Analysis of TV Listings

First Analysis

This is my first analysis of a double page spread of TV listings. I found this in the "TV Choice" Magazine and the listing are for the 8th November 2010. The main channels are organised into different columns and colours, for example, BBC One is dark blue, BBC Two is light green, ITV is pink, Channel Four is light blue and Channel Five is orange. The TV listings magazine uses different colours throughout the different days of the listings, for example, Monday is purple. This differentiates between the channels and days. Each column contains a time scale and the programme title, both in bold with description below, this draws attention to the programmes and helps create easy reading for the audience. The use of the black box around the Films is a good advertising technique as the change in font and size in the text is eye catching and draws the audience to the information. However, this would not work for my own double page spread, as all of the programmes and features would be new, so I have gathered this will be very hard to organise. On the left hand side is a small "Today's Choice" Column, containing the editor's choice for the top rated shows of the day. This promotes not only the programme, but the channel it's on, it also adds variety to the page. It makes the page more visually appealing as it contains the only two pictures within the piece. The logo of the magazine is also advertised at the bottom of the double page spread, this is a good advertising technique as the audience is constantly reminded of the magazine they are reading, this follows the codes and conventions of the advertisement, I would use this technique in my own listings page.

Second Analysis

Again, I am analysing another double page spread of TV listings. I found this is the "Celebs on Sunday" magazine found in the Daily Mirror Newspaper, these listings are for Monday January 24th 2011. The main channels are organised into different columns with a dark blue header with the channel name. Although this may be keeping to the theme colour of blue, it does not give a large indication between channels that the audience will notice straight away. This makes it less eye-catching than my first analysis. Although, the days are different colours, for example, Monday is blue, Tuesday is purple and Wednesday is Green, therefore, even though the colours don't differentiate between channels, they do between days, which makes it more appealing for the audience. Each column contains a time schedule in white and then peak-times are highlighted in light blue., indicating popular channels they are looking for. I like the use of the 'Best on the Box' feature on the top right hand side of the page. It not only gives variety to the page, but it features programmes that have been highly advertised the past weeks and also high anticipated episodes of soap operas. They also use a multi-coloured sphere to draw the audience to this feature, which is a good technique to advertise popular programmes. I would like to use this in my own double page spread to introduce my new TV programme. They also advertise the 'Best on the Box' feature again throughout the schedule for the audience to quickly and efficiently find it. They use the same technique with advertising films, making the page more visually appealing. The only thing that is not used, which I would use myself, is the advertisement of the magazine logo. I want my audience to constantly know which magazine and/or website they are on my displaying my companies logo throughout.

Third Analysis

When researching different TV scheduling magazines, I came across this interesting double page spread on Eastenders, which also contains a small schedule telling you what to expect this week in Eastenders. I found this in the TV Times magazine as part of it's 'Soap Week' section. This page is centralisied around the image of four popular Eastenders characters, in preparation of their wedding days, this is obvious by the white dress worn by pregnant 'Ronnie' and the rose petal detail, which has connotation to marriage again, and the use of the heading 'Happy Ever After' is the usual fairy-tale ending, which again is in referance to marriage. The double page spread also contains rhetorical questions throughout typical of this type of article, and it leads the audience to believe that there might not be a happily ever after, after all. There is also a section of the page set out like a fact file. This explains what we as an audience can expect from Eastenders and it's characters this week, not only from the central characters featured but from a whole range of characters. This is an interesting feature, as it is quite small,but also eye catching due to the different use of colours, it allows the audience to obtain the information they need. The double page spread contains several short articles, the main one evidently focussing on the central storyline of the weddings. The main article also contains quotes from the actors about the storylines they're involved with and provide the reader with inside information about the programme. I may use this technique in my own double page article about my new programme as it will allow the audience to not only learn about the programme, but the characters behind it and the actors playing them. This is a creative way of broadcasting and combining the use of a double page spread and a TV listing section together, which I may be intrested in using.