Real Media Artifacts

Wokingham News Front Cover

This issue of the Wokingham Times is laid out like most local newspapers around this local area but also across England. Generally on the front page their will be a main article about something which is happening or happened in the local area, this newspaper is not different on the front cover there is a article explaining something which happened in the area. There is nearly always a large masthead at the top of the page with the name of the newspaper “Wokingham News” followed by “Crowthorne and Sandhurst Newsweek”, this is the name of the newspaper. The “Wokingham News” is located at the top of the page in large bold lettering. This is followed by the other heading in bold lettering but this is not quite as large as this is not the main name of the newspaper. On this newspaper the date and price of the newspaper is situated on a red strip in white writing because this makes it stand out and easy to see for the reader. On this front page there is a fair bit of text about the main article, all of this text is split into even columns like most newspapers. By doing this, this makes the newspaper look more professional and gives the newspaper a much more consistent feel. I will make sure that I do this in my newspaper because I want to make it look as professional as possible. There are a lot of advertisements on this issue of “The Wokingham News”. All of the advertisements are advertising local businesses and events in the area. It is much better to advertise local business rather than national in local newspapers because this way you will be targeting the right people and there is more chance of getting business for these businesses. These advertisements are very colour-full but they do not take much room up on the page because the bigger the ad the more expensive for the business. I will include many local advertisements on the front page but also through out the newspaper because this is whole I am going to fund to make the newspaper. Also on this paper to make it look more colour-full and interesting there are many pictures included. This makes the newspaper look much more interesting but it also gives the articles a meaning because generally the pictures relate to the article. These pictures are generally always followed by a caption explaining the picture to give an explanation of the picture.

Wokingham News Second Page

This second page of the newspaper is also laid out like most local newspapers which are available in the area. This second page also follows typical codes and conventions of other newspapers as it give the newspaper a consistent look and feel. Some of the articles which are advertised and listed on the front of the newspaper are carried over on to the second page. When I make my newspaper I will have main articles on the front page being carried over to the second page like this. On the second page there are many photographs relating to the articles on the page. There are around eight pictures on the page and these give the articles a meaning but they also give the page a colour-full look. Like in newspaper when photographs are included there are also captions which help people understand the picture. These are included nearly always when a photograph is included it adds more detail to the article so people can gain a better understanding. There are also many advertisements on the page and these make the page look much more interesting but they also give the reader some good advertisements which they could use in the future as they are all local business. On this page to make out the different articles they are separated by a bold title which is the articles headline. This makes the page have a layout which you can understand but also it is separated into boxes so that you can make out the different stories. Down the left hand side of the page there is a contents (index) this shows what else is included throughout the newspaper. This also gives people a better understanding of what is in the newspaper but also makes it easier for them to find articles they want to read. All the text on the page is also laid out in columns because this gives the newspaper a professional feel. If they text was not laid out in columns it wouldn’t look professional, it would be harder to read and look more scruffy.

The Crowthorne Times Front Cover

This issue of Crowthorne Times is not much different to the other ones published around the surrounding area. The Crowthorne Times always follows the same codes and conventions so that they create a consistent feel and a professional look to the newspaper. They want to create a certain look so that when people see this newspaper they no it is the Crowthorne Times and they do this by following specific codes and conventions of local newspapers. On the front of this newspaper there is a large bold masthead, this shows the name of the newspaper generally in large bold letters so that it stands out. They want the title to stand out so that when people see their newspaper they will want to read it because hopefully they would have built up a good reputation in the area. Like the “Wokingham Times” below the name of the newspaper there is a section showing the price of the newspaper but also the date in which it was released. This shows me that generally this is where they are situated so I am going to be aware of this when creating my newspaper. Like the “Wokingham News” this newspaper includes a lot of advertising ads. Across the top of the front page there are advertisements. This advertisements is more of an advertisement to try and persuade people into either reading or buying the newspaper because there is a free book inside so they think they by putting this on the front cover more people will see it meaning they potentially they could want to buy the newspaper and read it. There are a lot of other advertisements showing local business such as window companies for example. These local business will pay to put their ad in these papers as this is how many local newspapers fund themselves. These advertisements are very colour-full and they stand out a lot so the ones I include will also need to be as they are very eye catching. There are other things which are also very colour-full on the page. There are also many photographs relating to the articles on the page. All these photographs have a purpose and add effect to what is on the page. All the pictures are in colour so this means they are quite eye catching because if you were to have a newspaper which had no pictures, advertisements etc it would look very boring and not very appealing. There are also other codes and conventions which they follow by including a bar code for example these are generally always on newspapers because some are brought from shops. Other things include sub headings and straplines both of the front covers I analysed of local newspapers also included these.

