Findings from Interviews



A screen shot of the email to a non-newspaper reader



I was originally just going to hand people questionnaires but in some cases it seemed easier to just talk to people. I also conducted a few interviews and sent questions out through email to a couple of people. I got some varied answers between each category of interviewee (non newspaper and newspaper readers) however, participants within the category had similar answers, especially the non-newspaper readers... the interviews for them weren't as successful as I would have hoped. Here, I'm going to present the responses from each participant and analyse them.

Questions for those who read newspapers

1. Which newspapers do you tend to read, national or local?

Popular national papers: Independent, Daily Mail, Express

Popular local papers: The Spark, The Big Issue, The Mercury, The Evening Post

These answers indicate that people enjoy more intelligent papers, and that the Mercury and the Evening Post are read because they need to know what is going on near them, rather than for a comprehensive read. Perhaps there is a gap in the market for intelligent LOCAL papers.

2. How much of it do you read?

Most stated that they read everything apart from sports. One person stated that they particularly like the gardening and human rights pieces in The Spark.

This supports the idea that the audience for a paper is a mass demographic, and that there are little niches depending on factors such as gender, social standing, views, age, et cetera. The fact that somebody enjoys The Spark, a local ecologically concerned paper should influence some of my decisions when planning my paper.

3. Which papers would you never read?

Popular answers: The Sun, The Telegraph, Portishead People, The News of the World

Simply put; people don't like these papers, most likely from political standing and the type of journalism, we've already seen that most of the interviewees are mid to left wing. Additionally, over the recent phone hacking scandal, the whole of News International has been shut down, either this is a joke or they genuinely don't want to read it anymore after finding out the details of their journalism. Alternately, they may never had read it before anyway.

4. Which supplements do you enjoy?

Sunday Times supplement - especially fashion and home (this was from a female interviewee, so gender is obviously a contributing factor the this), additionally, they stated that they don't really look at local supplements except for the jobs or trading sections.

From my research, it seems that the Sunday Times has a very large span of coverage and that a lot of information is included in it, also, as it is a broadsheet, we can assume it had intelligent content. From the fact that they only look at certain things in the local paper, that there isn't much to interest them. Additionally, if looking at jobs, they either don't have a completely stable job already, that they're changing jobs, or that they have children who are looking for part time work. Looking at the trading section shows that they like a bargain, that they might be looking for a new car (indicating wealth OR good organisation for the future), or that they need a service, such as tuition or a white van man.

5. Which ads do you enjoy?

Ethical companies, holistic therapy groups, recreational groups, e.g - yoga. People also stated that ads for tuition, events and home help (for example - plasterers), were helpful.

This is a direct mirror of the participants' interests and needs.

6. Have you ever written any letters to the paper?

None of the respondents had ever written a letter to the paper. One did state however, that she may have sent one a long time ago, and one more interviewee said she thought about sending one about the state of schools and also the state of the police force.

This tells us that the ones who sent letters are either conscientious,  or like making a fuss about nothing. Most likely the former.

7.  Have you ever taken action about something because of a feature in the newspaper?

Most said no. Two stated that they had, one of them had written a letter to her MP about banning pesticides because of the dying bees. Another signed several petitions against Bio-Fuels.

Again, the two that had taken action are probably quite conscientious and care about the environment. Those who said no may have not been concerned, or they may not have found any articles about action against global warming or something similar.

8. How often do you buy/read newspapers?

Most stated national newspapers were bought and read twice a month, once or twice a week, local newspapers were also read. Most people stated that they could just go on the internet or, more commonly, watch the news.

9. What is the ideal price for a newspaper?

Most people stated under 50p, one participant said anything up to £2.

10.  Have you ever sent photos, ads or puzzle results in to a paper?

One had sent a photo, two had sent puzzle results and several others stated that they have sent birthday greetings or obituaries. The rest said that they had never sent anything.

11. What type of layouts do you prefer?

Many said simple and not crowded, but with enough text to read. People also said that they liked it if the paper had colour, rather than being just black and white.

This will have a direct influence on my own paper

12. How much interaction do you have with your paper? For example, do you ever go on their website?

Most had not had very much interaction with their paper, most stated they would only go online if they needed to check the news or if there were something important or interesting to view, such as a petition.
Two participants stated that if there were a phone app then they would use that.

13.  What would you want to see in a paper?

Top answers were; intelligence, humour, decent cartoons, a good layout.

14. What kind of ideology would you want a newspaper to have?

Answers include; honesty, integrity, open political views, not being bias to any one party, left wing views

15. Tell me some of your views.

The general consensus is that politicians are dishonest. Other answers include; liking the Green Party, that the government needs to take charge of stopping global warming and also focusing on our country before helping others. One person stated that immigration here should be similar to the points system in Australia.

