Some Genre

The genre of my media text is of course, a periodical local newspaper. This encompasses a variety of conventions, most of which would be different to both international and national papers. This is mainly because local newspapers have specific content, filtered according to geographical location of the target audience, for example a Bristol paper would only report Bristol news for people who live in or near Bristol.

It wouldn't report anything about international celebrities, it wouldn't really discuss national political debates, the focus would be on anything happening in the vicinity of Bristol, or whatever region or city a local paper is based in. It's debates would be whether a new office block should be built instead of a new park, it would follow local celebs such as Banksy or Justin Lee Colins, perhaps even celebrate Isambard Kingdom Brunel or The Wurzels. People like Keira Knightley, Cheryl Cole or Johnny Depp wouldn't matter unless they visited Bristol for work or an event.

Of course, I can choose to keep or subvert conventions depending on how I want my paper to be, for example I wouldn't take up ten pages describing the top television picks for that evening, because I have more important things to put into those ten pages, such as letters from the readers or reviews of local events. People might not to choose the paper because of its ideology, but its likely that other than people with a particular political bias, the readers are going to be mass because the paper will include lots of little niche stories. For example, athletic people or males would look at sport stories, anyone with a family will look at a school related story.

Conventions of a print advert

Print adverts usually contain one or more of these features; one key image; logo; tagline; puns; contact information and colour scheme. In my adverts for the newspaper, most of these conventions are adhered to.

This has several conventions used within it, for example the pun - "Need Filling In?" works on multiple levels. It refers to actually needing some DIY done on the house and it refers to catching up on all of the local news stories. Additionally, I've deliberately left a gap before the contact information is given, as this implies that the gap needs 'filling in'. Contact details for a handy man are obligatory as obviously, without them no one will know how to get the service if they want it. The picture adds interest and is relevant to the advert as it is obviously a builder's tool. The colour scheme is blue and white because I wanted something fairly simple for this as it is easier on the eye.

I felt that having a fun, community based ad would be important in creating more verisimilitude in my local newspaper. Obviously there is a main image of the fireworks which I created in photoshop. The overlaying text states the information the reader needs clearly. I chose white for the text so that it would show up well on the black background. I felt that the font had a rebellious 'rocker' feel to it, which matches with the Guy Fawkes plot against parliament/ bonfire night. The colour theme is purple, black and white which seems simple in words, but I wanted it to stand out so that the 'event' would get publicity.

This ad isn't actually in the paper as I couldn't find enough space to fit it in. I also felt that the two adverts above were enough. There is a key image which connotes rehabilitation and relaxation and I felt that making the practitioner a doctor would make the advert seem more credible. Also, the paper would support alternate therapies  due to the nature of its ideology. My audience research indicated that these tree types of ad - practical, event and holistic therapy were the most popular and noticed adverts. These adverts aren't very glamourous, and are also typical of a local, low budget newspaper, rather than a magazine or national newspaper for example;

(Older) simple and practical advert page

Instead of;

A glamourous car - status symbol

A state of the art mobile - care free escapism

A more elaborate form of advertising
It makes you look twice and keep the image in
your mind

See the difference? However, that's okay as it is a local newspaper convention. And although the more glamourous adverts conform to more conventions, it doesn't matter as the product or thing that they're trying to advertise is completely different. I did not try to go for a complicated or elaborate technique of advertising as some adverts (See Virgin Media Radio advert above). However, I have tried to modernise my adverts a little through more contemporary design than line after line of serif text.

Bristol Nomad Poster (Subsidiary Task)

Toady, I have begun to plan and create my poster. I was not able to find ANY real life examples of newspaper posters, apart from those with a main headline taking up the entire page, like so;

Not very useful...

The only conventions I can glean from these examples are that firstly, it is essential to include the newspaper's masthead/logo so that people know what brand of newspaper to purchase. Secondly, there must be a link to whatever features you have in the paper that week. I felt that my link would be to focus on the eco friendly tips feature, as this is also included in my radio ad and would create a well rounded set of subsidiary media products with verisimilitude. The image that corresponds with this is a globe, as it is also the intended front page ear image, demonstrating the content. This image will be illustrated as I feel this adds an organic, natural element to the poster as well as drawing more parallels to the ideology of the paper. I will also be including a caption stating that its in 'this week's paper, so the audience will know in the future that it is a weekly paper and will remember to buy it. As my slogan is "At the centre of YOUR universe" the text on the poster will be placed around the globe image, rather than being overlaid, so that it links in better and makes a sound visual image.

Radio Advert Script

For one of my subsidiary tasks I have to create a radio advert.