The Crowthorne Times Second Page

This second page of the “Crowthorne Times” looks like most second pages you would see in a local newspaper because they all follow the same codes and conventions. Down the left hand side of the page there is a “this week” column this shows us the reader what is going to be in the newspaper this week and where you can find it. This also helps the reader in being able to find where the article is located. At the top of the page there is a masthead for one of the articles on the page. This is the main article on the second page so they need a large more bold title so that people know this and so that they can see where it starts. If they were to use a non bold font in small writing then this would be less effective meaning that the reader’s attention is not brought to it. Like all newspaper the text is laid out in clear columns so that the reader knows where the article starts and finished. If they didn’t have columns this would make the text look very boring and long with just loads of long lines of writing. But by breaking the text up into columns this makes it look more appealing to read, I will make sure that I do this in my newspaper. There are also many photographs situated on the page as this makes the page more colour-full and interesting but it also gives the articles a meaning. Below these there are captions which explain the picture so that the reader doesn’t become confused and loses interest in reading. There is also a pug in the top right hand corner showing us the date as this makes the newspaper look more professional. Also the newspaper website is printed at the top of the page, this will help the reader’s because this will mean that they can use their website to find out any extra information that they want to find, I will make sure I include this too. There are also many advertisements on this page, in local newspapers there are generally a lot of newspapers because this is the way they fund them. They are very affective on the reader because they know the business will not be too far from them if their in there local newspaper so they will more likely get used. There are some smaller advertisements and also there are some large ones. So on this second page there is a lot of information which makes the newspaper look much more interesting and colour-full meaning people are more likely to read it.

I agree with Mrs Straker, there is some really useful information here which you can also refer to in your evaluation. Well Done!

From Mrs S

I'm impressed with what you've done so far, there's a lot of work here. Useful analysis of your questionnaire and good info on the industry. You might want to express your own views on the article as it's important for the development of your final product.

Focus Group Analysis

1. Do you think that I should post my papers through the door free of charge?
Nearly all of the thirty people asked this questionnaire out of my focus group only one person though that I shouldn't deliver my newspapers to people's houses and post them through the door. This is because they thought that the newspapers were un-interesting and they never really seemed to read them. But I believe that my newspaper is very worth while reading and that they would happily read my newspaper as it will have a lot of interesting and useful information of what's been happening in the area. The majority of the people asked the questionnaire thought that this was an excellent idea as they currently already had this service and they liked it. 97% of the people asked the questionnaire which is a majority of people and from this we can see that most think it's a good idea. If I am going to compete with newspapers in the area I think that I need to provide this service to them.


2. Do you think that it is reasonable to offer you this service on a weekly basis, one newspaper per week?
The majority of the people asked this question from my focus group thought that is was reasonable to offer this service once a week, with 87% agreeing. From talking to people in the area they generally only get one main paper a week from the local area which they tend to read. This is the main local paper which I will be competing with. Many thought that this was reasonable as in small villages such as the one I am providing for not a lot of things happen in a few days it happens over around a week so if I was to provide a newspaper for every other few days it would not work as their would not be much to write about and would become very boring. Only 13% did not agree and thought that I should provide my service more than once a week but this was mainly because they liked reading newspapers but they had not thought about what information could be used as there would not be too much to write about from just over a few days.


3. Do you think that I should sell some of the papers in the local shops for 30p; do you think this is a fair price?
A large majority of the people asked this question had the same view as me and thought that this would be a excellent idea so that I can gain extra sales but also to provide my customers with a better service. I think that by offering this service people who don't get the chance to read the local paper can read it, as some people work in Crowthorne and come from neighbouring villages so they won't receive one so this way they can see what's going on as it could effect them. Also I think that 30p is an excellent price for a newspaper which will be the best in the village and one of the top newspapers in the area, many of the people asked the questionnaire agreed with this. Only 7% of the people asked the questionnaire thought this was not a good idea they said that they didn't think it would be successful but I believe it will and so did the other 93% asked the questionnaire.

4. Do you like to have a variety of pictures on the newspapers when reading them relating to the articles?

Just under 2/3 of the people asked the questionnaire liked to have a variety of pictures on the newspapers relating to the articles included. This was mainly because they thought that this would make the newspaper much more interesting in the way it looks but also they thought it would give them a better understanding of who or what the article was about. 8 out of the 20 asked thought that this was not a good idea mainly because they preferred their to be more text as they preferred reading than looking at pictures. But as the majority liked their to be pictures included I am going to go with the majority and include pictures. I will try and include as much text as possible with one main picture and other smaller ones relating to the main or other small articles so that I can satisfy most people.

5. Would you like the newspaper to be colour-full or plain?

The majority of the people preferred to have a colour-full newspaper rather than a plain one. Many of the newspapers which are local ones around the Berkshire area are more plain and bland rather than colour-full and eye catching. I want to make my newspaper look and feel like a local newspaper but I also want to make it fairly unique. I want it to have an eye catching title and information and I believe the name I have chosen is also a name they will remember. I will try and make the newspaper as colour-full as possible but not too much as I don't want it to look over the top and make it look like a National newspaper such as "The Sun". I want my newspaper to fit into the codes and conventions of local newspapers and use plain colours so I think to do this I am going to use a mixture of both. I believe that even if my newspaper is not that colour-full like my focus group wanted they would still read it due to the excellent information and over newspaper quality.

