continue."
GMG Radio is part of Guardian Media Group, which also publishes MediaGuardian.co.uk

This article is about a radio station who have taken away two of their 15 mins radio slots. Seeing as they won an award for their news i think it was not a wise move to take them away.

Media Quiz week 8
1)ITV were fined £4m b'coz of phone scandal
2)Women mag called 'EVE', core readers are women (30 +)
3)Miley Cyrus has offended her young fans through taking sexual photgraphs and revealing her body too much
4)iTunes (Apple)
5)Financial Times

Media Quiz week 7
1)Charles Allen
2)Newsday (Rupert Murdoch)
3)Coca Cola is beign targeted because they are sponsoring the Olympics.
4)Murdoch
5)March of the Penguins, the 2005 documentary that cost $3m to make and took $127m globally at the box office.

Medical show avoids embarrassment

Tuesday April 29 2008

This article was first published on guardian.co.uk on Tuesday April 29 2008. It was last updated at 15:28 on April 29 2008.

Embarrassing Bodies: drew 2.6m viewers. Photograph: Channel 4
The first episode of Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies, which focuses on intimate medical complaints, attracted 2.6 million viewers last night, Monday April 28.
The new series, in which three doctors trawled the country in a travelling surgery, averaged an 11% share in the 9pm hour, according to the unofficial overnight ratings.
It easily beat BBC2's Tanya Byron series Am I Normal?, which examined attitudes to religion and the supernatural. Am I Normal? drew 1.2 million viewers and a 5% share at the same time.
Embarrassing Bodies also attracted 319,000 extra viewers to the Channel 4 +1 catch-up service an hour later.
The 9pm slot was won comfortably by BBC1 police drama Waking the Dead, which picked up 6.8 million viewers and a 29% share with the first of a two-part story about the discovery of a headless corpse.
This was 500,000 viewers and three share points up on last Monday's instalment of the drama.
ITV1's Real Crime documentary, Murder at Harvey Nicks, which traced the 2005 killing of Clare Bernal in the beauty section of the London department store by her former boyfriend, pulled in 3.5 million viewers and a 15% share in the 9pm hour.
In the same slot last week, a one-off episode of Scottish police drama Taggart pulled in 4.7 million viewers a 20% share.
A Channel Five repeat of Paul Merton in China drew 700,000 viewers and a 3% share on Channel 5 at the same time.
Earlier in the evening, a Panorama documentary about alleged corruption at the United Nations scored 2.4 million viewers and a 10% share on BBC1 between 8.30pm and 9pm.
Panorama was inevitably blown out of the water by ITV1 soap Coronation Street which attracted 9.5 million viewers and a 40% share at the same time.
Likewise, EastEnders - which pulled in 9.4 million viewers and a 41% share between 8pm and 8.30pm - smashed ITV1's Tonight special, Bad Manners Britain, which averaged 3.4 million and 15% in the half hour from 8pm.
In the 8pm hour, BBC2's coverage of the world snooker championship drew 1.8 million viewers and an 8% share on BBC2 between 8pm and 9pm.
The full two hours of snooker coverage between 7pm and 9pm cued up 1.5 million viewers and a 7% share for the channel.
Channel 4's offering in the 8pm hour, a Dispatches documentary about the mobile phone industry, picked up 1.3 million viewers and a 5% a share, with another 130,000 tuning in on Channel 4 +1 an hour later.
Five's The Gadget Show attracted 1.2 million viewers and a 5% share in the 9pm hour.

This article is about the television viewings of the week. it shows how much time people spend watching TV! and how the "embarassing bodies" got A LOT of viewers, showing how obsessed we are with our bodies.

2000s

2000s

2000
- George W Bush is declared president elect
- Big Brother launches.
- ITN news channel launched.
- Child of Our Time begins.
-Reformists win control of Iranian parliament for first time since 1979 Islamic revolution (Feb. 26).

2001
- US terrorists attacks. September 11th bombings of the World Trade Centre
-In response to Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. and British forces launch bombing campaign on Taliban government and al-Qaeda terrorist camps in Afghanistan (Oct. 7). Bombings continue on a daily basis. Background: Afghanistan.
-Race riots in Cincinnati continue for several days following a shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer (April 7 et seq.).

2002
- 17th Football World Cup begins
- BBC four launches
-Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan government sign a cease-fire agreement, ending 19 years of civil war (Feb. 22). Background: World in Review
-India's worst Hindu-Muslim violence in a decade rocked the state of Gujarat after a Muslim mob fire-bombed a train, killing Hindu activists. Hindus retaliated, and more than 1,000 died in the bloodshed (Feb. 27 et seq.).
-U.S. and Afghan troops launch Operation Anaconda against remaining al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan (March 2). Background: Taliban Timeline and Afghanistan.

2003
- After giving Saddam Hussain and his sons 48 hours to leave Iraq, Bush orders the firing of missiles on the country’s capital
-Ariel Sharon elected Israeli prime minister (Jan. 29).
-Suicide bombing destroys UN headquarters in Baghdad, killing 24, including top envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello (Aug. 19).
-Palestinian suicide bombing in Jerusalem kills 20 Israelis, including 6 children (Aug. 19).
-Suicide bombers attack two synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey, killing 25 (Nov. 15).
-Saddam Hussein is captured by American troops (Dec. 13).
- Leni Reifenstahl dies

2004
- Tsunami kills hundreds and thousands of people.
- The Secret Policeman documentary looks at institutional racism within the police force.
-Spain is rocked by terrorist attacks, killing more than 200. Al Qaeda takes responsibility (March 11).
- Michael Moore releases Farenheit 9/11
- Mel Gibson releases Passion of the Christ

2005
- Desperate Housewives (Kiran’s Independent Study)
- Iraq elections take place
-Pope John Paul II Dies (April 2). Benedict XVI becomes the next pope (April 24).
-Tony Blair becomes first Labour Party prime minister to win three successive terms, but his party loses a large number of seats in the elections (May 5).
-The European Union abandons plans to ratify the proposed European constitution by 2006 after both France and the Netherlands vote against it (June 16).
-London hit by Islamic terrorist bombings, killing 52 and wounding about 700. It is Britain's worst attack since World War II (July 7).
-Group of Eight industrial nations pledge to double aid to Africa to $50 billion a year by 2010, cancel the debt of many poor countries, and open trade (July 8).

2006
-A Danish newspaper challenges taboos against illustrations of Muhammad by printing several negative cartoons depicting him. Angry demonstrators throughout the Muslim world smash windows, set fires, and burn flags of Denmark and other nations whose newspapers reprint the cartoons (Feb. 4 onward).
-Saddam Hussein is convicted of crimes against humanity by an Iraqi court (Nov. 5), and hanged in Baghdad. A witness videotapes the hanging using a cell phone and captures the chaos that unfolds as Shiite guards taunt Hussein (Dec. 30).

1990s

1990s

1990
- Thatcher steps down from prime minister. John Major comes in
- British Satellite Broadcasting makes its debut but the company is quickly hit by financial difficulties. It then merges with Sky
- Yugoslav Communists end 45-year monopoly of power.
- Nelson Mandela is freed after being imprisoned for 27yrs.
-The X rating is replaced by NC-17 (no children under 17).

