tv news h'outs -unit 34
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
1/49
TeachingTV News
S E R I E S T E A C H I N G F I L M A N D M E D I A S T U D I E S
Eileen Lewis
Education
Series Editor: Vivienne Clark
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
2/49
bfiEducation2003
student notes
Page 1 of 5 TV News
A brief history ofPublic ServiceBroadcasting
1904 Commercial radio launched in America. Complications arise from lack
of regulation of the frequencies.
In Britain the Postmaster General takes responsibility for the
allocation of broadcasting frequencies.
191419 Radio transmissions other than those used by the military are banned
during World War I.
November 1922 The British Broadcasting Company is formed from a group of radio
equipment manufacturers under General Manager John Reith and
given a licence to run a monopoly broadcasting service in London,
Manchester and Birmingham. The company begins a daily radiobroadcast, consisting of news, politics and music.
1923 John Reith launches The Radio Times to avoid paying newspapers to
publish programme listings.
The Sykes Committee states that broadcasting is to be a public
utility and the wavebands considered a valuable form of public
property. Broadcasting is not to be an unrestricted commercial
monopoly, nor is it to be directly controlled by the state.
1924 King George Vs opening of Wembley Exhibition is broadcast live to
10 million people.
John Logie Bairds patent for 30-line television transmission isaccepted in Britain.
1925 Similar experiments conducted in USA, Japan, Russia and Hungary.
The British Broadcasting Corporation is formed from the British
Broadcasting Company by Royal Charter and given financial
independence through the licence fee.
The Crawford Committee is set up to establish guidelines for the future
of broadcasting on a long-term basis. Reith is invited to present a
statement of his views on broadcasting to the Committee. His memo
forms the basis of Public Service Broadcasting for thirty years and many
of his guidelines still influence the regulation of terrestrial broadcasting
today.Key points from Reiths memo are that broadcasting should:
Educate, inform and entertain;
Lead public taste, not pander to it;
Act as a cultural, moral and educative force;
Present the best of human knowledge, endeavour and achievement;
Preserve a high moral tone, avoiding the vulgar and the hurtful;
Bring the nation together as one man, by ensuring universal access;
Act as a social cement to create a national identity and an
enlightened democracy;
Remain free from commercial and government pressures.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
3/49
bfiEducation2003
student notes
Page 2 of 5 TV News
A brief history of Public Service Broadcasting
1927 John Reith becomes the first Director General of the BBC and retains
the post until 1938.
Two million licences (ten shillings payable to the Post Office) have
been issued. Newspaper owners are concerned that their profits will
suffer, as radio is much faster at newsgathering than newspapers.
They fear that people will no longer buy morning newspapers if they
can hear radio news bulletins the previous evening.
1928 BBC granted its Royal Charter.
193639 BBC television begins broadcasting, although radio is still the
dominant medium.
1939 The BBC stops all TV transmission for the duration of the war, due to
concern that the lights from the BBC at Alexandra Palace would
attract enemy planes on bombing raids of London.
1940 Reiths paternalistic approach is replaced by a greater effort to give the
audience what they want: the Home Service follows the approach of the
old National Service, while the Forces Programme (later renamed the
Light Programme) is set up, mainly aimed at a working-class audience.
The Third Programme, offering high culture, is set up in 1946.
194656 BBC television begins transmitting again after the break during the
war years and holds a monopoly until 1956. The BBC argues that the
introduction of commercial television would lead to a lowering of
programme standards. However, the monopoly is under increasingpressure.
1953 An estimated 20 million people watch the coronation of Queen
Elizabeth II.
1954 The Conservative government institutes the Independent Television
Authority (whose members are appointed by the government) to
oversee the setting up of commercial television. The subsequent
Television Act makes it clear that commercial television is also
expected to keep to some of the principles of Public Service
Broadcasting: it must offer a public service and inform, educate and
entertain. Television companies are independent but have to pay the
ITA rental for the transmitters and a levy to the government based on
their advertising revenue.