6. Do you think that it is a good idea to have the main article about Sport?

26 out of the 30 people asked the questionnaire thought that it was a good idea to have the main article to be about sport. When I asked the first questionnaire randomly to people who were not in my focus group they also thought that it would be good to have the main article about sport in the area. Many people in the area like to take part in sport and there is a lot of sporting events happening all the time so there a lot of people who like to read about it. When I asked the general questionnaire at the beginning not many people came up with ideas about what they wanted to be included as the main article. So as many people are interested in sport I am going to include a sporting article so I can potentially interest as many people as possible.

7. Would you like their to be general articles as well as Sporting ones?

Having looking looked at many of the newspapers for sale in the area the area as well as having a main article they also include many general articles such as things like the weather or general stories from what's happened in the area. Many people like to have a variety of articles which they can read about as they might get bored reading about one main topic all the time so to have a whole variety of ones means they will remain interested and hopefully mean they will continue to buy the newspapers. Only 7% said that they wouldn't want their to be general articles as they said they found them boring and would prefer more on sport. But I am going to go with the majority and include general articles.

8. Would you like their to be advertising included in the newspaper?

5/6 of the people asked this questionnaire for my focus group said that they would prefer their to be advertisements included in the newspapers. This was mainly because they thought that if local advertisements were included then if they needed a specific service they could look through the newspaper and see if they can find one. Also I want to include as many newspapers as possible as these advertisements will pay for the funding of the newspaper so I will need this money to create them. So I will be including many advertisements in my newspaper.

Codes and Conventions of Newspapers

All newspaper which are published all follow specific Codes and Conventions which they follow to create a specific newspaper look. They will follow these Codes and Conventions at all times in all the newspapers which they create. I will create my own Codes and Conventions based on other newspapers so I can create a consistant feel and look.

Codes and Conventions: the familiar and predictable forms and techniques used by the media to convey a desired impression. Codes include the special devices of an individual media, such as the type of articles included, prices, what types of advertisements, whether the information is quantitative or quantitative and much more. Conventions are the typical plot elements including conflicts and resolutions of a particular medium.

Each medium has its own forms and conventions. Newspapers, radio, television, magazines, and the internet have a different look, a different method of communicating, a different purpose, and different codes and conventions. Within a specific medium, you may also find distinct codes and conventions. A good example of this involving newspapers is that different newspapers have more qualitative information with others having more quantitative. "The Times" national newspaper's cover price in the United Kingdom is 90p on weekdays and £2.00 on Sunday's this paper is more qualitative and is generally seen as a serious publication with high standards of journalism. Where as papers such as "The Sun" is only 30p and is seen as one of the cheaper newspapers with more quantitative information than qualitative.

I am going to make sure that I do the following:
- attract the readers into wanting to buy.
- reinforce the newspapers identity through easily recognisable style features.
- demonstare the newspapers attitude towards the news of the day (make the main headline stand out).
- Show the main stories that you will cover, hopefully including better coverage o these stories than any other paper in the area.

Newspapers Codes and Conventions
Photographs: this is there to grab attention. It may or may not be linked to the main story but more than often it is in colour. Sometimes pictures within the newspapers are pictures for other articles in the newspaper.

Caption: the words below a photograph which give it a meaning.

Banner Headline: main statement which spans the full length of the page.

Byline: this is the name of the writer of the article.

Masthead: this is the title block which includes the name of the newspaper.

Pug's: the pugs are the areas at the top left and top right hand side of the pages. They attract the reader's eye and also they are used to show the date, price etc.

Strapline: this is the introduction of the article. This is normally situated just below the main headline.

Standfirst: this is the first paragraph of a report. This may be in bold print and/or the first word maybe be in colours.

Splash: the splash is the main story on the front page of the newspaper.

Local newspapers generally have all the things which I jus listed but also they have some of their own Codes and Conventions which they follow. Normally local newspapers will include things such as:

- A section advertising local cars up for sale or wanted.

- Local School's details. (open days, addresses etc)

- Jobs in the area.

- Local companies advertisements.

- Classified Adverts.

- Local websites.

- Local shops in the area.

- A house section showing local houses for sale.

Institutions of product placement

The definition of an institution can be seen below:
"Enduring regulatory and organising structures of any society, which constrain and control individuals and individuality - the underlying principles and values according to which many social and cultural practices are organised and co-ordinated - the major social sources of codes, rules and relation".

Newspapers can be widely accessible through out the world and they are also very popular too, this could be because all of the many different ways in which newspapers can be brought. Also there are many places in which my product could be advertised to customers across the area in which we are operating. There has been a decline in newspapers sales lately but their is still a large market to target. Before you release a new product on to the market you need to analyse the market and work out which is the best way to advertise and sell your product so it achieves as much sales as possible.

