TV LISTINGS

MAGAZINES

For many people, TV listings magazines are a brilliant way of keeping track and planning your weekly television viewing. In recent years, due to new technologies such as Virgin TiVo and Sky+, their circulation has slowly declined but it’s their loyal readers and subscribers who keep them going.

Certain TV listing magazines not only give you a weekly show planner but also include soap gossip, exclusive interviews, as well as new movies and music to look out for.

One of the most common features in these magazines are double page articles. They usually focus on the program featured on the front cover and often tell readers about brand new shows.

• Main Image• Supporting Images• Main Heading• Sub Heading• Pull Quotes• Copy• Columns• Drop Capitals• Title, Date and Time• By Line

Common conventions of these articles include:

The main image is the focus of attention as it occupies two thirds of the double page spread. Two midwives can be seen in the foreground holding new born babies in a hospital ward which immediately establishes the topic and settings of the documentary. Their smiling faces along with the happy new mother in the background connotes the joyful tone of the program as we join them in the delivery room.

The main heading ‘Special Delivery’ indicates that each and every baby the midwives deliver is just as ‘special’ as the last. The sans serif font also contributes to the femininity of the program. White also has connotations of cleanliness and purity, in keeping with the hospital theme.

The subheading introduces readers to the nurses photographed in the main image. ‘Meet Kim and Maria’ speaks directly to the reader and as this is a fly on the wall documentary, it acts as an open invitation to join them on this journey. ‘Professional’ and ‘caring’ are the qualities expected of midwives but ‘opinionated’ suggests that the program has a reality side to it as we get to know them on a more personal level.

Even by just glancing at the page, readers will clearly be able to see the name of the show in bold as well as the date, time and channel which it will be aired.

A pull quote has been taken from the copy of the double page spread; it gives readers and incite as to what the article will include and is often the decider as to whether or not they want to read the full article. It’s written in a much larger font and situated amongst the main copy so it captures their attention straight away. The article itself it written in a colloquial style so the audience feel more comfortable talking about this normally quite awkward topic.

Columns and drop capitals are a common features of any article. They not only contribute to the overall polished look of the double page but help draw attention to the starting point.

The main image is again the focus of attention and shows Tom Daley in his natural environment, the pool. The image occupies the entire page which isn’t unusual of this type of article. He’s wearing a suit which connotes the idea that he’s growing up and moving on to other things such as hosting his own TV show ‘Splash’ on ITV1.

The main heading is a play on words about Tom’s daunting change in career. The bold capitals are arranged to slowly descend lower and lower into ‘the deep’. A sans serif font has also been used and is continued in the main body of text. Unlike a serif font, this creates a more grown up style and symbolises Tom becoming an professional working adult.

The sub heading gives readers an overview of what the show will be about – teaching celebrities to dive. The rhetorical question ‘Can Tom Daley handle the pressure’ also aims to intrigue readers as it implies that he won’t be able to handle this new job.

Small supporting images are often featured amongst articles. Tom is shown here celebrating at the London 2012 Olympics. The image anchors with the content of the copy which heavily focus’ on his diving career.

The copy is displayed in a white text box, occupying the majority of the bottom third. Again, columns have been used as well as a drop capital so the reader is immediately drawn to the starting point of the article.

The by line states the photographer and writer of the article.

Similarly to the previous two articles, the main image is the focus of attention, occupying the majority of the double page spread. The confused expression on Harry Judd’s face shows that he’s out of his comfort zone and this isn’t something he usually does inhis career as a drummer. However, Robbie Savage is seen to be embracing the spray tan which sums up the concept of Strictly Come Dancing, as the celebrities try out something completely new.

Again, the title of the show can be seen here in bold with the date, time and channel below in italics.

The main heading anchors with the main image. They are normally considerably larger but in this case the image does most of the talking. The ellipsis at the end of the heading also adds an element of suspense and makes the reader want to read on.

As Strictly is such a popular, established show, readers will already be familiar with the concept so the article itself is very short. The copy is written in a serif font and includes a drop capital. It’s located in the bottom left third of the page in order to put more emphasis on the main image which is sure to attract the female audience. A by line is also included at the end stating the writer of the article.

Other BBC programmes are also advertised here along with supporting images. Each programme is sectioned off with subheadings written in bold. The Radio Times obviously think ‘Mark Zuckerberg: Inside Facebook’ is the one to watch this week, for this reason ‘MOMENT OF THE WEEK’ appears in bright red capitals so it stands apart from the rest of the text.