Somebody introduced smallpox, bubonic plague and the Black
Death [into England}. Somebody is minded now to introduce
sponsored broadcasting. (Lord Reith shows his disapproval of
the introduction of independent television in a speech to the
House of Lords in 1954).
Soundbite
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
4/49
bfiEducation2003
student notes
Page 3 of 5 TV News
A brief history of Public Service Broadcasting
1955 ITV begins with the live transmission of the inaugural banquet from
the Guildhall.
The first television advert is broadcast: tingling fresh Gibbs SR
toothpaste.
Regional networks provide a mixture of national and regional programmes.
ITN is established to provide current affairs and news broadcasts;
these differ from the BBCs approach, offering more challenging
interviews and on-the-spot reports.
1962 Full ITV coverage. BBCs audience share falls to 27%.
Television overtakes radio as the dominant medium.
Pilkington Report is published and criticises the ITV companies whohave been granted a licence to print money. ITV is seen as
appealing to the lowest level of public taste and is criticised for its
inability to understand the nature of quality or of triviality, nor the
need to maintain one and counter the other. The BBC is praised.
First communications satellite, Telstar, goes into orbit.
1963 The Second Television Act sets up the third television channel, BBC2.
1964 BBC2 launched.
Pirate radio stations begin broadcasting from ships outside territorial
waters.
1967 Colour transmissions introduced on BBC2 and 13 countries are linked
by satellite in the first global TV programme Our World.
The BBC creates new pop music radio service Radio 1; Light Programme
becomes Radio 2; Third Programme becomes Radio 3; Home Service
becomes Radio 4. The BBC also begins to develop local radio.
1969 Huge audiences watch live pictures of the first moon landing sent by
satellite.
First colour transmissions on BBC1.
1972 Act to permit setting up of commercial radio stations.
The ITA changes to the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to
cover radio as well as television.
1977 Annan Report is published and criticises both BBC and ITV. It states
that broadcasting is to be preserved as a public service free from
political pressure or control. The committee sees neither BBC nor ITV
as representative of the diverse tastes and interests of an increasingly
diverse society. It demands a wider range of programmes and
provision for minority groups, commissioned from a wide range of
sources. This results in the setting up of the publisher-broadcaster,
Channel 4.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
5/49
bfiEducation2003
student notes
Page 4 of 5 TV News
A brief history of Public Service Broadcasting
1982 Channel 4 and SC4 (Wales) are launched, with a particular remit for
addressing the needs and interests of minority groups. They areinitially funded by a levy on ITV companies, which sell Channel 4s
advertising space. (Since the 1990 Broadcasting Act Channel 4 has
been responsible for its own funding.)
1984 Sky satellite channel set up by Rupert Murdoch. Launched on
satellite and cable.
1986 Peacock Report marks a change in the notion of Public Service
Broadcasting, applying an economic approach, and viewing
broadcasting primarily as a commodity. It aims to establish
consumer sovereignty: the greatest freedom of choice from the
widest provision of broadcast goods. It looks at the changes neededin broadcasting due to new technology and considers alternatives to
the licence fee for funding of the BBC, rejecting the idea of
advertising on BBC but suggesting subscription and the tender of ITV
franchises. In spite of these changes, the Committee still aims to
retain elements of Public Service Broadcasting, which it defines as
the production of a wide range of quality programmes.
British satellite franchise awarded to British Satellite Broadcasting.
1990 The Broadcasting Act establishes the ITC, the Radio Authority, Wales
Channel 4, the Broadcasting Complaints Commission and the
Broadcasting Standards Council. The Act encapsulates a free market
philosophy and is intended to enable broadcasters to take fulladvantage of the opportunities presented by technical advances and to
broaden the choice of viewing and listening. The Act sets up a proposal
for competitive tender from ITV companies and also stipulates quality
threshold for bids and obligation to provide certain programming strands.
