more TV listings magazine analysis

29/11/10

I've become aware that some of my previous analysis of TV listings magazines was not as relevant as I had hoped. I've now decided to complete more analysis in the hope that it will be more relevant.

The Eastenders double-page spread from the TV Times is part of it's 'soapweek' section. The page is dominated by the central image. The image is in preparation for an Eastenders wedding, as is shown by the white dress and the rose petals in the image, things which often have connotations of love or marriage. The heading above the image is also

in white, adding to this portrayal. The content of this heading is a rhetorical question, asking 'Happy Ever After?' This suggests that there is some question over how well the wedding is expected to

go, which is expected of a drama, particularly a soap opera like Eastenders. The use of rhetorical questions is common throughout this double-page spread, this keeps the reader interested by questioning what could happen next in the TV series, particularly where the question suggests an unexpected eventuality or something central to the plot.

There is also a section of the page set out like a factfile. This explains what is happening to each character in Eastenders for that week, and not just the characters involved in the current central storyline. This section is an interesting feature as it does not take up much space, but allows readers to quickly locate the information they want on what the storyline for their favourite character(s) is for that week.

This double-page spread involves several short articles, the main one focussing on the central storyline of the wedding. This main article includes quotes from the actors about the storyline and the character. I think that this might be a good idea to include in my own double-page spread as it provides the reader with background information about the TV programme, and would be a good way to generate interest in the programme or in the channel.

TV listings magazine analysis

06/11/10

The third listings magazine which I have looked at is the Radio Times. The Radio Times has a highlights page for each day, similar to the 'Film Choice' page but containing 'choices' of all programmes not just films.
The 'Saturday Choices' double-page spread is less colourful than the pages in the other listings magazines that I have looked at, it is also not as rigidly structured, containing a mix of boxes and columns used in an apparently non-regulated way.There are few pictures, but those that are there are quite prominent, possibly because of their size and the contrast to the white background of the page. I don't really like the white background as I think that there is not enough colour on the page to compensate for it, although the red topand side banners do contrast well.
Like the other magazines, the 'choices' are accompanied by a synopsis and their titles are in bold. The bold titles seem to be common in these listings magazines and are effective in calling attention to what the programme is, and making programmes that people may be interested in more easily locatable.
I like the way that the picture accompanying the synopsis for 'Merlin' stands out from the box as I think it draws more attention to the section and might consider doing something similar on my own double-page spread.

Research and Analysis - TV listing magazine

05/11/10

My next analysis is of the page for the main
channels for Tuesday 9th November in the TV Times listing magazine. The main channels are categorised as BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4, and Channel 5. Each channel is separated into its own column, and each column is a different colour, similarly to the way the different days were distinguished from each other in the 'Film Choice' pages of the TV Choice magazine. This serves to clearly distinguish between the channels.
The times of each programme are down the left hand side of the column with the right hand side of the column containing the name of the programme in bold, similarly to the titles of the films on the 'Film Choice' pages, and a very brief synopsis of the programme. In some cases this is just one word (such as 'quiz' for the weakest link), a short sentence, or a brief paragraph. Some programmes are distinguished with a 'New' symbol on the left hand side, or with a 'Film' symbol and a black box around the synopsis. I like this, but I think it would probably be impractical to use on my double-page spread because as my idea is for a new teen film channel, all of the programming will be either new, a film, or both.
The page also includes a small 'star's choice' section showing a quote from Johnny Vegas about a TV programme he likes. This serves to promote the programme and also to add variety to the page. It is one of the only places on the double-page spread that shows images; the images help to avoid monotony on the page and make it more visually appealing.
The other small section on this double-page spread where images are used is the 'On this day' section. This section gives a historical event that corresponds with the date; I like this as it provides an interesting fact, but I think that it's perhaps a little irrelevant.

Research - Analysis of TV listings magazine

05/11/10

The 'Film Choice' pages of the listings magazine TV Choice are sectioned into days describing films on various channels on each day. I like the way the boxes
separating each day are arranged because I feel that it makes the best possible use of the space available on the page. The use of a different colour for the box for each day serves to make it clear as to when the films are on.
The background to the double-page spread is blue and vibrant and provides a good contrast to the other colours on the page.
Images from some of the films featured are used to illustrate the page and provide a break from the text. I like the affect of these images as they stand out against the background and are sizeable without being so large that they dominate the page.
There is a small paragraph on each film featured including information such as the stars involved, the country who produced it, the director, the year it was made, and the film's certification. This ensures that all of the information a viewer could want about a film, including the day and time it's on, is provided while still remain succinct and providing a small synopsis/brief review of the film in a fairly informal style.
There is also a five-star rating system applied to each film and a tick is placed next to the film's title if the film is 'Suitable for family viewing.' The key to this system is found at the bottom of the page. I hadn't thought about using a system such as this before but as my TV channel is going to be a teen film channel, it might be a good idea to use a similar rating system in my double-page spread.
The titles of the films themselves are in bold, making them clear and easily locatable for the reader.

Planning/website update

05/11/10

I have started to slowly create my website using Kompozer.
I have also developed a logo for my website using GIMP2 software instead of other software such as Photoshop as I felt this provided the result I wanted. The logo I developed is displayed below.

It took several attempts to achieve the desired affect for this logo, and some of my first attempts at creating a logo for my website/TV channel can be seen below. I decided not to use these ideas for several reasons.

I felt that this logo was not legible enough, and wasn't sure about the combination of colours used.

I liked the look of this logo, but felt that it wasn't colourful enough.











With this logo I tried to improve the previous logo by changing the colours, but still wasn't happy with the results.










I liked the affect that I used on this version of the logo as it fit in with the film theme but I decided to change the main part of the logo to stand out more, so I used warmer colours and a different style for my final logo.