1991
- The Broadcasting Standards Council is set up to monitor sex, violence and bad language on radio and tv.
- Europeans end sanctions on South Africa (April 15). South African Parliament repeals apartheid laws (June 5).

1992
- Previously agreed by EC governments in 1991, the treaty on closer political and economic union between European states is finally signed.
- Channel 4 ‘The Big Breakfast’ begins
-Bush and Yeltsin proclaim a formal end to the Cold War (Feb. 1).
-US lifts trade sanctions against China (Feb. 21).

1993
-Vaclav Havel elected Czech President (Jan. 26).
-British House of Commons approves European unity pact (May 20). Maastricht -Treaty takes effect, creating European Union (Nov. 1).
-Twenty-two UN troops killed in Somalia (June 5).
-Clinton agrees to compromise on military's ban on homosexuals (Jan. 29).
-Five arrested, sixth sought in bombing of World Trade Center in New York (March 29).

1994
-Thousands dead in Rwanda massacre (April 6).
-South Africa holds first interracial national election (April 29); Nelson Mandela elected President.
-Israel signs accord with Palestinians (May 4), peace treaty with Jordan (Oct. 17).
-IRA declares cease-fire in Northern Ireland (Aug. 31). Ulster Protestants declare cease-fire (Oct. 13).
- Friends and ER begin.

1995
- OJ Simpson found not guilty.
- The Rhona Cameron show for gays and lesbians.

1996
- First GM food goes on sale.
- The Simpsons arrive to the BBC.
-France agrees to end nuclear testing (Jan. 29). Background: nuclear disarmament
-Britain alarmed by an outbreak of "mad cow" disease (March 20 et seq.).
-Ethnic violence breaks out in Zairian refugee camps (Oct. 13); Clinton approves plan for UN-backed relief mission for 1.2 million Hutu refugees starving in eastern Zaire (Nov. 13). Hundreds of thousands return to Rwanda (Nov. 15–18).

1997
- Channel 5 launches.
- The ‘Teletubbies’ begins.
- News 24 launches.
-Tony Blair leads Labour to huge victory making him the youngest prime minister.
- Princess Diana and Mother Teresa die.
-US, UK, and France agree to freeze Nazis' gold loot (Feb. 3).
-Hong Kong returns to Chinese rule (June 30).

1998
- Viagra goes on sale.
- ITV screens a three-part series about the wave of women MPs that have arrived with the advent of Tony Blair’s Labour Gov.
-ITV2 launches.
-Europeans agree on single currency, the euro(May 3).
-India conducts three atomic tests despite worldwide disapproval (May 11, 13). Pakistan stages five nuclear tests in response (May 29, 30).
-US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania bombed (Aug. 7). US cruise missiles hit suspected terrorist bases in Sudan and Afghanistan (Aug. 20).

1999
- Total Eclipse (I remember this I thought I was going to be blind if I looked directly)
- Queer as Folk- gay sitcom which received complaints about the sex scenes
- Last transmission of ITV’s news at 10
- Television cameras are allowed into the House of Commons for the first time on an experimental basis.
-Nelson Mandela, first black president of South Africa, steps down (June 16), and Thabo Mbeki takes over.
-Pakistani government is overthrown in the midst of economic strife and intensified fighting with India over Kashmir (Oct. 12). Background: 1999 in Review.
-The world awaits the consequences of the Y2K bug, with more drastic millennial theorists warning of Armageddon.

1980s

1980s

1980
- Debut of Margaret Thatcher’s ‘truly favourite programme.’ In 1984, the PM performs in her own sketch with Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington to mark the 20th anniversary of the National Viewers and Listeners Association
- The oil tycoon is shot at the end of the second series of US soap Dallas, promoting a national obsession over who pulled the trigger and even a BBC report.
- Women police officers have been on Britain’s streets since the 1949, but it isn’t until the 1980s that TV really takes notice
- Telethons come to the UK for the first time with the BBC’s appeal show. Comic Relief follow in 1988
- 6 US embassy aides escape from Iran with Canadian help
- US diplomatic ties with Iran
- Ronald Reagan elected president in Republican sweep
- Ted Turner launches CNN, the first all news network

1981
- Lord Scarman’s report following the Brixton race riots leads to the introduction of the Police Complaints Authority and other measures aimed at improving trust improving trust between the police and ethnic minority communities
- A worldwide TV audience of 750 million watch the Royal wedding which features the first Buckingham Palace ‘balcony kiss’
- The Supreme Courts rules to allow television cameras in the courtroom

1982
- Roger Graef and Charles Stewart’s fly-on-the-wall series for the BBC following the Thames Valley Police is broadcast a year after the 1981 race riots
- Falklands War
- Channel 4 launches
- ‘The Young Ones’ sitcom full of topical references to Thatcher’s government, police brutality and the Bomb.
- ‘Brookside’ The show’s continual use of the word ‘pissing’ and ‘bollocks’ lead to tabloids to dub the new station ‘Channel Swore’

1983
- Terrorist explosion kills 237 US marines in Beirut
- BBC 1 Breakfast Time a month later TV AM begins on ITV

1984
- The longest industrial dispute in British history begins over proposed pit closure in Yorkshire. Miners return to work in 1985 after national campaigns of support, pitched battles with police and 10,000 arrests.
- Micheal Buerk reports broadcasts from Ethiopia about the famine
- Italy and Vatican agree to end Roman Catholicism as a state religion.
- Three hundred slain as Indian Army occupies Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar (June 6).
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi assassinated by two Sikh bodyguards; 1,000 killed in anti-Sikh riots; son Rajiv succeeds her (Oct. 31).
Toxic gas leaks from Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, killing 2,000 and injuring 150,000 (Dec. 3).

1985
- Eastenders begins at 7pm then moves to a later time after various complaints of it often containing gritty subject matter
- Gorbachev become Soviet Leader
- The Home Secretary Leon Brittan asks the BBC governors to stop the broadcast of At Edge of the Union an edition of Real Lives about extremists in Northern Ireland.

1986
-Nuclear disaster in Ukraine more than 10,000 dead.
- 5 years after the first cases of Aids were discovered. John Hurt narrates the ‘Don’t die of ignorance’
-Spain and Portugal join European Economic Community
- US supreme courts bars racial bias in trial jury selection.
- US supreme courts reaffirms abortion rights.

1987
- Women are able to become priests in the Church of England
- ‘Rising star of the New Right’ The series spans Thatcher and major governments and often pre-empts the sex scandals and other embarrassments that plague the Tories in the late 80’s
- Prime Minister Thatcher wins rare third term in Britain.
-US supreme courts rules must admit women
- Fatal Attraction the film is released.

1988
- The government fails to prevent the broadcast of ITV’s investigative documentary about the British Special Forces’ controversial killings of 3 IRA gunmen in Gibraltar. The Sun newspaper had a headline ‘Storm as SAS Telly Trial’
- Benazir Bhutto first Islamic woman prime minister

1989
- Neelema and Kiran were born
- Channel 4 helps cement its reputation as the broadcaster most attuned to multicultural Britain, with a sitcom ‘Desmonds’ set in Peckham.
- Sky launches the UK’s first satellite television service.
- ‘Blackadder goes forth’ sitcom set during the First World War set in the trenches.
- Fall of the Berlin Wall
-Salman Rushdie's novel Satanic Verses is published and sparks immediate controversy. Islamic militants put a price on his head.

