TV News Case Study 1: Channel 4 News

Basic details

When is Channel 4 News on? Monday to Friday at At 7pm For 55 minutes. 

When was the programme first broadcast? 1989

What awards has the programme won?

 British Academy Television Award for Best News CoverageInternational Emmy Award for News
British Academy Television Award for Best News and Current Affairs Journalism

What is the media institution that produces Channel 4 News? ITN 

Presenters

1. Who are the presenters? John Snow and Krisman Guru-morthy,Cathy Newman and Matt Frei
2. What are the presenters wearing? What does this communicate to the audience? The main presenter, John Snow, usally wears fairly formal clothes but with a quirky tie which reflect how the news programe is presented in an uniqe way.
3. Why might a TV News programme use a variety of presenters? In order to reflect the audeince.
4. How are other reporters or presenters used in the TV News programme? They are used to present the audience with questions and then in depth, investigative, answers. 
5. Is there a balance between male and female presenters? What about race/ethnicity? What effect might these aspects have on an audience? There are both male and female presenters and a reporter of a different ethnic group which would show the audience that there is a natural selection of presenters and that they haven't tried to hard.

Opening sequence

Analyse the opening 2 minutes of the programme.

1. What is the very first shot? Of an opening new story, which cosits of an embeded video and a voice over explaining the headline.
2. How does the opening sequence use graphics or images to grab the attention of the audience? The graphics are on a plain white background with bright lights and purple clear lines, this is very innovitive and appeals to the younger audience. There are also long shots which show the presenter fully which isn't usally the case for traditional news programmes. There are also many tilt shots looking up at the presenters which creates the affect of the serious nature of the reports. 
3. How is music used in the opening sequence? It is used to intorduce the titles, in a way to gain the audiences attention - sort of alerting the audience to listen up.
4. How are news stories introduced in the opening two minutes? Is there just one story or are the audience told what will be coming up later? In an headline order.

Studio mise-en-scene

1. What aspects of the studio can be seen by the audience? (Desk, cameras etc.) The first shot shown of the studio shows both the presenters fully in view (from head to toe) and the whole studio. The lights, as a shape of four, are also shown over the prsenters which discrielty reflects how innovative they are.
2. Are the presenters standing or behind desks? Why do you think this is? The presenters are not behind a desk which take away the affect of seeming supiror to the audience, which reflects to the audience that they are just normal people like us who are interested in the same issues as us. This also takes away the context of being overly formal which is often discuriging to the younger audience. 
3. Are journalists or technology visible? What might these things suggest to the audience? There is a tv screen visibal to the audience which portrays to the viewer that they are up to date on technology but because there is only a single screen it doesn't over do it which can be appealing to older generations.
4. How does the studio use colour? The colours used are purple, white and black which add to give the programme a more modern and sleek look which appels to the younger audience. The lack of use of too make black and white prvent the programme to have a overly hard, shinny presentation. 

How news stories are presented

1. How does the news programme typically present a story? The programe starts with asking a few rotorical questions on the topic and then gives some detail. This is then followed up by an invertigation and then an interview. 
2. What difference techniques does the programme use to present the news? (E.g. presenter to camera, reporter on location, interviews, graphics, images, video etc.) The programme uses various shots, espcially in interviews, whuch arent typically used in other news programmes. In the interview they show both medium shots and over the shoulder shots which helps the audience to feel as if they are there themselves which makes it less boring for younger viewers but still presents information which all viewers appreciate.
3. What types of news does the TV News programme typically cover? Give five examples (e.g. politics, international, sport etc.) The politics, business, world stories, tech and cultural stories. 
4. Give two real examples of how news stories presented to keep the interest of the audience. There was the story of the habo hotel which showed an in-depth investigation of the topic. 

Running order
Watch the first 15 minutes of the programme – as recent as you can find.

1. What is the top story? 

   Mediterranean crisis: on Italy's front line in Catania

2. How long does the top story last for? 4/12 minutes
3. What are the other stories the programme does or will cover? List them in the order they are presented in (the ‘running order’). 1)headlines 2)mediterranean crisis 3)uk scales down resue operation 4)UNHCR 5)migrant crisis 6)does europe have a policy to tackle migrant crisis 7)snp mamofesto launch 8) david cameron challenges snp over devlution 9) gary gibbon speaks to tory leader 9) australian terror plot
4. How long is each story shown for?1)2.07 2)4.10 3)4.03 4)4.25 5)2.55 6)4.31 7)3.39 8)3.59 9)9.03 10)3.00
5. Why do you think each story was shown for the time it was? All stories where given importance but the ones that affect uk citizens the most, eg the elections, where shown longer due to the more tourer and important context.

Audience

1. What is the target audience for this TV News programme? Research online – you should be able to find plenty of suggestions to the target audience if not the official target audience of the programme.   most expensive advertising for programmes that attract 16-34 adults or ABC1 adults- Registered viewers includes half of all 16-24 year olds in the UK  etween 18-30 year olds which can be identi   Channel 4 resonates particularly strongly with young (27% 16-34 profile compared to 24% for average UK adult*) and upmarket viewers (44% ABC1 profile compared to 41% for average UK adult*). In addition, among ABC1 16-44s, Channel 4’s 
2. Why might someone choose to watch this TV News programme over others? it is more investigative and gives the audience a larger chance to construct and develop their own personal views rather than having facts thrown at them fact after fact. 
3. Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or comment? yes via the social networking sites.
4. What audience pleasures (Uses and Gratifications theory – Blumler and Katz) does the programme offer?The programme offers information that deveopes knowlesge aswel as opinios. It also includes personal identification as it helps to develop our own views and morals as we learn more about each subject indepth. Intergration is also present as it provides social empathy and brings lights apon matters of other areas. There is a strong educational appel to the show.

Institution

1. Who owns, runs or produces this TV News programme? ITN
2. Does the institution own, run or produce any other TV News programmes, channels or newspapers?  ITN produces content for ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, UK mobile phone operators, online outlets such as YouTube, MSN, Telegraph Media Group,Yahoo!, and film producers and researchers worldwide.
3. How does the programme fit the TV channel it is on? Its on channel 4 so it has that quirky and uniquw feel to it. The channel portrays itself in a simple and understandable manner.
4. What role does OFCOM have in making sure TV News is fair and accurate? It analyses the programme to make sure it meets the terms needed.

TV News and New/Digital Media

1. Does the TV News programme have a dedicated website? yes
2. What does the website offer viewers? The pain topics information (uk, world, politics, business, science, tech and culture) tyhere are also blogs that the viewers can view and a catch up section. There are also links to their social networking sites. 
3. Does the TV News programme have a Twitter feed? yes 
4. How does the Twitter feed promote the programme? it gives you the main stories and updates. It also gives you a chance to interact.
5. Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or submit news stories? yes, via facebook and twitter.