channel 4 – Case Study 

BASIC INFORMATION

1.             When is Channel 4 News on?

             Channel 4 is on at 7pm, Monday to Friday

2.             When was the programme first broadcast?

            1982

3.             What awards has the programme won?

            Two Journalism awards

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

                          Produced by tax payers and the government

Presenters

1.             Who are the presenters?

             Jon Snow, Krishnan Murthy, Cathy Newman and Matt Frei

2.             What are the presenters wearing? What does this communicate to the audience?

             They are wearing formal attire which makes them seem serious and bold

3.             Why might a TV News programme use a variety of presenters?

             They may use a variety of presenters because it appeals to – diverse community

4.             How are other reporters or presenters used in the TV News programme?

             They are used to present different news stories

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 3 males and 1 female – they are mainly white, however, one person is a British Asian. It is appealing to a very wide range of people

Opening sequence

Analyse the opening 2 minutes of the programme.
1.             What is the very first shot?

           A proactive intro where the main story is introduced

2.             How does the opening sequence use graphics or images to grab the attention of the audience? 

            They use a wide range of colours with a white surface and they have featured videos to drag attention to the main story – the colours connote a light heart and slightly informal

3.             How is music used in the opening sequence?

             The music is very dramatic and adds a serious touch to the new programme

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?

They introduce the first news story and then play the opening sequence – afterwards, they present other new stories say that it is coming up later

Studio mise-en-scene

1.             What aspects of the studio can be seen by the audience? (Desk, cameras etc.)

           You see the lights and background – you understand how airy and spacious it is – no green screens – natural

2.             Are the presenters standing or behind desks? Why do you think this is?

              They are either standing or sitting on a desk – this makes it seem so much more informal and as if the presenters are talking to you directly

3.             Are journalists or technology visible? What might these things suggest to the audience?

        Some technology is visible (overhead cameras) which may show how modern the studio is as it is fitted – however, it is not overly fake which makes it seem more serious

4.             How does the studio use colour?

The studio uses a wide range of colour including white, purple, pink, red and orange which add fun and colour to make it seem more informal and can target a wider range of audience. 

How news stories are presented

1.             How does the news programme typically present a story?

          They traditionally use a voice over to give an intro into the story and then they then use interviews and the typical talking to the camera in front of a screen

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 use all of the above to really stylize and make their show interesting and productive – it adds different techniques to make the show flow easier and appeal all types of audiences

3.             What types of news does the TV News programme typically cover? Give five examples (e.g. politics, international, sport etc.)

This show covers a very random, wide range of stories to attract different audiences – it includes serious offences and crimes (rape, murder) and also covers gaming, politics, international news (Syria) and slight more irregular topics such as celebrity gossip etc.

4.             Give two real examples of how news stories presented to keep the interest of the audience.

They are presented through very unclear footage with some who is undercover

Running order

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

1.             What is the top story

Immigration control

2.             How long does the top story last for?

About 5 min

3.             What are the other stories the programme does or will cover? List them in the order they are presented in (the ‘running order’).

4.             How long is each story shown for?

5.             Why do you think each story was shown for the time it was?

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.

The target audience is made to fit around a wide rangle – from about 16 to 60 as it contains very mutual topics, very harsh topics and very themed topics to fit a different age grouyp each story.

2.             Why might someone choose to watch this TV News programme over others?

This programme is slightly left wing but is not biased and contains mixed views and a diverse crew

3.             Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or comment?

There are social media tags and links which you can follow to help you find something etc

4.             What audience pleasures (Uses and Gratifications theory – Blumler and Katz) does the programme offer? 

Institution

1.        Who owns, runs or produces this TV News programme?

This channel is owned by the government and has a specific emit

2.        Does the institution own, run or produce any other TV News programmes, channels or newspapers?

It owns E4 and 4oD etc

3.        How does the programme fit the TV channel it is on?
The programme doesn't have any specific features which fit with the programmes this channel plays - it generally just completes Channel 4

4.        What role does OFCOM have in making sure TV News is fair and accurate?
The have a broadcast code which makes sure that shows are impartial and routine with no bias

TV News and New/Digital Media

1.             Does the TV News programme have a dedicated website?
Yes, Channel 4 does have a dedicated website to broadcast the news channel and give extra details and support etc

2.             What does the website offer viewers?
It offers them a political inside, highlights, support and mainly different videos linking to news stories for research purposes and background information

3.             Does the TV News programme have a Twitter feed?
Yes, it does have a Twitter feed which offers highlights and extra news

4.             How does the Twitter feed promote the programme?
The Twitter logo and details are displayed at the bottom of the screen

5.             Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or submit news stories?
They are allowed to go on tot he website and submit news stories and they do have opportunities to send videos through Twitter