1970s

1970:

-Biafra surrenders after 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria.

-Doctors are writing 4.8 million prescriptions for Librium in England alone.

1971:

-Shillings disappear in Britain and decimals come in.

1972:

-Bloody Sunday,peaceful civil-rights march in Derry descends into chaos as British paratroopers open fire, killing 14 irish civilians.

-Newsround, first news programme for children.

-Second longest running soap on Brit tv = Emmerdale.

- Supreme Court rules that death penalty is unconstitutional (June 29).

-Eleven Israeli athletes at Olympic Games in Munich are killed after eight members of an Arab terrorist group invade Olympic Village.

1973:

-Great Britain, Ireland, and Denmark enter European Economic Community.

-Chile's Marxist president, Salvadore Allende, is overthrown.

-Watergate Trial, trial of 7 men accused of bugging the Democratic Party HQ in Washington leads to constitutional crisis.

-First teletext system is devised by BBC technicians.

-Fourth and biggest Arab-Israeli conflict begins as Egyptian and Syrian forces attack Israel as Jews mark Yom Kippur, holiest day in their calendar (Oct. 6

1974:

-Local Government Act reforms local government; replaces counties with metropolitan and non-metropolitan county and district councils.

-Patricia Hearst, 19-year-old daughter of publisher Randolph Hearst, kidnapped by Symbionese Liberation Army, later she takes part in the gang's terror activities, claiming she had been brainwashed.

1975:

-Equal Pay Act makes it illegal for men and women to have different terms and conditions of employment.

1976:

-Supreme Court rules that blacks and other minorities are entitled to retroactive job seniority.

-Trial of Liberal MP Jeremny Thorpe begins after allegations that he had arranged to murder a man with whom he had had a homosexual relationshiop.

-Bill Grundy from Sex Pistols says F word live on early evening tv, Pistols are dropped from their record label, the punk movement gains nationwide publicity.

1977:

-First woman Episcopal priest ordained.

-Elizabeth II celebrates her Silver Jubilee; 25 years on the throne.

1978:

-Winter of Discontent': during strikes power cuts and fuel shortages commonplace.

-Over 900 members of Reverend Jim Jones' cult die after a mass suicide/murder at their compound in Guyana, where poisoned juice is distributed, or force fed to his followers.

-Home cooking is in decline as people turn to takeaways, Delia takes charge!

1979:

-Margaret Thatcher becomes prime minister (first woman to hold the office).

-Oil spills pollute ocean waters in Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.

-Revolutionary forces under Muslim leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, take over.

-Soviet invasion of Afghanistan stirs world protests (Dec. 27).

1960s

1960:

-Kennedy elected as President-seventy million people watched.

-Queen first message at Christmas.

-Top Nazi murderer of Jews, Adolf Eichmann, captured by Israelis in Argentina (May 23)—executed in Israel in 1962.

-Communist China and Soviet Union split in conflict over Communist ideology.

-The Pill goes on sale
Oral contraception which is 99% effective has a liberating effect on the English approach to sex.

1961:

-Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space.

-First episode of Songs of Praise.

-U.S. breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba.

- Cuba invaded at Bay of Pigs ( an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles, supported by the U.S. government) by an estimated 1,200 anti-Castro exiles aided by U.S.; invasion crushed.

1962:

-Marilyn Monroe dies of a drug overdose at age 36.
-Government regulations force studios out of the talent agency business.

-Kennedy orders Cuban blockade.

-Cuba releases 1,113 prisoners of 1961 invasion attempt.

-Burundi, Jamaica, Western Samoa, Uganda, and Trinidad and Tobago become independent.

1963:

-JFK assassinated, shot and killed by Jack Ruby, Dallas nightclub owner

-Civil rights rally held by 200,000 blacks and whites in Washington, D.C.; Martin Luther King delivers “I have a dream” speech (Aug. 28).

-Kenya achieves independence.

1964:

-Nelson Mendela sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of high treason, sparking off protests around the world.

-Top of the Pops.

1965:

-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and more than 2,600 other blacks arrested in Selma, Ala., during three-day demonstrations against voter-registration rules.

-Malcolm X, black-nationalist leader, shot to death at Harlem rally in New York City

-Churchill dies.

-'Tomorrow's World', a show about new technologies and inventions.

-Kenneth Tynan first person to say F word on tv.

1966:

-England World Cup.

1967:

-First heart transplant.

-Coronation Street, 20 million viewers.

-Stamp with Queen on it.

-Sexual Offences Act
This Act ends the total ban on sex between men which has been in place since 1885.

1968:

-Sudents riot in Paris as they object to the apparent closure of the city's uni. hundreds arrested.

-First black woman police officer.

-First issue of Time Out. The essential listings guide to everything that's cool in London.

-"Rivers of Blood" speech. Enoch Powell makes his "Rivers of Blood" speech in Birmingham, stirring up racial prejudice and calling for forced re-patriation of immigrants.

1969:

-Stonewall riot in New York City marks beginning of gay rights movement.

-Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on the moon.

-Kray Twins convicted of murder. The East End's most notorious gangsters are convicted at the Old Bailey. The Kray twins were celebrities as well as violent criminals.

-Concorde was created.

-Benny Hill's first appearance - known for chasing scantily clad women, Benny Hill is one of this country's top comedy exports.

-voting age reduced to 18.

-Women's Liberation Workshop is founded.

-Parliament votes to outlaw capital punishment.

1950s

1950:

-Korean War begins when North Korean Communist forces invade South Korea (June 25).

-First BBC programme for toddlers.

-Saturday morning children's programming begins.
-Phonevision, the first pay-per-view service, becomes available.

-First time television images are transmitted across the channel.

-BBCs first broadcast from the House of Commons.

-Assassination attempt on President Truman by Puerto Rican nationalists (Nov. 1).

1951:

-King Geogre opens the Festival of Britain, marking the anniversary of the Great Exhibition of 1851-capturing the post-war public's imagination.

-Julius and Ethel Rosenberg sentenced to death for passing atomic secrets to Russians (March).

- Libya gains independence (Dec. 24).

-Television cameras are allowed on 10 Downing Street for the first time.

-CBS in the US transmits the first colour programme.

-Hydrogen bomb developed.

1952:

-George VI dies, his funeral is broadcasted live on television, first time a monarch's funeral could be shared=establishing a tradition of Royal television events; his daughter becomes Elizabeth II (Feb. 6).

-Identity Cards are abolished.

-The first programme for deaf children (BBC)

-BBC's first major panel games, 'Animal, Vegetable, Mineral?'

-London smog kills 4,000 Londoners from respiratory diseases

1953:
-James Watson and Francis Crick discover the structure of the DNA, they announce that they have "found the secret of life", their work explains genetic inheritance.

-To counteract the threat of television, Hollywood thinks big and develops wide-screen processes.

-East Berliners rise against Communist rule.

-Egypt becomes republic ruled by military junta.

-Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed in Sing Sing prison.

-Moscow announces explosion of hydrogen bomb.

-The Queen's coronation is the first time TV gets a bigger audience than radio! (BBC)

-First British science-fiction series (BBC).

-Panorama airs as a cultural review (BBC).

-Heart and lung machine first used in surgery.

1954:

-The revenue for television broadcasters finally surpasses that of radio broadcasters. Gross revenue for television is $593 million.