Local newspaper such as mine are generally funded by people in the local area. They are funded by local business putting advertisements into the newspaper so that they can gain some custom. I gained some research from the internet showing me how much it will cost these business to post an advertisement in my newspaper. The quotes which I found were that a full page advertisement would cost £2584+vat, a half page advertismenet would cost £1292+vat and a 1/4 page £646+vat. So these are the amounts which I will be able to charge people in the local area. This is how I am going to fund my newspapers. So the more advertisments I can include in my newspaper the more successful are newspaper will be.

Generally, newspapers not just local newspapers are for sale in places such as Supermarkets, Local shops, Petrol garages, Internet and many other places. But generally the local newspapers are posted through people’s door so they can receive them this easy way. In the area in which I live and creating a local newspaper for people get their newspapers posted through their door free of charge. But some people don't and generally go to the shops to buy their newspapers. National newspapers are sold in most national supermarkets, local shops, garages and the internet throughout England. But the local newpaers are generally only sold in places such as local shops and supermarkets.

I created a questionnaire which I handed out randomly to people so that I can gain information which will help me in the designing of my newspaper. I handed out questionnaire’s to people of all ages so that I could gain information from old and young people and can see what different ages like in their newspapers. I gained a lot of useful information from these questionnaires which will help me a lot in the construction of my final product.

From the questionnaire which I created and handed out people generally thought that it would be a good idea to create a newspaper for my project. Many people thought it was a good idea because this could mean that there needed to be more competition in the area so hopefully the quality of the newspapers would increase. Nearly everyone who answered the general questionnaire said that they received a local newspaper. This shows that their is a huge market to target with my paper because so many have the opportunity to read them meaning that if I make my newspaper of top professional quality then they will hopefully read my newspaper. I believe that this idea will be both most convenient for myself as well as the potential customers because they will be receiving the newspaper at home and they do not have to go out of their way to go get one to read. This way they will receive the newspaper straight to their door meaning their more likely to read it as they don’t have to go to shops to find the newspaper. Like most newspapers around the area I am going to be selling mine they also sell their product in local shops, garages and supermarkets. This is because some people don’t receive local newspapers or if they do it could have gone missing or the person delivering might not have delivered it. By offering this service they will be able to make up for this and purchase a newspaper from a local supplier for just 30p. Also some people from the outside villages and towns might not be within the radius in which you can get the local paper from Crowthorne and the might want to read it. If they were shopping in a shop in Crowthorne and wanted to catch up what’s been happening, a service or houses for sale in the area they could just buy this newspaper and then they could see all of this. As the might not live in the area they will not be able to get the newspaper when they want it. So by offering people the chance to purchase the newspaper from local shops, garages and supermarkets they will be able to buy and read the newspaper.

Supermarkets and Local shops are also a good place to sell newspapers because people generally buy newspapers at supermarkets so this will be a good place to sell them to gain as much sales as possible. There are a whole variety of newspapers which are sold at supermarkets but I believe my newspaper will catch people's eye because of the uses of colour and popularity within the area. So I could target a larger market by selling my newspaper in these different places.
Local shops will also be a good place to sell my newspaper as they also have many people shopping in them each day. When people go to local shops they generally go to do a small shop and buy something to eat or drink. But normally when people do this they always buy something to read if its a magazine or a newspaper. As my newspaper will be colour-full and eye catching this will be something I will use to my advantage by hopefully catching the potential customers eye. Local shops might not gain as much custom as Supermarkets because there not as large and well known but I think that my newspaper will be able to keep up and compete with the other newspapers currently on the market. I will try and make my newspaper fitting to the local community but at the same time I want to make it colour-full, interesting and very unique to the area.

The Internet is the new technology of how to gain information quickly, cheaply and also very easily. There are many people who have the internet and are frequent users of it. The hardback newspaper sales are declining all the time this is mainly down to the internet. Many people now opt to read about the news online over buying the newspaper from the shops mainly because they already have the sources to be able to do this through the computer but also it is easier, cheaper, less hassle than going to the shops and also they don’t have big newspapers which are sometimes difficult to read and find certain information. The internet will be a very good way of selling a magazine as there are so many people that use the internet these days for gaining information such as the information in newspapers.

Also my target audience (focus group) for my newspaper is people in their teenage years right up to people in their sixty’s. As I am providing my information for these people I think that it is worth while putting the information on to the internet as well as printing newspapers and posting them through doors and selling them in shops. Generally, the people who are not in my focus group people below their teens getting towards children and people above sixty and older do not really tend to use the internet on regular occasions. If these people were in my focus group they would be the ones who did not really use this service which I will be providing and would be less likely to offer it as it wouldn’t be getting used by my target audience. As they are not in my target audience and people between their teens and sixty’s are more likely to go on the internet and look for information while their at home, work, college, school etc. So by using the internet and setting up a website displaying all the local news on is a very good idea and an idea which will hopefully be used by my customers.