16. Do you feel that there is a paper with the same views as you? Is there a gap in the market?

Most said yes and some claimed that The Independent was representative. Some said no, and that there is a gap in the market for a younger demographic.

Initial Ideas

Recently I've been brainstorming for some ideas;

Newsaper Title

• Daily Chronicle
• The Grapevine
• Post Script
• The Informant
• The Notepad
• The Ledger
• Evening Sentinel
• Inginte Daily
• The Source
• The Brig

With these I tried not to stick with a particular theme or idea, as I have not yet decided on the mock ideology of the paper. The title, the slogan and the logo will all need to work together to create an impression of what the paper is about to the reader, addittionally, if they don't fit together, then it may be confusing and messy. Note; favorites are highlighted.

Slogans

• The story doesn't end at the report
• At the centre of YOUR universe
• The People's Paper
• THE local paper
• We've all got issues
• Read all about it
• Hot off the press
• 'Gert Lush Bristol

The paper will also need a fake award, for example 'Best Use of New Media'. If a paper has an award, it is more likely to been seen in a good light by newer readers and therefore it will be more appealing and they will be more motivated to buy and read it. I also think that if my paper has an icon included in a story, for example, a local who succeeded in fame such as Banksy or Justin Lee Colins. 

This will add even more appeal and interest for the readers, for example, they can dream of escaping and becoming a star even if they aren't from somewhere like London or they can show of how great Bristol is and feel proud of living there. The price will be around 20p as most of my interviewees stated that the best price would be 50p or lower. Additionally, I think I would like a green colour scheme, as green is often associated with good, plain colours such as blue seem fairly boring and many of the non-newspaper interwiees stated that they would like to see more colour. I will also need a fake web address, For one of my subsidiary tasks I may set up a couple of webpages for it. I've also decided on types of fonts for the paper, although not the specific fonts themselves; sans-serif for titles and short lines, e.g. - jumplines, bylines et cetera. Serif for the body of the article and the masthead.

Logo

• A ship
• The suspension bridge
• Hot air baloon
• A tree
• A bike wheel
• The planetarium

I feel all of these images are commonly associated with Bristol and are easily recognisable. Update: I have recently come up with more ideas, designed them and written down the pros and cons of each one. This will help me decide more easily which one to chose, I will be putting these up soon.

Newspaper Masthead Logo

A logo is the graphic element of a brand which is set in a particular typeface, or arranged in a particluar, yet legible way, designed specifically for that brand. The logo should have elements in it which are defined by the content of the newspaper. For example, The Independent, a left wing paper, has a bird flying away and a serious looking font. This connotes freedom, intelligence and suggests some of the brand's ideology. The Scotsman has a picture of a thistle, which is Scotland's national symblol. Another (and a more local) example is the ship on the Evening Post. This is integral to the brand's identity as it is based in the Bristol area, a place famous for its docks and trade ships. Furthermore, the title also contributes to what people associate with that paper, some are more abstracted and others are more simple and straightfoward. If the logo is distinct and unique then the audience will be able to recognise it more eaily, and the brand's identity will come to mind more readily.

Here, the logo is fairly simple. The font is serif and thus, easy to read. However, it is slightly bolded, creating a friendlier look and appeals to a mass audience. This is appropriate as the Mercury is distrubuted across Somerset, as shown in a smaller font size above, leaving the main focus on the name. The red is reminicent of tabloid papers, perhaps connoting that it has some similarites with this type of paper, for example, the size of the paper or aspects of 'tabloid journalism'. Mercury is also a planet and a chemical, suggesting that it is 'foreseeing' or suggesting that the news in inevitable. This then suggests that the paper's publishers views their paper highly.

This paper looks slightly more serious than the above due to the less rounded serif font. The red, again, is reminisent of tabloid papers. The title here is farily straightfoward as it is often picked up by commuters.

The title is logical as this paper is often picked up on trains or buses by its readers, suggesting that they are busy and are partaking in the metropolitan lifestyle. The text used is fairly bold, simple and in capitals to catch the reader's eye. Blue and white combined are often associated with the Metropolitan police force, suggesting that the ideology of the paper includes a large moral standing.

This paper is a tabloid and so the red is appropriate and easily catches the eye of a potential audience member, this can be associated with its sensationalist stories as they are often used to make a noisy statement. The font is bold and easy to read, connoting simple content. The title suggests that the publsihers belive their paper is integral to their readers lives, that they need it to live, worship it perhaps, like the actual Sun.