-Algerian War of Independence against France begins (Nov.); France struggles to maintain colonial rule until 1962 when it agrees to Algeria's independence.

-First in-vision weatherman-George Cowling (BBC).

-First transmission of newsreel (BBC).

-Television Act becomes law.

-'The Grove Family' is first soap for adults (BBC).

-David Attenboroug becomes a star!

1955:

-Rosa Parks, a black American, refuses to move from the white section of a bus in Alabama=boycott of local buses by blacks and helps set in motion of the US Civil Rights movement (Martin Luther King).
-James Dean dies in a car accident at age 26.
-BBC's monopoly of British TV is over as ITV begins broadcasting.

1956:

-First European Cup Final

1957:

-first Earth-orbiting satellite—the Space Age begins.

-Lewisham Train crash, 92 people die when 2 trains collide in the fog

1958:

-European Economic Community (Common Market) becomes effective

-The first CND protests.

-Blue Peter.

-Notting Hill riots.

1959:

-M1 motorway opens.

-First Sikh temple in Southall.

-Rumors of cheating on quiz shows erupt into a national scandal.

-Cuban President Batista resigns and flees—Castro takes over.

-Tibet's Dalai Lama escapes to India.

London's economy and jobs
Manufacturing firms flourished during the 1950s, particularly those making consumer goods such as televisions, washing machines and radios. 'White collar' jobs were on the increase as an office boom brought over 50,000 new jobs to London and service took a bigger share of London’s overall economy.
By the 1950s services accounted for 51% of London’s economy, manufacturing accounted for 42%. Women benefited most from the new office jobs. During the 1950s women came to outnumber men in London's offices, for the first time ever.

Wednesday, April 02nd cover work-essay for 'The Sun online' homepage and BBC News report.

Text One is 'The Sun Online' homepage (07/04/08) from the internet and the function of it is to inform people of the daily news. Text Two is the BBC News report (04-06-89) about the Tiananmen Square massacre, the function of this is also informing the people about news.

The BBCs main aim is to inform, educate and entertain (Reighian). This news clip both informs and educates the audience as it is informing them of the massacre in Tiananmen square which is in a different country, therefore they do not have a great deal of insight on it. The audience are being educated about worldwide events and are learning about politics in different countries. This clip shows that the BBC considers global news as well as local. However, on The Sun homepage, this is not the case as all of the stories are either from America or Britain. This reflects the globalised world we live in today. The difference of stories in both texts reflect upon the suggested target audience. The BBC clip is considered "hard news" (Galtung and Rouge) because it is based upon a serious political story, whereas The Sun homepage is considered "soft news" as most of the stories are about celebrities. Therefore, the audience for the BBC in 1989 were presumably middle/upper class professionals, whereas the audience for The Sun homepage are probably working class.

The BBC news clip shows the political "mayhem" China was in during the 1980s. This story can be linked to current issues in China regarding Tibet which have featured on BBC news. Here, China is represented as a politically unstable and corrupt country because it is still seen as being in distress. This also represents the BBC as liberal because they are focusing on news from an LEDC Asian country, which 18 years ago was probably not seen as important as it is now, however, the BBC did regard it as an important story. Nevertheless, the victims are represented as "naive" by the BBC, this could represent the BBC as being offensive towards Chinese people, also, they would probably not be able to say this about residents of another country in today's news because it would be seen as offensive and they would receive many complaints as England is a much more multicultural country than it was in the 80s. This offensive attitude towards another country can be seen as hegemonic because the presenter is white and the BBC have been criticised as being "ridiculously white" (Greg Dyke), therefore, the audience are being injected with white ideologies. However, todays multiculturalism and acceptance of different ethnicities are reflected on The Sun homepage as there are three stories regarding black people, one is about the singer Jay-Z and the other is about footballer Rio Ferdinand and finally, there is an article about chat show host Trisha Goddard. On the other hand, even though this is showing racial equality by signifying the importance of black people today, it also supports the point that black people are portrayed as "entertainers" (Tony...).

Furthermore, representation remains an issue. On The Sun homepage, there is over representation of women. However, women are sexually objectified as there are approximately four stories regarding women,and the word "sexy" and pictures of women in lingerie. This is not surprising as The sun is infamous for their Page Three. Moreover, the owner of The Sun is Rupert Murdoch, therefore it can be seen as a hegemonic newspaper as the audience are being injected with male ideologies that women are to be looked at, reinforcing Laura Mulvey's theory that women are to be looked at by the male gaze. On the other hand, this is not the case of the BBC where the presenter is a woman, therefore she is represented as an educated, professional and independent woman as opposed to being infamous for selling her body (Jordan story from The Sun homepage) and is not sexually objectified. Again, this represents the BBC as liberal.

Whilst the BBC news clip discusses the rage in China, The Sun newspaper is still clinging on to the Diana inquest. Even though Princess Diana died twelve years ago The Sun still feel it is important to discuss her death, this could represent The Sun as patriotic because it symbolises the importance of royalty to England. This can also be supported by the fact that the main colour scheme on The Sun homepage is red and white, which are also predominant colours of the English flag. Similarly, this is also a main headline on the BBC homepage (07/04/08).

The differences between these two texts are that The Sun homepage has an advantage because it is accessible to the nation. As the internet is growing every day, almost every household has access to the internet, therefore, the headlines on The Sun homepage can be viewed 24/7 whereas the BBC news clip was aired on TV, therefore it was probably not as effective as The Sun homepage is today. However, the BBC now have a website, a text service which enables their eudience to receive texts about the main headlines (no matter what country they are in), ability to watch the news online and a BBC News channel. Therefore, the BBC are now much more effective in pleasing their audience.

media guardian story
The BBC3 controller, Danny Cohen, has bought the antipodean mockumentary series Summer Heights High from the Australian broadcaster ABC.The BBC digital channel will show the eight-part series, a darkly comic parody of Australian school life, shot in the style of a documentary and created by the comedian Chris Lilley, later this year.In the series Lilley plays all three main characters, including a camp drama teacher called Mr G, who is known for writing musicals for his students including one called Tsunamarama, based on the events of the 2004 tsunami disaster, set to the music of Bananarama.Lilley also plays Ja'mie King, a pampered and manipulative 16-year-old female student transferred from a private school.He also plays the rebellious 13-year-old Pacific Islander student Jonah Takalua, who is known for scrawling his graffiti tag "dicktation" around Summer Heights High, and for phrases such as "I'm not dumb, I'm just choosing not to be smart at the moment".The supporting cast includes David Lennie as the social officer Doug Peterson, and Kristy Barnes-Cullen as the English teacher Sarah Wheatley.Summer Heights High has already been bought by the US cable network HBO and attracted the support of the influential showbiz blogger Perez Hilton, who recently called it one of his "favourite shows on the planet". The Australian show will be broadcast in the US later this year.When it debuted on ABC in September last year, the series, which is shot in Melbourne, also performed well, peaking at 1.6 million viewers and averaging about 1.2 million, an overall share of around 20%.Lucy Lumsden, the BBC's controller of comedy commissioning, said: "Summer Heights High is a fantastic addition to the BBC3 comedy lineup for 2008 - with a truly brilliant central performance from Chris Lilley."