The main idea of this script is that there is a new person in town, and he meets a Bristolian in a pub. They talk and the Bristolian (of course) mentions the Bristol Nomad and talks a bit about it. Then a typical woman voice over comes on and says the title and the slogan. Afterward the two men have a bit of banter about the woman randomly appearing...

Music and ambience in background to establish pub setting.

Bristolian: Hello there! Are you new in town? 

Irish Man: Hi. Yes I am! How can I find out about all of the local [pause/mumble as if searching for something to say]... news and jibber-jabber?

Bristolian: Well mate... you could try the Bristol Nomad!

Irish Man: What's that then?

Bristolian: Well it's the local paper int' it? Ever' one reads it. It's got news, debates, sport, competitions, jobs and this week it has a load of them eco friendly tips for yer house and that. All for just 20 pence see?

Irish Man: Well. That's pretty good, I might get myself a copy or three [pronounced tree]

Random Woman: Bristol Nomad - At the centre of YOUR universe. 

Jingle Plays and then silence.

Bristolian: Where'd she come from then? 

Irish Man: I don't know, but she's...gert lush innit?

Bristolian: Now you're getting it mate!

Woman: Don't objectify me please!

Both Men: Sorry!

I felt the humour would make the reader connect more to the brand. I also added in a little hint at the ideology of the paper with the part about 'eco friendly tips'. I might omit the objectification part as it doesn't really fit in with the rest of the comedic banter. In addition to this, the Bristolian mentions that everyone reads the paper, to persuaded a potential audience member to buy or read the paper. I used colloquial language to emphasise where the characters are from, as this is key to the narrative of the advert. Obviously the way the advert sounds is key so I also made sure the accents would be exaggerated and more stereotypical, for example, the Irish character saying 'tree' instead of 'three'. Again this is to emphasise where the characters are from. I'm hoping that having characters of both gender will attract a range of audience members. The price was added to show that the paper is a bargain 'all' and 'just' emphasise this.

I hope that the ambience in the track will help the
listeners imagine this type of setting. Pub culture and
socialising is very important in Bristol and I
want the readers to feel part of a community.
In real life this would hopefully bring in more revenue and
 higher readership as I discovered
 people tend to stick to just ONE paper.

The radio advert needs to be quite short, around 30 seconds to a minute long so that it has more of an impact.

I couldn't find ANY radio adverts for a newspaper to model off of, so I listened to other adverts and watched some television adverts to do with both newspapers and magazines to see what they've included and translated the conventions into my script.

I've already got somebody lined up to do both the Bristolian role and the Irish role, and I can do the female character's role. For this I will need to use garage band, sound bible and a microphone for recording the voice overs.

Article - "School Celebrates Brand New Bursary"

This is a more lengthly article that I felt would fit in well with the conventions of a local newspaper as well as being an opportunity to tie in a hint of the Nomad's political views.


"Local Saint Micheal’s C of E Primary school has been learning all about local historical figure, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. There were several different events and activities for each year group. This included an exiciting vidit to the SS Great Britian for the year one  class. The lucky children recived several workshops, a tour from the staff members and free ice cream, courtesy of Tarrs. We asked the kids what they thought of their trip, Joe, aged 5  says “It was a really good day and I really like this hat. Do you know if there were any pirates on here?”5 year old Maddie added “Can I have some more ice cream please? It’s really yummy.” This day was organised in light of a recent bursary the school recived from the National Lottery. Over 300 schools across the nation have recived this bursary to assist any schools brutally hit by the recession. To celebrate, the teachers and govenors thought it best that St. Michael's primary celebrate in an educational yet fun way, and thought that tying in the famous inventor Brunel a good idea as the children to learn about Bristol City history. Even our Prime Minister credited the desision, one of his best choices so far in his reign over  ‘broken Britian’. Other events at the school included a performance of a short play, devised using information the children recived about the engineer. There was also an art class based on distorted images of Brunel’s work. Furthermore, there was a prize for the best suspension bridge model. Mrs Lorre, head teacher of the school says “We are delighted to recive this money. Hopefully it will give us all a new lease of life and create a better future for the children”. We at Nomad think the this is a positive step toward making our nation great again, but there’s a long way to go. Watch our footage of the day at www.bristolnomad.com"

I added interactivity with the mention of the Nomad's website. I also though adding quotes from the children would make sceptics about the scheme [if there are any] more agreeable toward it, as they can see its benefits. As mentioned within the article, Isambard Kingdom Brunel is an important figure in Bristol history so I felt it perfect to tie in as this would appeal to the readers proud of their heritage and inform others about Bristol history.

The photo for this will be 5 year old 'Joe' in front of the ship wearing a top hat. The top hat is of course mentioned in the article and is commonly associated with Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The child will also be wearing school uniform as this fits in with the fact that he is on a school trip. I've already got somebody lined up for this role [my brother] and some transport so we can get to the location.