Focus Group Questionnaire

In the world of marketing, focus groups are seen as an important tool for acquiring feedback regarding new products, as well as various topics regarding things currently on the market. In particular, focus groups allow companies wishing to develop, package, name, or test market a new product, to discuss, view, and/or test the new product before it is made available to the public. This can provide invaluable information about the potential market acceptance of the product.

Benefits of a Focus Group:
- The researcher can interact with the participants, pose follow-up questions or ask questions that probe more deeply.
- The results which you gain can be easier to understand than complicated statistical data.
- The researcher can get information from non-verbal responses, such as facial expressions or body language.
- Information is provided more quickly than if people were interviewed separately as can be done in a large group etc.­

Limitations of a Focus Group:
- The small sample size means the groups might not be a good representation of the larger population.
- Group discussions can be difficult to steer and control, so time can be lost to irrelevant topics.
- Respondents can feel peer pressure to give similar answers to the moderator's questions.
- The moderator's skill in phrasing questions along with the setting can affect responses and skew results.

The group which I am targeting my newspaper is to people in there teenage years right up to people getting into their sixty’s. By targeting a large amount of people I will be able to create a newspaper which will hopefully sell more as more people will buy it due it including things a lot of people like.

I have created a questionnaire which I am going to ask people in my focus group so that I can determine what sort of contents they like to see in newspapers. By asking these people I will be able to ask the people who will be reading the newspaper and their opinions will matter most. Traditional focus groups can provide accurate information, and are less expensive than other forms of traditional marketing research. Some other marketing research is very cost effective and very time consuming, this type of research is quick, cheap and much easier and will give me the information that I need.

I asked the same amount of people this questionnaire on my focus group as I did with my general questionnaire on newspapers. I thought that thirty was a reasonable amount of people to ask and that I would get excellent feedback and get much better opinions by asking a larger amount of people. The questionnaire which I created can be seen below:

General Question for my Focus Group
1. Do you think that I should post my papers through the door free of charge?
Yes No

2. Do you think that I should sell some of the papers in local shops for 30p; do you think this is a fair price?
Yes No

3. Do you think it is reasonable to offer you this service on a weekly basis, one newspaper per week?
Yes No

4. Do you like to have a variety of pictures on the newspapers when reading them, relating to the articles?
Yes No

5. Would you like the newspaper to be colour-full or plain?
Colour-full Plain

6. Do you think that it is a good idea to have the main article in the newspaper about sport?
Yes No

7. Would you like general articles to be included as well as the sport article?
Yes No

8. Would you like advertisements to be included in the newspaper?
Yes No

The background of newspapers

The Background of Newspapers
A newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the personal opinions of writers. Supplementary sections may contain advertising, comics, and coupons.

Newspapers are most often published on a daily or weekly basis, and they usually focus on one particular geographic area where most of their readers live this ishow I will be operating. Despite recent setbacks in circulation and profits, newspapers are still the most iconic outlet for news and other types of written journalism.

While most newspapers are aimed at a broad spectrum of readers, usually geographically defined, some focus on groups of readers defined more by their interests than their location: for example, there are daily and weekly business newspapers and sports newspapers. More specialist still are some weekly newspapers, usually free and distributed within limited areas; these may serve communities as specific as certain immigrant populations. In the area in which I am going to be operating their are many different newspapers for example the Wokingham news or the Bracknell standard. These are some of the newspapers targeted to local people.

Daily Newspapers
A daily newspaper is issued every day, sometimes with the exception of Sundays and some national holidays. Saturday and, where they exist, Sunday editions of daily newspapers tend to be larger, include more specialized sections and advertising inserts, and cost more. Typically, the majority of these newspapers’ staff work Monday to Friday, so the Sunday and Monday editions largely depend on content done in advance or content that is syndicated. Most daily newspapers are published in the morning. Afternoon or evening papers are aimed more at commuters and office workers.

Weekly Newspapers
Weekly newspapers are common and tend to be smaller than the daily papers. In some cases, there also are newspapers that are published twice or three times a week. Some newspapers such as "The Sun" which is a National paper they operate through out the week but they also operate a seperate paper on Sundays. I will be just operating y paper once a week.

National
Most nations have at least one newspaper that circulates throughout the whole country: a national newspaper, as contrasted with a local newspaper serving a city or region. In the United Kingdom, there are numerous national newspapers, including The Independent, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Daily Express and The Daily Mirror.

International Newspapers
There is also a small group of newspapers which may be characterised as international newspapers. Some, such as Christian Science Monitor and The International Herald Tribune, have always had that focus, while others are repackaged national newspapers or “international editions” of national-scale or large metropolitan newspapers. Often these international editions are scaled down to remove articles that might not interest the wider range of readers.
As English has become the international language of business and technology, many newspapers formerly published only in non-English languages have also developed English-language editions. In places as varied as Jerusalem and Bombay (Mumbai), newspapers are printed to a local and international English-speaking public. The advent of the Internet has also allowed the non-English newspapers to put out a scaled-down English version to give their newspaper a global outreach.