THIS ARTICLE IS IMPORTANT AS IT LOOKS AT DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROGRAMMES IN AUSTRAILIA WHICH THE BBC IS AIMING TO INVEST IN. THIS ARTICLE ALSO INCLUDES INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS ABC AND HBO WHICH YOU CAN INCLUDE IN YOUR ISSUES AND DEBATES MODULE

Which company is Microsoft in merger talks with, and why?
ITV to support a share price.

Which Broadband provider narrowly avoided sanctions from the ASA this week?
Virgin Media

Who featured on YouTube, describing scientology as 'a blast'?
Tom Cruise

What, according to Screen Digest's latest report, is behind a 38% increase in online TV viewing?
BBC IPlayer

Which controversial E4 drama is set to return for a second series?
Skins

Which 3-month strike looks set to be resolved just in time for the Oscars?
Hollywood's striking film and TV writers.

Which film surprised the bookies by winning the most Baftas?

Edith Piaf biopic, La Vie En Rose

Which recent media scandal appears to have hit BT's share price?

Mini laptop

Which black comedian has recently criticised the media for being 'too white and too middleclass'?

Lenny Henry

Who has attacked the BBC, complaining that its programming decisions are based on 'its own survivalist needs rather than the licence-payer's desires'?

Grange Hill creator Phil Redmond has criticised the BBC for axing the school drama


Channel 4 have just made a new appointment. Who have they appointed and why is that appointment controversial?
Jonathon Ross and Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal is set to be the first to move in a deal reported to be worth around £1m - twice what the BBC felt it could offer.

Which popular website has been banned in Pakistan, and why?
You Tube because of anti-Islamic film clips.

What aspect of the internet is culture secretary, Andy Burnham, determined to crack down on?

film production to recorded music, from advertising to fashion.

Didn't he do well to reach 80? (Question: who on earth am I talking about?)

Bruce Forsythe

ITV's programming has recently undergone a revamp. Which audience were they attempting to reach out to?

younger, upmarket viewers

Which pair of auteurs won an impressive number of Oscars last week?

The Coen brothers

2. Which royal was the subject of a controversial media blackout recently, and why?

Prince Harry, an Australian magazine wrote about that the third in line to the throne was on deployment in Helmand Province

3. Why is Michael Grade under pressure this week?

ITV's profits fell 35% year on year and with the company's share price faltering.

4. Which natural history presenter bowed-out on Monday night, and how many viewers tuned-in to watch his swansong?

David Attenborough, 6.1 million viewers.

5. Which Tory peer and one-time Daily Telegraph owner has just been jailed for embezzlement?

Conrad Black

Why is BBC Worldwide's acquisition strategy under fire?
lower profits this year.

2. Which series of programmes has opened the BBC up to allegations of racism?

White Season

3. Why has the ASA banned the latest ad for Ghd's hair straighteners?

because it was likely to cause serious offence, especially to Christians, and banned it from British screens.

4. Why are some blaming the press for the suicide of Chief Constable Mike Todd?

Unconfirmed reports stated that Todd's behaviour over the past few days had concerned colleagues, and there was speculation that a Sunday newspaper was planning to run a story on him.

5. Which glossy women's mag is about to undergo an online re-launch?

Cosmopolitan

McCann lawyers warn Express group

Friday March 7 2008

Lawyers acting for Kate and Gerry McCann are considering taking legal action against Express Newspapers over what the couple claim to be a series of "wildly and grossly defamatory" articles about their missing daughter Madeleine.
The McCanns have made official complaints to Richard Desmond's newspaper group about its coverage in the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday through London law firm Carter Ruck, which specialises in high profile libel cases.
They are thought to be particularly upset by the coverage in the Daily Express, which has splashed on a nearly daily basis on the Madeleine case with what they believe are increasingly lurid stories and headlines.
The McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, confirmed that complaints had been made to the newspaper group.
"Carter Ruck have been instructed to act on behalf of the McCanns to seek redress and discussions are ongoing, but beyond that it would be inappropriate to speculate on other courses of action," he said.
Adam Tudor, who is acting for the McCanns at Carter Ruck, added: "I and my firm have been instructed to bring complaints on their behalf and these complaints are ongoing."
The McCanns' legal moves against Express Newspapers were reported by Private Eye this week, although Mitchell said the magazine's claim that the McCanns were seeking £4m in damages was "wildly speculative".
He added that any damages won would go back into the Find Madeleine fund, which currently stands at £544,000 - nearly half the £1.2m it started with.
Mitchell said the McCanns were not targeting any one story in particular but were angry about a series of "wildly and grossly defamatory articles".
It is understood the McCanns are focussing on Express Newspapers as they believe its newspapers to be "amongst the worst offenders" and want a full apology and damages as well as costs.
Under UK law, the McCanns and their lawyers have a year from the publication of an article to decide whether they wish to take legal action against its content.
It is thought that in the case of the coverage they are assessing, that year would be up some time in mid-May and a decision must be taken by then.
Express Newspapers was contacted by MediaGuardian.co.uk but had not commented by the time of publication.

This article is about a newspaper which has been writing 'bad' articles about Madeline McCann, i think this is wrong of the newspaper to do because they should be sympathetic and not try and sell more newspapers by writing cruel things about a kid-how sadistic! However, partially i think this whole situation is completely the McCanns fault, it was their fault for wanting so much publicity in the first place for losing their daughter (by leaving her ALONE-who does that, especially in a foreign country?) The McCanns need to be realistic, she's dead, after going on about it for so long the kidnapper is not going to keep her alive.

Psycho 1960 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG3-GlvKPcg

Media Language:
Black and white, lots of close up shots at the beginning of the trailer=makes it seem mysterious because the audience do not know what the significance of them are, loud music at the beginning=engages the audience, music then changes and there is a man on the screen talking, costumes=old fashioned clothing, medium shot of woman looking scared, long shot of a house with dark lighting causes mystery because it obviously has some significance and because it is in the dark it creates a 'spooky' atmosphere, man in sunglasses=suspicious, police man=trouble, "what are you running away from?" = someone is in trouble for doing??? Blood, knife= phallic symbol=murder.

Institution:
Alfred Hitchcock= the audience are only aware that it is his film in the middle of the trailer, this is probably because he is a well established producer and people will recognise his films.

Genre:
Horror, this is suggested by the music and the expression on the characters faces, knife = killings.

Representation:
Girl gets killed=portrayed as vulnerable, man=killer.

Audience:
aimed at people who have probably seen Hitchchock films before or are a fan of his films, aimed at predominantly men because they are (suggestedly) more interested in horror movies than women.

Ideologies:
Men are shown as killers (psycho), male voice over=dominant, patriarchal society.

Narrative:
chronological order, the narrative fulfills the genre.


Halloween 2007 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kww5KSqzV9U

Media Language:
opens with a voice over=sounds scary because he has an exra deep voice, and is speaking slowly. Dark colours, green and black, set at night = spoooky, something scary is going to happen , animal cruelty-similar to that of Fatal Attraction. use of masks creates suspense, also apparent in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Genre:
horror, this is obvious to the audience because the music in the background and the slow voice over, colours used etc.

Representation:
the woman is represented as vulnerable at the beginning of the trailer because she is beoing groped by a man and is scantily clad.

Audience:
Fans of horror movies. Men because they supposedly prefer the horror genre.