Brunel and his famous top hat.

Article - "Ethical Store Debut"

Another news in brief story. I felt it appropriate for the paper to cover this as it is an ETHICAL store, and the paper is interested in all things ethical.

"The Source, a brand new ethical clothing store is due to launch on Saturday. The new shop, located on Park Street sells fartrade and handmade clothing for competitive prices. Ella and Samual Raines own and mangage the innovative venture and would like to invite members of the public to a launch party on Friday evening. Refreshments will be provided and the lucky party guests will be able to preview the mechandise as well as recive a discount for the first day of sales. The party begins at 8PM and is located at the shop, which is the College Green end of Park Street in central Bristol."

I felt adding an invite would help the reader feel more part of the Bristol community, perhaps if they're new to town. Additionally, shop parties are quite common in Bristol and I've even been invited to a few, however through fliers being handed out in the street rather  than through a paper. It seems like a shop would need the publicity though.

I have not yet taken a photo for this however, if I do it will be of the shop owners standing outside of their new shop.

Article - "Rare Cat Rescued" :P

This is another news in brief story. I did this one as I felt it was comical because it is so typical of a local newspaper 'fluff' story.

"A rare moggy named Bill has been safely retrieved from the fronds of a tall tree in the Staple Hill area. His rescuer, Jamie Norse, spotted the cat whilst walking through the park whilst off duty from his career as a fire officer. The cat was later taken to a local animal sanctuary and its owner was  quickly found due to a microchip implated in its ear. This time, it seems that microchipping your pets is a good idea! The owner would like to thank Mr Norse for his thoughtful deed."

I  felt the colloquial use of language 'moggy' made the piece more light hearted. I also added in a little hint at some of the paper's ideology with the line 'this time it seems like microchipping your pets is a good idea!' this suggests that the paper thinks that microchipping your pets is unethical. 

I have not yet taken the corresponding photograph for this story, however it will be easy to do as I have two pet cats at home and a back garden with a few trees. I feel taking a low angle shot of the tree would be quite artistic however a shot of the 'fireman' with the cat may be more appropriate for a newspaper. If this is the case then I have a few people in mind who I can ask and will be readily available.

Article - "Student Wins Writing Comp"

The word competition at the end of the title is shortened to fit in with the layout. Again, this was a fairly simple article to write and it is again, fairly short as it is another news in brief type story. As newspapers often have articles to do with successful students at GCSE results day [for example] I thought this would fit in well to the paper.


"Local student, Amelia Greenstreet has been awarded a prestigeous writing prize for a short story competition she entered in mid July. The piece, entitled “The Betrayal” follows the story of a young scavenger on a quest for her tribe, accompanied by her fox companion, Aku. However, it is soon revealed that she has been set up. Amelia says “I’m so happy! I never thought I would win! This is a fantastic opportunity.” Read Amelia’s story online at www.bristolnomad.com or buy the competition anthology at www.airwriting.com."


I thought adding the option to go online and read the story added more interactivity to the newspaper. I also thought promoting the competition would be a good idea because papers often do promotions or advertisements for things they think to be worthwhile. For example, Lush Times, although a newspaper dedicated to organic, vegetarian friendly soap, promoted an entire campaign against biofuels and asked people interested to sign an online petition. I feel adding this element would make the reader feel more like a part of a community rather then just another profit source for publishers and other big companies. 


I have taken of myself to pose as the student. I thought this appropriate as I am a student myself and obviously look young enough. It was posed and taken against a white background to make it look more professional and was a 'shoulder up' shot as this is a common convention of photographs in newspapers.

General Conventions of Newspapers

-         Made of newsprint

-         Bold, big headlines

-     Not much colour

-         Masthead – name, date, price, internet address, award, stars

-         Type of paper, e.g. tabloid or broadsheet

-         Puzzles and free giveaways

-         Images (photos, graphics, maps)

-         Weather

-         Adverts (classified, dating page, independent companies et.c)

-         Sections (business, sport, entertainment, racing)

-         Columns/articles

-         Double page spreads

-         Letters from readers

-         Horoscopes, cartoons, TV/radio guides, obituaries

-         Announcements

-         By-lines – name of journalists writing the story

-         Sub-headings

-         Most important information first in the article

-         Weekend newspapers – bigger, more expensive with colour supplements (like magazines)

-         Reviews (films, gigs)

-         Pun-based headlines (more common in tabloids)

-     A house style, bacically, also: their websites will stick to this to be recognisable

Article - Saint Nicholas' In Danger of Closing

This is probably the biggest article I have had to complete as it continued from the front page into a debates page. In addition to the main article,  I also had to write two pieces from 'columnists' and some quotes from 'random people' off of the street, asked about their opinions on the issue.