Despite recent setbacks in circulation and profits, newspapers are still the most iconic outlet for news and other types of written journalism. Features a newspaper may include are:
Editorial - opinions, criticism, persuation,entertainment and op-eds
Obituaries
Comic strips and other entertainment, such as crosswords, sudoku and horoscopes
Weather news and forecasts
Advice, gossip, food and other columns
Critical reviews of movies, plays, restaurants, etc.
Classified ads

Impact of T.V. and the Internet on Newspapers
Newspaper sales, in the UK, are in gradual long term decline. The fragmenting media landscape, in particular the growth of the internet, has put huge pressure on newspaper sales.
By the late 1990s the availability of news via 24-hour television channels and then the Internet posed an ongoing challenge to the business model of most newspapers in developed countries. Paid circulation has declined, while advertising revenue — which makes up the bulk of most newspapers’ income — has been shifting from print to the new media, resulting in a general decline in profits. Many newspapers around the world launched online editions in an attempt to follow or stay ahead of their audience.

However, in the rest of the world, cheaper printing and distribution, increased literacy, the growing middle class and other factors have more than compensated for the emergence of electronic media and newspapers continue to grow. With the introduction of the Internet, web-based “newspapers” have also started to be produced as online-only publications, like the Southport Reporter. To be a Web-Only newspaper they must be web-published only and must not be part of or have any connection to hard-copy formats. To be classed as an Online Only Newspaper, the paper must also be regularly updated at a regular time and keep to a fixed news format, like a hardcopy newspaper. They must also be only published by professional media companies and regarded under the national/international press rules and regulations unlike blog sites and other news websites, it is run as a newspaper and is recognized by media groups in the UK. Large newspaper companies such as The Sun, The Times and The Daily Mail all operate an online service as well as selling there papers in the shops. Large newspaper firms such as these can afford to have this luxury but small local newspapers don’t always as it is very cost effective.
Below is a list of the most widely read newspapers from the internet. The Sun was the most widely read online UK newspaper for the month of March 2008. Here is a list of the Top 10 read newspapers (in order of most read to least read):
1. The Sun Online
2. Guardian.co.uk
3. Telegraph Group
4. Times Online
5. DailyMail.co.uk
6. Independent.co.uk
7. Mirror.co.uk
8. Financial Times Group
9. Metro.co.uk
10. ThisIsLondon.co.uk

Below is a article from the internet regarding newspaper print sales. Newspaper Print Sales: Will The Decline Ever End?
The question is no longer how far national newspaper circulation can fall, but whether it will stop falling at all. The latest ABC figures for August illustrate how readers continue to leave in droves…
—Daily papers’ are down three percent year on year to a total average of 11.32 million 10.98 million a day.—Sundays fell 5.3 percent to 11.82 million 11.18 million copies a week.
August is a quiet month, the industry likes to say—but that doesn’t help explain away the sheer size of some declines.
Of the dailies, only the Daily Star—massively discounted at 20p and backed by advertising spend—managed a circulation lift and The Sunday Times offered the only other glimmer of hope with a modest 0.7 percent rise year on year.
Regional ABCs: Evening newspaper sales drop 5.3 per cent
The total circulation of Britain's regional evening newspapers was down 5.3 per cent in the second half of 2007, with only two titles gaining sales on the same period a year earlier.
The evening sector was down 5.3 per cent on last year with only two newspapers gaining sales.
Total average daily sale for the 72 evening newspapers in Britain is 2,629,193 down 5.3 per cent from the 2,777,041 total of a year ago.
The Advertiser was up 0.4 per cent to 22,219 benefiting from a 4 per cent boost in home deliveries. The paper launched a “reader acquisition programme" in February 2007. The paper has consistently been outperforming the evening sector.

Newspaper Questionnaire Analysis

1. Question – Are you Male or Female?
I handed my questionnaire out randomly to people within my Sixth Form classes as well as people outside of College. I asked a whole range of people, I asked young and old people as well as people from both Genders. By doing it this way you will have a much detailed and more reliable set of results. What people like to see in magazines sometimes changes due to their age or gender, so by getting round this I asked a whole range of people. I asked thirty people the questionnaire with the majority being Male with 60% and Female with 40%. Even though I have asked more Male's then Female’s I believe that my questionnaire will still provide me with good information because it’s a very reliable number of people from both sexes.

2. Question – How old are you?
I asked this question to the people I choose to ask so that you can see which ages like what and you might be able to see a growing trend. The majority of people which I asked the question to was the age range of between 11-20. This was due to all students studying at my College are either seventeen or eighteen years old so there ages fit into this bracket. The next highest bracket was between 41-50 as this is the general age of most parents so this was quite high. I asked a whole range of ages from people in the teens to people in there sixty’s, this will give us a range of data which will help a lot when making the newspaper as we will have a whole range of opinions. All the ages which I asked gave me very useful information which will be good for my newspaper because I have very useful feedback.