Ideologies:
patriachal=male voice over

Similarities:
Both trailers have knives, male voice over, low key lighting and a woman screming.

ESSAY:

The Psycho trailer opens with a more engaging scene than the Halloween trailer because at the beginning of the Psycho trailer the audience instantly see one of the main clips of the movie and the music is very engaging (string instruments, a typical convention of slasher). This automatically engages the audience because it creates suspense right from the beginning of the trailer. However, the beginning of the Halloween there is a slow speaking male voice over. This connotes a patriarchal society because the trailer makers are relying on the voiceover to sell the movie. There is also a male voice over in the Psycho trailer but does not appear as quickly as the on in Halloween. Furthermore, the Halloween trailer also relies on on-screen text. This could portray that more recently (when Halloween, 2007) there are more slasher movies made resulting in more competition, whereas when Psycho was made there was not so much competition as opposed to Halloween.

Furthermore, both trailers use close-up-shots to create suspense and focus on the emotions of the characters. In both trailers the victims are women, again this suggests a patriarchal society because the male is dominant and has all power. The women are represented as victims suggesting that they should be punished for whatever sin they have committed. Similarly, this is also the case in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) where the female who is most sexually active (and coincidentally wearing red) gets killed first. Both films having the female victim shows that women are still under represented in society because they are still portrayed as victims and vulnerable as opposed to being successful. This could suggest that the target audience of both films are males because women may feel oppressed by watching women portrayed in such a way whereas, men may find it satisfying watching a woman being tortured especially with the use of close-ups the male can feel as if they are in control of the women on screen.

Moreover, another similarity of both trailers is that they both use knives. This is a typical convention of a slasher genre and shows that it is obviously successful because they still use knives. Again, this can suggest that the audience of these films are males because knives suggest a gruesome clips and it is a fact that women prefer to watch ‘chick flicks’ or ‘romantic comedies’. Another generic convention both trailers use is low-key lighting. Low-key lighting is used to create an eerie effect and cause suspense because people know that murders and generally ‘bad things’ happen during night time. Both trailers also focus on an isolated house. Again this is a convention of slasher movies as this is also apparent at the beginning of ‘I know what you did last summer’. This is done so the audience can sympathise with the characters because being alone during creates an uncanny feeling anyway. Finally, the female screaming is also used in both trailers. This is done to reassures the audience there is some kind of horror present in the film and makes them want to watch the movie because they will as to what happens, who it is that is screaming and whether the issue is resolved or not (creating suspense throughout the movie).

The Psycho trailer fulfils its genre by asking rhetorical questions: “What are you running away from?” This is done to scare the audience because they know someone is after another person in the film and again creates anticipation. In Halloween the narrator and on-screen texts states that “there exists a dark side in everybody”. This is done to create characterisation so the audience can sympathise and empathise with the characters. Equally, in both trailers the audience are addressed, the effect of this is that the audience will partially feel the victim throughout the film to make them feel frightened, therefore the film will be fulfilling its genre.

The main difference is that Psycho is a black and white film whereas Halloween is in colour. In the 60’s (when Psycho was produced) the technology was not as advanced as it was when Halloween was produced.
Halloween has the advantage and therefore seems more realistic as opposed to Psycho which because it looks so dated (to viewers now), seems like an unrealistic ‘story’. Therefore, the audience would find it easier to adapt to the settings making it easier for them to put themselves in the character’s situation and fulfilling the genres aim by making the audience feel as afraid as possible.

Google is mortal, says Sorrell
Mark Sweney

guardian.co.uk,
Friday February 29 2008

Sir Martin Sorrell: called Google a 'frenemy'.

WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell has described Google as "mortal" following an uncharacteristic blip earlier this week in the search engine's performance, and said he backs a merger of Microsoft and Yahoo to "balance" the internet advertising market.Sorrell, speaking after the advertising and marketing services company posted slightly stronger than expected results for 2007, has always been wary of Google, dubbing it a "frenemy", to reflect the industry's concern that it is as much a hindrance as a help to established media businesses."Microsoft/Yahoo is a good move as it makes the market more balanced, which is a good thing," he said.

"It would make one strong competitor and one stronger [ie Google]. The big question is how Microsoft would handle it [a merger] if it goes forward".He dismissed concerns some quarters that in Europe the potential combination of Microsoft and Yahoo might raise competition issues in the online display advertising sector.Sorrell also had a view on the recent slump in Google's share price after comScore figures showed a drop in the number of clicks on ads next to the search engine's search results. "It is nice to know that Google is mortal," he quipped. "It is all relative though, isn't it? What has their growth been [over the last few years] - 46% and 30% or so? I'd like to have that problem".He added that the biggest issue facing WPP was the "intellectual" challenge of integrating, understanding and keeping pace with the digital world.In total, WPP spent £579m on investments and acquisitions in the digital space last year including 24/7 Real Media, Blast Radius and Schematic, the agency behind ITV.com's media player."Intellectually it has to be the digital area [that poses the biggest challenge]," he said. "It continues to be intellectually the most difficult thing.

In 2007 WPP boosted its "broadly-defined internet-related revenue" to $2.8bn (£1.4bn) or 23% of worldwide reported revenue.

However, "narrowly defined internet–related revenue" was $1.5bn or 12% of worldwide reported revenue, ahead of the global media average of 10%.

Sorrell added that a potential "pause" in the Chinese economy after this summer's Beijing Olympics would provide breathing space for WPP to increase investment in the Asian tiger.WPP, which already derives 15% of its global revenues from China, has seen year-on-year growth of 31% in China and 23% in India, said Sorrell."The rate of growth can't carry on forever, there has to be some relaxation and the natural time is after Beijing," he said.
"If there is a pause we would take the time to invest in China more. The long-term growth prospects are strong".

This article is about how Google is declining in revenue and visitors to the site.

Exam board takes cue from Richard and Judy· Book club should inspire choice of A-level set texts· Change aimed at raising enthusiasm in classrooms Polly Curtis, education editorWednesday February 6, 2008The Guardian

Examiners have culled TS Eliot, EM Forster and Joseph Conrad from the A-level curriculum and are offering schools the chance to pick their own set texts. Teachers should take inspiration from Richard and Judy's book club, they say.
The Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) is challenging traditionalists in the literary world by producing a new English A-level that is light on many classics which have been taught for decades.
The exam board's director of qualifications, Clara Kenyon, suggested that schools should follow the example of the popular Channel 4 book club run by Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.
"The public has a real enthusiasm for literature, as shown by the popularity of initiatives such as Richard and Judy's book club which have been hugely successful. What they have achieved is to break down the perception that literature is dull or boring," Kenyon said. "But getting some of that enthusiasm into the classroom can sometimes be a challenge."
Richard and Judy have been credited with enthusing a nation about novels such as William Boyd's Restless and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun. They have also endorsed a range of celebrity autobiographies including Sharon Osbourne's and Gordon Ramsay's.
The new, four-part A-level, to be taught from September, includes a slimmed down list of set and recommended texts with books for half the units now up to schools to select. Students will still have to sit modules on Shakespeare and pre-1800 poetry and prose including Marlowe, Chaucer and Donne. But they must also include at least one post-1990 text and pupils could also consider studying satire and travel writing.
The board said students would have freedom to pick any three works, including prose and poetry, suitable for study for the "texts in time" module. This will be worth 20% of the final A-level marks and will be assessed by a coursework essay.
A second A-level module, literature post-1900, will also give classes the freedom to pick three texts, one of which must have been published since 1990.
Ian McNeilly, director of the National Association for the Teaching of English, said: "That's just what I need. Richard Madeley telling me what to teach.
"Conrad happens to be one of my favourite authors but I don't think giving teachers more flexibility over what they teach will harm the curriculum. Most teachers do the job because they love their subject and good English teachers will provide their students with a hearty choice of books."
At a glance
OCR's current A-level English includes Robert Browning, T S Eliot and pre-1900 texts such as those by Chaucer and William Blake. Stella Gibbons's Cold Comfort Farm and Ian McEwan's Atonement are also on the syllabus as are Alice Walker and Zadie Smith. Richard and Judy's bookclub choices include A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and autobiographies of Billie Piper and Sharon Osbourne