The font here is narrow serif and suggests that the paper has more intelligent content. The black is simple, sleek and modern, connoting that the paper does not conform to traditionalist/authroitarian views. The bird suggests freedom and the title itself suggests the importance of the individual.

This font is rather elaborate, yet formal at the same time. The lack of colour adds modernity and minimalism, which is perhaps what the readers want, along with some more traditional values. It stands out because of this.

Conventions of Newspaper Articles

Usually, articles are laid out in order of importance, for example, crime stories are often at the front as they may affect more people and they need to be known about, whereas school stories are often more towards the middle/back as less people are likely to care about them. This is also the same within the article, more important information is toward the start of the story and the less important pieces of information towards the end. This is often known as the inverted pyramid, a metaphor often used by journalists/writers. Other ways of writing articles are also used, including the anecdotal lead and the question & answer.

The headline is designed to be eye catching (in formatting) and summarise the story in a few words, for example 'Crazed Killer Caught.' It normally is in present tense and leaves a few words out so that it is not a complete sentence. In more lighthearted pieces, a pun is often used to intrigue and amuse the reader.

The byline is the name and sometimes the title of the reporter. In most publications, the byline is awarded only if the reporter has done a substantial amount of the preparation. The byline either comes at the start or the end of the article, this is usually determined by the layout. If in another country, then the byline will also include the reporters location.

 

The lead paragraph provides another summary of the article so the reader can decide whether they want to read it, or if they do not have enough time to read the entire thing. It will usually attempt to answer 5 key questions; Who, What, When, Where, Why and How? Usually, lead paragraphs are written in bold or have a larger letter on the first word.

Body of the article is basically, the rest of the article. This is normally presented in short paragraphs. Even here, more vital information will come first, it is assumed that many readers will abandon the piece before they finish reading it. Direct and indirect quotations are often used so the reader can hear the 'voice of the witness', this is because people are more likely to enjoy the article if they can identify with one of the personas. Sometimes an article may just be an entire interview with somebody, usually they are successful or famous.

The tail of the article is often included toward the end of an article to add extra, general information.

Additions are often used to provide context/background for the readers to understand the story more fully. This can be shown in a pull, which is information given in a box or frame, often formatted differently from the rest of the article. Despite being useful, these are more commonly used in magazines. In contrast to this, however, with the availability of modern technology, newspapers are beginning to use more features of magazines.

Page Analysis

This page analysis will help me to decide the main conventions of a local newspaper and which I will use and which I will subvert in the practical production of my paper.

Interview Questions For those who don't read newspapers

1. Why don't you read newspapers?

2. If you did read them, what would you tend to read?

3. Again, if you were a reader, what would you definitely not read?

4. What would make you buy and read a newspaper? For example, would it be layout, price or a headline?

5. What do you think the ideal price would be for a newspaper if you were to read one?

6. What would you want to see included in a newspaper?

7. What kind of ideology (views) would you want the newspaper's producers to have? E.g - right wing politics, morals et.c.

8. Do you feel there is a newspaper that would appeal to you by having the same ideology as you

9. What sort of layout would you prefer? For example, traditional and simple or modern and bright.

10. What are your views? e.g - politics

Interview Questions

The following will be my basis for the interviews I will be carrying out with my potential target audience/ the local newspaper readers;

1. Which local newspaper would you say you buy/read the most? Why?
2. How much of the content do you read?
3. Which stories do you read first, for example, crime stories?
4. What features do you never read?
5. Do you look at the supplements, for example, the job supplement or Bristol's next top model?
6. Which advertisements interest you?
7. Have you ever written a letter to the newspaper and if yes what was it about?
8. Would you ever write to the newspaper and what would you write about?
9. Have you ever acted upon anything in the newspaper, for example, a promotion for a charity event or a protest?
10. How often do you buy or read newspapers?
11. Have you ever sent a photo to a newspaper?
12. Have you ever been in the newspaper or involved in one of the stories?
13. What do you think the ideal price of a newspaper should be?
14. What sort of layout would you prefer? For example, traditional and simple or modern and bright.
15. Do you think that the readers should be able to interact or have a say in what the newspaper puts into the content?
16. If so, how?
17. What would you want to see included in a newspaper?

18. What kind of ideology (views) would you want the newspaper's producers to have? E.g - right wing politics, morals et.c.

19. Do you feel there is a newspaper that would appeal to you by having the same ideology as you?

20. What are your views? e.g - politics

 

I may not include some of these questions due to time/ relevance and I may ask their ages and genders. I will also be changing some of the questions, or perhaps creating a new set of questions for those who do not read newspapers in order to gauge how some new readers of a publication would be gained. In the evaluation I will be using some of the same people to look at my products and comment on them.

Note - The audience research is due in on the 11th July.