Potential Newspaper Names

1. Harrogate Herald

2. Yorkshire Buzz

3. Harrogate Gazette

4. Harrogate Star- I have chosen this name because the name suggests it is for an ultra-local area and it will appeal to the local people and the word star has connotations of quality news.

5. Harrogate Post

6. Harrogate Voice

7. Yorkshire Chronicle

Nespaper Names and Logos

The Advertiser (York)

The Harrogate Advertiser

The Yorkshire Post

The Knaresborough Post

The Ripon Gazette

The Advertiser (York) stands out to readers because of the red and white contrasting colours, and the red background gives the readers an idea that it is a tabloid.

The Harroagte Advertiser is written in 'Times New Roman' a very formal font, in white text on a blue background, which gives the impression that you can trust the paper and the news will be accurate. The 'Harrogate' part makes it obvious that it's an ultra local newspaper.

The Yorkshire Post is written in block capitals and stands out to readers. The font is very large and formal.


The Knaresborough Post is written in a formal font but doesn't stand out very much, although it does fit to the usual conventions of a newspaper.


The Ripon Gazette stands out as the white text stands out nicely against the green background. It looks formal, reliable and it is obvious it is an ultra local newspaper as it includes Ripon in the name.

Proposal and Ideology

Proposal

I’m intending to create an ultra-local newspaper, which is targeted at a specific area, in this case Harrogate. The newspaper will cover local issues including politics, social events and local celebrities; however it will not cover national issues unless it affects Harrogate specifically. The news value I will give priority to is personalisation (stories featuring local people) which will create a close community feel, but I will also include negativity, as bad news makes good news, although I intend to represent the local community and busy and friendly so I will include many more positive stories than negative ones.

Ideology

I’m intending to replicate the established conventions of existing newspapers as they are successful and without these conventions my audience won’t recognise the product. The product will not challenge conventions because of the wide audience I’m targeting and will include predominantly conservative values, with non-biased views of the local politics so that I don’t lose any of my target audience. My target audience will be middle class people living in the local area, but will include many different age groups, (mainly 30+) backgrounds and religions etc., as this is a fairly wealthy area of North Yorkshire. The newspapers are not necessarily only read by the buyers, as older children of the parents that buy the paper may read it for example (secondary media readership).

Semiotic and Generic Analysis

'Yorkshire Post' Front Page

Cost: 55p

Masthead measurements: 27.5 x 3cm

Above the masthead: 'Yorkshire's National Newspaper'

Beneath the masthead: Cost | North Yorkshire Edition | Website | Date, then a thin black line above the rest of the front page

5 Photograpshs featured: all of people

33 x 6cm 'life&style' supplement pull out advert, featuring two photographs

Barcode section: 4 x 3cm bottom left hand corner of the page

19 x 3cm strip at the bottom featuring contents named: 'Inside', 'Weather' and 'Contact us'

9.5 x 20cm advert from a local bed company (Relevance)

Columns: 4.5cm

Main headline in bold (aimed at a wide audience not just local) featuring a by-line and 8 word strapline. Also including a 4.5 x 4.5cm photograph with caption beneath , 2 long columns

'Briefly' section: 'NIB' including 2 stories continued within the paper. Stories of local interest / shock or unexpectedfullness and personalised for emotive effect

'Yorkshire Post' 2nd Page

Front page of newspaper in colour, the rest is printed in black and white

Standfirst of each article begins with first word of each in capital letters

Strip along the top of the page beneath the page number, name of the newspaper, date, website and PUG of 'News' is advertising what will be featured in the next issue

Thin grey lines sectioning off each article from one another

Thicker black line betneath the main article

36.5 x 3.5cm: 'Online At yorkshirepost.co.uk' section featuring 4 images and stories

33.5 x 12cm puzzle section along the bottom

Questionnaire Analysis

I handed out 20 copies of my questionnaire to people who read newspapers. These are my results.