This article is saying that the new English curriculum should include or take inspiration from Richard and Judy's book club. i think this is a good idea because they have some really good books discussed on their show, for example Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns which are both meant to be very successful and i have bought them because of their recommendations. They also recommended a WW1 novel which i shall buy. This shows that they do have good books on their shows and maybe the new curriculum should consider this.

Media Guardian-
BBC 'won't dumb down' to News at Ten
Tara Conlan
guardian.co.uk,
Thursday January 10 2008

The BBC has pledged not to counter the return of ITV's News at Ten next week by going "downmarket" but will instead focus on original journalism and exclusives.
As ITV1 and BBC1 prepare to go head-to-head with late evening bulletins at 10pm from Monday, head of BBC newsroom Peter Horrocks said the corporation is taking a "long-term" view of ITV's decision to relaunch News at Ten.
BBC journalists are working on exclusive stories which they may break on Monday, but Horrocks added that viewers are also looking for commitment to the 10pm slot.
"It's about the position we've established. Our audiences have increased. We want to hang on to them with our winning formula," he told MediaGuardian.co.uk.
Nick Robinson: the BBC's political editor provides political analysis for the Ten O'Clock News. Frank Baron "But we're taking a long view. We're not chasing audiences or going to go downmarket just because ITV is bringing back News at Ten.
"We'll be concentrating on our original journalism and analysis built around our great team of specialists, such as Nick Robinson."
Horrocks also said the fact that BBC1 carries news at 10pm six nights a week, compared with ITV's four nights a week, will give it an advantage.
ITV's News at Ten will air at 11pm on Friday nights and at other times over weekends.
"We've shown we are consistently committed to 10pm. The first Friday [18th] of the week News at Ten starts there's a big foreign story with Gordon Brown going abroad," said Horrocks.
"That's going to be major news but they [ITV] are on at 11pm rather than 10pm. That sort of thing is going to be a problem for them."
The Ten O'Clock News increased its audience last year from 4.6 million to 4.9 million viewers, according to the BBC.
ITV is revealing more details about the new News at Ten to journalists in London today.
Anchors Mark Austin and Julie Etchingham - newly hired from Sky News - will be at the launch, along with Sir Trevor McDonald, who has come out of his retirement from news presenting to front the returning News at Ten.
The network hopes the 10pm bulletin's return next week will draw a line under the long-running News at When saga, which has been running since News at Ten was axed in 1999.

This article is about BBC and ITS competeing for having the best 'news at ten'. Even though BBC say they are not competeing, they are because they said they will have an advantage because they have news at ten 6 nights a week whereas ITV only 4 nights. I think the BBC do not need to compete or have anything to worry about how many viewers they get compared to ITV because the BBC news is much better compared to ITV news. And if they have been having news at ten for a long time then they have nothing to worry about because im sure their viewers will remain loyal and stick with their preferred choice which has obviously so far been BBC.

Media work-i am legend



Firstly, the dominant image on the poster is the writing. This is because it takes up the whole poster and is very large. the writing reads 'The last man on earth is not alone'. The size of the font goes from small to large (top to bottom). The word 'alone' is biggest. The font is bold, this is to make it stand out. This is probably to emphasise Will Smith's loneliness on the poster and to show that he is the hero, because he is alone. The genre of the film is probably action/adventure because Will Smith is 'alone' it connotes he is on an adventure on his own.



Moreover, the title is not noticable on the poster, it is in the bottom right hand corner and is small. This suggests that the film is already well known and does not need to advertise the title any more. Also, because Will Smith is the only person on the poster this could suggest a patriarchal society because in the film he is obviously the hero. Also, this represents men as heroes and saviours.

Furthermore, the main colour used is yellow. This is brighter around Will Smith. This could represent the light is shining on him and again he is seen as the hero. The sunshine could also represent a new day, and maybe the film is set in one day. Also, Will Smith's name is above all the writing. His name is also big, this shows that he is helping to sell the movie. This represents his fame because everyone will know who he is, and he is obviously popular amongst people because otherwise they would not have used him alone to sell the film.

Finally, the setting in the background is of America. This is a very famous country and so people who are not from America might want to get an insight of what it is like. This might attract people to watch it, especially people who may live in Eastern countires and might not be able to afford to go there, and so they can get an insight of what it is like. This also means the film could be used for escapism because people who are watching the film and do not live in America will be 'escape' to an unfamiliar place (to them).

Practice essay 3



Heat magazine



Firstly, the main story which is on the cover is about Britney's sister being pregnant, and it is her 'first' interview. This is in the middle of the page and takes up the most space with a picture of her too. There is no name of her, which means she is identified through Britney. This is because Britney is very well known ampngst magazines like 'Heat' and has recently been in the limelight for the wrong reasons. The typography is bold and bright yellow. This yellow is against a black background which makes it stand out to attract readers so it is the first thing they see. On top of the headline it reads 'World exlusive!'. This makes the reader think they are getting all the gossip before anyone else and it must be true because it is her first interview and everything will be revealed. There are also quotes underneath the headline: "Yes, i'm 16 and pregnant." Again, this reassures the reader they are going to get facts and truth from the interview. This suggests the target audience of 'Heat' are people who like celebrity gossip and watch a lot of TV. Also, because women are associated with gossip more, it could be targeted at women, from 14+.


Furthermore, the second main headline is an article about Posh and Becks. There is above the title of the magazine. This is probably because Heat include an article about the couple almost every issue which shows they are so common to the magazine like the title. This is probably what sells the magazine because if there is an article about them every issue then people probabaly rely on that article which is why they buy the magazine. The article is about their marriage whcih is what people always want to know about because they have been married for a long time which is unusual for a couple who are that famous, and there is always suspense as to whether they are stable or not, especially after David's alleged affair with Rebecca Loos a few years ago. The pictures of the two of them also create suspense because they do not look particularly happy. Also, they are not together, their pictures are on different sides of the headline which makes it look like they are distanced from eachtother. Because they have an article on Posh and Becks, this suggests that maybe the target audience are working class because upper class will not be interested in them and because it is celebrity gossip. The price also supports this because it is £1.65 which is cheap for a magazine, because something like Vogue is approximately £5.