3. Question - What is your current occupation?
Out of the thirty people asked this question the majority of the people asked classed there current occupation as being a student. This is due to the fact that they were currently studying at College/School when they were asked the questionnaire. Many classed themself as being Student but also worked part-time but they choose the Student option because this is there main occupation. There was many people in full-time work and people also in part-time work. There was no unemployed people which I asked the questionnaire to. This shows that generally in the area in which I live in is quite a wealthy area. So this could mean most people we want to know what’s going on and wouldn’t mind paying the small amount of money for a newspaper.


4. Question – Would you say that you read newspaper regulary?
Out of the thirty people asked the questionnaire the majority of people said that they would say they regularly read newspapers with 93% saying they believed they did. This is a very large amount of people because I only asked thirty people so only around two out of these people didn’t read them regularly but this doesn’t mean that they didn’t not read them at all. This question shows us that there is a large market to target by selling a newspaper so there will be a lot of people looking to buy or read are newspaper. This will create a popularity within the area of the newspaper hopefully resulting in the increase of newspaper sales.


5. Question – If so, how many times a week would you say?
This question shows how many people from the question above actually read there newspaper regularly. Quite a few people only read it twice a week this could be mainly down to the fact that the weekly paper is only once a week sometimes twice. A lot of people either read the paper three times, everyday or other. This shows that these people would have read the paper more than three times a week as the other options are listed. This means that people still tend to read newspapers and that there is a big market to target.


6. Question - Do you think that I should create a Local Newspaper rather than a National one?
The opinion of the people I asked reflected my opinion on this question. I thought that it would be a much better idea to choose to make a Local one rather than a National one. A Local one relates to me more because the information inside could have something to do with my area or even could affect me in some way. Also I tend to read the Local newspapers much more than the National newspapers mainly down to this reasons. But this will mean that I will have much more experience of reading these types of papers. This will mean that I will be able to create a much more interesting newspaper and know what type of articles, advertisements and other contents which should be included. So I am glad that most people who were asked the question also thought that I should create a Local newspaper.


7. Question - When reading your Local Newspaper do you find the stories and other contents inside more interesting because they link closer to your environment and could effect you personally?
As I read the Local newspaper a lot, I will be able to relate to these people opinions. 83% of people thought that they like to read stories about something which could relate to them. I will include articles which relate to the Local community and stories which will hopefully interest people. Only 17% said that they liked to read National papers which don’t really relate to them to much so this shows that there is a big market to target as many people like reading about their Local community. So I will try and include advertisements and interesting articles which people within the Local community would like to read.


8. Question - What age group do you think that I should target for my newspaper?
Eighteen out the thirty people asked this question thought that I should target my newspaper to the ages between 21-40. The second highest that people thought I should target my newspaper to was between the ages of 41-60. I am going to try and target the newspaper I make to the largest market as possible. I am going to target both of these age groups so I am going to target people between 21-60. But from asking people at College they liked reading articles in the local newspaper so I will also try and target these people as well. I want to do it this way so there is a bigger market to target hopefully resulting in more sales of the newspaper.


9. Question - Do you receive a weekly Local newspaper?
Out of the thirty people asked the questionnaire only one person said that they didn’t receive a Local newspaper. This was because they was not sure if they received one so they listed themselves as not receiving one. 97% of the people said they received Local newspapers which shows that a lot of people have the opportunity to read the newspaper and they do. This shows that I will have a competitor in the market so this means that I will need to include quality articles, advertisements and other contents so that people like to read my newspaper. It doesn’t matter if they were to also read that people just that they read mine as well.


10. Question - How much would you be willing to pay for a Local newspaper if there was to be a price?
From looking at the chart shown above we can clearly see what price people thought was the most reasonable for the newspaper out of the ones which I had listed. Nearly all people asked the questionnaire thought that the 30p price for a magazine was the most reasonable and this is the price I am now likely to use due to many thinking it was fair. Many people thought that the 20p prices and down were to cheap and other thought that prices of 40p and more was to expensive and most thought that 30p was the most reasonable. I also thought this was the best price to sell at which could mean many people will now buy the magazine in which I am selling as I am satisfying their needs by offering at the right price. To pay 30p a week for a excellent newspaper will be very good and will work out cheap in the long run.


11. Question - Would you prefer the newspaper to be Colour-full or Plain?
80% of the people asked the questionnaire thought that newspapers were much better colour-full rather than plain and simple. Some newspapers go for the plain look such as “The Guardian” and others go for the colour-full vibrant look for example “The Sun”. All newspapers have different codes and conventions which they follow to satisfy their audience, if my audience mainly want a colour-full appearance I will follow this criteria and make a colour-full newspaper. If I follow what potential customers like to see in their newspapers it will mean that my newspaper is more likely to sell and satisfy my customers in the area which I am targeting.