"Popular market St. Nick’s has been revealed this week to be in danger of closing.These ‘permanent’ market buildings are located on Corn Street, near the Broadmead shopping district. Saint Nicholas Market is home to many colourful and beloved independent retailers,bringing together a variety of goods, including art, wholesome food and alternative clothing. This iconic location is a grade one listed building, and so may not be demolished or renovated without consensual contracts."

This is the section included on the front page and then a jump line tells the reader to go to page 9. It then continues

"... Apparently this is not enough to protect it from Bristol City Council, who, wish to turn the entire building into offices. One unnamed council member claims it will bring in more revenue, is this a good enough reason? We ask this week’s columnists; Annalise Bogart and Imogen Tentet."

This then goes onto the opinion pieces from the 'expert' columnists. The main idea of each piece is summed up into a quote, which acts as a title for each section.

"Upon entering this market, I am hugely disappointed. The stalls have nothing I want to buy, the integrated smell of the different food stalls fail to entice me. The  hype is worth nothing. The City council will do well to convert this building into an office block, besides, Britain is in a recession, yet many seem to have forgotten that and have opted to carry on as normal. The renovation will barley damage the building, many features will be kept in their original condition. Much of the building is already hiring out offices, and what harm do they do? Nono, in actuality, the average office space generates over £200 per calendar month. Despite the concerts in the sixties, many customers and even  some of the stall owners don’t remember them. They are too young! In this day and age, we should not be nostalgic, we should be proactive and secure our new generations’ futures. Imogen Tentet."

Then the next piece immediately follows;

"Wondering around this treasure trove on a saturday afternoon is close to my idea of bliss. These independent stalls  are the only decent accumulation of traders I can find within this area. When I look around, gone are the ideas of meagre markets in small towns, selling cheap merchandise at unnecessarily high prices. Not only can I assimilate this bustling community with joy, but I can also notice the architectural achievement John Wood The Elder completed in 1743. This historical building have unique and innovative features, including the nails on the boulevard, essential trading posts from the Edwardian era and the antique clock, featuring several different hands for different times in many locations. Then I fast forward, thinking of my memories from the 1960s, when legendary bands played at the exchange, including the epic Rolling Stones. This brilliant little market should not be subjected to the whims of City Bristol Council. So what if hiring out this beautiful building as offices will bring in more revenue, what about the revenue created from the stalls and their trade, especially during the tourist season? If St. Nick’s closes, the city will have an uprising. Annalise Bogart."

Afterwards, there come three quotes from various members of the public with the caption - What Do You Think?

I have already taken the photograph for this story. I took it at the entrance of St Nicholas' Market in Bristol on Corn Street in the evening so that it would look more artistic. I took it from a low angle so that it would look more impressive as I was to readers to be more bias towards St. Nick's not closing.

A google map view of the area.

My finished photo

Article - "Criminal Captured and Convicted"

I noticed during my research that many titles to articles have word play and alliteration. Originally I was going to make the title "Thief Captured and Punished" but I thought the newer title would be more eye catching. This is quite a short article because it is a 'news in brief' type article.


"A young thief has been recently captured and convicted of several robberies commited in the Staple Hill area. Jack Bergman, 20 has pleaded guilty in Bristol City Court this week, claiming that he needed rent money. Twelve different houses have been targeted. One of the victims, Mrs Croon, 73, states “I had just got off of the bus after doing my weekly shop. I was very worried when I noticed some things were missing. I’m just glad thet my pet corgi, woofy was not harmed.” Bergman has recived a year’s community service for his actions."

I felt that a custodial sentence was too extreme for a few thefts, especially under the character's circumstances so I gave the character community service instead, even though some members of the audience would prefer greater action for political reasons. I also added that the robberies were done in the Stokes Croft area to alert people living in that area what had happened. I think that making one of the victims older would invoke sympathy in the reader. I added some humour with the quote from the female character to emphasise feelings of sympathy with the reader.

I have taken the photo for this article, Tom Howarth was my model. I asked if he could make a moody, indifferent expression. He went with looking as if he had been taking drugs, which was fine as it adheres to the criminal stereotype. I did this on a plain white background as it fit in with the traditional mugshot type photo. I also made sure the shot was a close up and on a horizontal angle. I may or may not use this photo depending on the layout. Additionally, in a real newspaper the editor sometimes will deliberately exclude photos of the criminals in case they are recognised in the street and abused by members of the public or discriminated against. I may adhere to this convention as my paper is supposed to be ethical.