Moreover, one of the predominant features on the page is the 'free 10 torso posters'. The typography of 'free' is in bold and capitals letters with an exclamation mark at the end. This makes it stand out from everything else. Because the torso's are of male's, it suggests the target audience are obviosuly women. This also suggests they are young because people of 30+ will tend not to have posters of half naked guys in their rooms. The colours of the title and background are red and white which connote a British ideology. This could also represent British people as gossips. Also, because the title is read and the title is 'Heat' it could also be to reflect the word 'heat' and is red like fire.

The overall look of the magazine looks really action packed. There is information of what is included in the magzine everywhere. As opposed to the cover of the Guardian magazine, Weekend. This is done to reassure the reader they are getting what they pay for. It also rwassures them they are up to date with the celeb gossip. 'Heat' has a reputation for gossip and the cover reveals three stories which will be included. These are all of well known people who are in the limelight at the moment, for example, Eca Longoria, Britney's sister and Posh and Becks who are all a list celebs. As opposed to the Weekend magazine where Charlie Brooker was on one of their covers and he is not that well known. The use of rhetorical question on the Eva Longoria story and whether her husband is cheating on her or not is done to encourage the reader to buy the magazine because they will be certain that the answer is in the magazine. Also, this magazine has celeb news from both America and England. Unlike the Sky (Jan 2008) magazine cover and Weekend magazine cover. Again, this is to reassure the reader they are getting gossip from all over and are not missing out on anything.

Practice essay 2
Weekend-(Guardian)

Firstly, the predominant colour of the magazine cover is black suggesting the magazine is a serious magazine. This suggests the target audience is mainly older adults, aged 22+. This is because youngsters, for example, teenagers would not be interested in this colour because teenage magazines are mostly bright colours. Because of the colour of the magazine it could represent Guardian readers as dull because black is usually associated with death/funerals. However, it also shows the Guardian are environmentally friendly because they are not using colour ink which is less environmentally friendly.

Moreover, the title of the magazine 'Weekend' is at the top of the page and in the middle. The title is not big, which suggests it is a well known magazine because it is already known which is why the title is not big. The colour of the title is olive green, a subtle colour. Again, this does stand out against the black, but not as much as other colours such as yellow or white would have. This again suggests that the magazine is well known amongst Guardian readers.

There is only one artciele inside the magazine which is advertised on the cover. This suggests that the Guardian do not force ideologies into their readers minds by encouraging them to read the magazine including loads of straplines encouraging them to read their mag. Instead there is only one. Which shows the Guardian readers are more intelligent than those who read magazines such as; Smash Hits or Heat. This also shows how well established the magazine is because it does not need to encourage the readers, it probably has a well reputation already.

The image of Charlie Brooker on the magazine is in the middle of the page and is a long shot. This enables us to see his whole body and expression which show his character as a comedian because he is pulling a funny face. This will let the reader know that if they find him funny from the picture they may find his 'evil Christmas quiz' funny too. He is dressed in black to create suspense. As does the lighting which is dark and dim at the top of the page and gradually becomes lighter towards the bottom of the page creating a shadow. This is done to create an 'evil' theme on the page because that is what Charlie Brooker's quiz is about. Again, this is probably done to create a comical effect because Charlie Brooker is a comedian and the 'evil quiz' probably really is not 'evil', instead it is probably funny. Guardian used Charlie Brooker because he writes an article for The Guardian anyway which means the readers are familiar of him and if they keep on buying the Guardian they may like him, as opposed to putting someone who is not so familiar with Guardian readers and the editors will not know how it will go down with the readers.

Media Guardian Story Lacoste tears in logo battle with dentistsMartin HodgsonThursday January 3, 2008The Guardian

A Cheltenham dental practice has won a protracted legal battle against an international fashion giant - over the rights to a toothy reptile. For the second time in a year, a trademark judge has rejected complaints from the French clothing company Lacoste over the crocodile sign adorning the surgery in Gloucestershire.
Lacoste had argued that the sign could wrongly lead people to associate the surgery with its brand.
The battle began in September 2004 when Dr Simon Moore and Dr Tim Rumney attempted to register the crocodile logo which they have used at the dental practice in Cheltenham since 1990. Lawyers for Lacoste said patients could wrongly associate the practice with the company, which has trademarked its crocodile symbol across 44 areas of goods and services.
At the Intellectual Property Office in Newport in May, the dentists represented themselves, arguing that shoppers would be unlikely to confuse a small clinic offering root canal surgery with a fashion boutique selling distinctive tennis shirts.
Ann Corbett, an adjudicator for the IPO, agreed, ruling that the two crocodiles were different enough to avoid confusion. "Dental services are so different to clothing that ... the average consumer of the goods and services in question, who is reasonably well informed and reasonably observant and circumspect, would not make that mistake."
Lacoste appealed, and the case was put before the UK Intellectual Property in London, but the judge, Professor Ruth Annand, has rejected the appeal.
Yesterday, Moore said Lacoste's legal action was "using a sledgehammer to crack a nut". He said: "We chose a crocodile as our logo simply because of the animal's association with a lot of teeth, nothing to do with Lacoste."
At the original hearing Lacoste was ordered to pay £1,000 towards the practice's legal costs. After the failed appeal, it has been ordered to pay a further £450.

This story is about Lacoste and a dental surgery having a similar logo. The dental surgery argue that they have had the logo since 1990 and that people will get confused. In the end Lacoste had to pay £1450 to the dental surgery. I think this is a stupid argument because no one will get confused about clothes and teeth. They probably just wanted the money (dental surgery).

Practice essay 1
Jan 2008 sky magazine.

Firstly, the predominant colour used on the magazine is red. The background is red, the title ‘Sky’ is red and so is the word ‘queen’ and Kelly Osbourne’s lipstick. This colour makes the cover look ‘sexy’ because red connotes love. This suggests that the target audience for the magazine is young adults and the strap lines also suggest that the magazine is aimed at women; “fashion queen…all new project catwalk!” This is about the programme ‘Project Catwalk’ which will be coming on Sky and is hosted by Kelly Osbourne, which is why she is on the cover. This suggests that the genre of the magazine is about TV, in particular Sky. This is made obvious by the title “Sky mag”.

Furthermore, Kelly Osbourne is made to look like the Queen. This is done by her pose and crown, also the word ‘fasion QUEEN!’ make it obvious how the magazine want the reader to know what look they are going for. Her head is tilted to the side so only three quarters of her face is showing. This helps to create the ‘snobbish’ British look. This connotes British ideologies, as do the colours red and white which are the main colours on the cover and resemble the England flag. The look on Kelly Osbourne’s face makes her look ‘stuck up’, and because she is British this may represent all British people to be like that. Also above the title it reads “BRITAIN’S No.1”. ‘Britain’ is in capital letters to make it stand out and to be proud of.

Moreover, the type of shot used is medium angle shot. This shows Kelly from chest upwards which allows the readers to see some cleavage, again making the cover look ‘sexy’. This is done to help portray the genre of the programme the magazines is promoting: “Project Catwalk”. The article which are advertised on the magazine cover suggest a working class audience: “win a 6k…save over £210”. This connotes the most of the readers are working class because they want to save and win trips which maybe they would not be able to afford otherwise.

The make up used on Kelly is also used to make her look seductive. She has heavy eye make up to make her eyes stand out, and red lipstick to suggest she may be ‘horny’ and trying to attract the opposite sex. This could also lead men to read the magazine because they might want to see more pictures like this and read the article to find out what it is about.