1. Are you male or female?
9=Male 11=Female
2. How old are you?
  Under 20, 21-30, 31-40, 41- 50, 51- 60, 61-70, 71+
15=Under 20, 1=21-30, 0=31-40, 2=41-50, 1=51-60, 0=61-70, 1=71+ 
3. What is your favourite local newspaper?
18=Harrogate Advertiser 2=Ripon Gazette
4. How often do you read newspapers? 
Once a month, few times a month, once a week, few times a week or daily
0=Once a month, 2= Few times a month, 5= Once a week, 7= Few times a week, 6= Daily
5. How long do you spend reading the newspaper?
5=0-30 mins, 14=31-59 mins, 1=1 hour+
6. Does your area have a local newspaper?
20=Yes
7. Do you buy the same local newspaper regularly, or a mix of several newspapers?
19=Mix, 1=Same newspaper
8. How much do you usually spend on your local newspaper?
0-30p, 31-50p, 51-70p, 71-90p 91- 99p or £1+
0=0-30p, 0=31-50p, 4=51-70p, 3=71-90p, 2=91-99p, 11=£1+
9. Do you prefer positive or negative stories about your local area, or a combination?
16=Combination, 4=Positive, 0=Negative.
10. Would you be more likely to buy additional copies of the newspaper if it featured articles including your family and friends?
20=Yes
11. Which do you prefer to read about?
 Politics, schools, environmental issues, local events, gossip, council issues, new buildings, national issues, sports, business, housing, lifestyle features, or other (please specify)
(Most popular choice was local events).

12. Apart from the purchaser, how many people in your household read the newspaper? (List ages if possible)
2=1, 3=2, 15=3.


From this analysis, I know that people prefer a combination of good and bad news, that people like stories about local events, and most people spend over £1 on their paper so I can charge over £1 for mine.

Questionnaire

1. Are you male or female?

2. How old are you?
  Under 20, 21-30, 31-40, 41- 50, 51- 60, 61-70, 71+

3. What is your favourite local newspaper?

4. How often do you read newspapers?
Once a month, few times a month, once a week, few times a week or daily

5. How long do you spend reading the newspaper?

6. Does your area have a local newspaper?

7. Do you buy the same local newspaper regularly, or a mix of several newspapers?

8. How much do you usually spend on your local newspaper?
0-30p, 31-50p, 51-70p, 71-90p 91- 99p or £1+

9. Do you prefer positive or negative stories about your local area, or a combination?

10. Would you be more likely to buy additional copies of the newspaper if it featured articles including your family and friends?

11. Which do you prefer to read about?
 Politics, schools, environmental issues, local events, gossip, council issues, new buildings, national issues, sports, business, housing, lifestyle features, or other (please specify)

12. Apart from the purchaser, how many people in your household read the newspaper? (List ages if possible)

Generic Conventions of Newspaper Articles

The Knaresborough Post:

Speeding - time to act

The first sentence is twenty words long, and informs the reader who, what and where.
The article was written by one person, and includes a byline.
The first word of the article is capitalised, in keeping with the style of the paper.
The article is sixteen paragraphs long, as it is the main article on the page.
The article ends with the e-mail address of the paper, and an invitation to the reader to give their opinion on the story.
The article contains quotes from several people involved in the story, some of whom have contradictory opinions, which helps to make it three-dimensional.
The article is aimed at an older audience, of both genders, especially residents of the area referenced in the story, who would be more interested.
The article is arranged in seven columns, each of which has twenty-one lines.

The Ripon Gazette:

Hotel fire victim wanted to leave "ropey" accomodation

The first sentence is twenty-seven words long, and informs the reader who, what and where.
The article was written by one person, and includes a byline.
The first word of the article is capitalised, in keeping with the style of the paper.
The article is twenty-six paragraphs long, as it is the main article on the front page.
The article ends with the e-mail address of the writer of the article.
The article quotes the man in question, and his family, making the story more personal.
The article is aimed at an older audience, of both genders.
The article consists of eight columns, of varied length, as they are arranged around two pictures.