12. Question - When you read newspapers would you read it on the Internet or buy it from the Shop?
The two options which I gave the people who asked the questionnaire said similar things, some brought the newspapers from the shop and read them where as some read them on the internet because the information was free and more accessible. We will be operating are newspaper both ways, we will be selling are newspapers in local shops in the village and we will also have a website with all the local information on too. This will make are information on the local area more accessible to the people in the area because 33% said they brought from the shops and 33% said they read on the internet with 27% saying they didn't mind what method they used both. So this shows we will be satisfying most customers by offering both oprions.


13. Question - Do you like to have advertisements in the paper when you are reading them?
80% of the people who were asked the questionnaire said that they liked having advertisements in the magazines. This was mainly down to the fact that the advertisements could relate to them because some people might be looking for a local builder or another local service so they can see prices and phone numbers. Where as when you get advertisements in the national papers they don't really relate to you as much as the local advertisements will and your more likely to use their service. Only 20% said that they didn't like advertisements, this is the miniority so I will put a few advertisements in the newspaper.


14. Question - Would you prefer to read long or short articles when reading a paper?
Generally with this question there was a mixture of feedback some people liked when reading an article. A main long article came out as the most favoured option but this was closely followed by the short article option. Also there was a choice of mixture which also had a few people favouring as they didn't mind they like reading either and have a mixture within the paper. As there was a mixture of what people favoured I will have decided to create a fairly large article and also a few small articles. I will include pictures with these articles and also have advertisements to make the pages look more interesting. By create my newspaper this way I will be able to satisfy a larger amount of people.


15. Question - What type of contents do you like to see when reading a local newspaper?
From this question the two favoured topics to be wrote about was "Sport" and "General news". I will try and include both a sport article as well as some articles including some general news from the area. I think that these are two very good topics and that they would be an interesting article for local people to be able to read. I will write the main article of the newspaper on sport and the smaller less detailed articles on general news. 12 of the people asked the questionnaire said that they wanted a sport article and 8 out of the thirty asked wanted a general news article, so this means that twenty out the thirty asked either wanted a sport article or a general news on, this is the majority so I will include both topics.


16. Question - What do you think is the most suitable name for my newspaper?
I have decided to name my newspaper "The Crowthorne Times", this is because it came out clear favourite in the question of the questionnaire. This choice had over half the people choosing it so this means that it must be a very catchy name and will look good on my newspaper. I also thought that this name seemed fitting for my magazine. I think this name seems catchy but also it seems very professional and sounds like a good paper. So I will name my magazine "The Crowthorne Times".


17. Question - What do you think the main article in the newspaper should be about?
I asked this question but I did not write any topics for them to choose from. A few people did not mind what the main article should be about but many people commented saying that I should include a sport article. As there was not much feedback regarding this question I will use the feedback I did gain and create a main sport article as the main article.

18. Question - Is there anything else which you would like to add which would help me in making my local magazine?
Only one person commented on this as it was not a listed question it was opptional. The one person write saying "Try and make your newspaper look unique". I will listen to this person's opinion but I will base my newspaper on other ones already created and try and put my own ideas on to it as well so that hopefully I can create much better newspaper.

Newspaper Questionnaire

1. Are you Male or Female?
Male
Female

2. How old are you?
11 - 20
21 – 30
31 – 40
41 – 50
51 – 60
60+

3. What is your current occupation?
Full-time Work
Part-time Work
Student
Unemployed

4. Would you say you regularly read newspapers?
Yes
No

5. If so how many times a week would you say?
Once a week
Twice a week
Three times a week
Everyday
Other (if other please state on line below)
.........................................................................................................

6. Do you think that it is a good idea to create a newspaper for my project?
Yes
No

7. Do you think that I should do a local newspaper or a national newspaper?
Local
National

8. When reading your local newspaper do you find the stories and other contents more interesting because they link closer to your environment and could effect you?
Yes
No

9. What age group do you think that I should target for my newspaper?
1 – 20
21-40
41-60
60+

10. Do you receive a weekly local newspaper?
Yes
No

11. How much would you be willing to pay for a local newspaper if there was to be a price?
£0.10
£0.20
£0.30
£0.40
£0.50
Other (if other please state on the line below)
................................................................................................................

12. Would you prefer a colour-full newspaper or plain?
Colour-full
Plain

13. When you read newspapers would you read it on the internet or would you buy it from the shop? Shop
Internet
Either
Other

14. Do you like to have advertisements in the paper when you are reading them?
Yes
No

15. Would you prefer to read short or long articles when reading a paper?
Long
Short
Mixture of both

16. What type of contents do you like to see when reading a local newspaper?
Sports
General News
Events in the area
Advertisements
Weather
Interviews
Politics
Houses for sale in the area

17. What do you think is the best newspaper name for my local newspaper?
The Crowthorne Times
The Crowthorne Guardian
The Crowthorne Star
The Crowthorne Weekly
The Crowthorne Express
The Crowthorne Standard
Other

18. What do you think the main article on the newspaper should be about? (please state on the line below)
.........................................................................................................

Is there anything else which you would like to add which would help me in making my local magazine? (if so please state on the line below)
.........................................................................................................