1991 Franchises awarded to 16 independent television companies out of
40 bids. Incumbents Thames, TVS, TSW and TV-AM lose to Carlton,
Meridian, Westcountry and Sunrise.
Classic FM and Virgin 1215 are set up.
British Satellite Broadcasting merges with Sky to become BSkyB.
It does aggressive marketing to obtain exclusive rights to sportingevents in order to win subscribers. Sky agrees to pay 670 million
over four years for exclusive rights to Premier League Football.
1992 John Birt outlines plans for the BBC, which retain the principles to
help to educate and inform and to provide a showcase for traditional
and contemporary British culture while at the same time providing
more choice. Birt encourages competition within the BBC and drastic
pruning of staff. Producers have to bid to make programmes, using
the cheapest studios and crews, not necessarily BBC ones.
1993 New independent TV companies begin 10-year licences on 1 January.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
6/49
bfiEducation2003
student notes
Page 5 of 5 TV News
A brief history of Public Service Broadcasting
1994 White Paper renews BBC licence fee until 2001. Reinforces BBCs
role as Public Service Broadcaster.
1996 Greg Dykes Channel 5 wins franchise for fifth television channel and
starts broadcasting. It reaches only 70% of homes.
BBC Royal Charter renewed.
1998 Launch of digital broadcasting with Sky Digital and ONDigital.
2000 Greg Dyke is appointed Director General of the BBC. His vision for
the BBC includes the setting up of five TV channels and five new
radio channels.
2001 ONDigital rebranded as ITV Digital.
2002 Collapse of ITV Digital.
BBC Freeview (owned by a BBC/BSkyB consortium) launched.
New regulator, Ofcom, is set up under Lord Currie.
Communications Bill published. Proposes more of the media are
deregulated and mergers permitted.
2006 The BBCs Royal Charter is due for renewal.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
7/49
bfiEducation2003
student notes
Page 1 of 3 TV News
November 1922 The British Broadcasting Company is formed. It begins a daily radio
broadcast, consisting of news, politics and music. Announcers aremainly upper class, speak with received pronunciation (RP) and wear
full evening dress. They read the news bulletins twice, once at normal
speed, then more slowly, so that listeners can write them down if they
wish. There was some news but in the early days only after 7pm to
avoid upsetting the sales of newspapers.
1924 King George Vs opening of Wembley Exhibition is broadcast live to
10 million people.
1925 The British Broadcasting Corporation is formed.
1926 The principle of neutrality is established during the General Strike:
Churchill wants the government to take over the BBC. Reith arguessuccessfully against this, although the BBC follows the government
line and denies access to the strikers.
1936 The BBC begins the first regular news service, broadcasting from
Alexandra Palace.
1937 The coronation procession of King George VI is broadcast to 2000 TV
sets in Britain one of the first examples of a shared national
experience.
1939 Radio news reports are heavily censored but attract huge audiences
of 1015 million, when portable recording equipment allows reporters
to make vivid reports of battle scenes with diegetic sounds of thefighting.
1952 Six newsreel transmissions a week by the BBC, mostly made up of
feature stories and shot without sound; commentaries were added
later in post-production.
1953 The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II is broadcast to 2.5 million TV
sets. More than 20 million people (56% of the population of Britain)
watch this as a shared experience. Richard Dimbleby provides the
commentary.
First Panorama programme broadcast in November.
1954 The Independent Television Authority is established to oversee the
setting-up of commercial television.
1955 ITV begins with the live transmission of the inaugural banquet from
the Guildhall. Regional networks provide a mixture of national and
regional programmes.
Independent Television News (ITN) is established to provide current
affairs and news broadcasts in London and the South East; these
differ from the BBCs approach, offering more challenging interviews
and on-the-spot reports. Athlete Christopher Chataway and Robin
Day are the first ITN newscasters.
A brief history ofTV news
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
8/49
bfiEducation2003
student notes
Page 2 of 3 TV News
July 1955 The BBC sets up its own television news department, in response to
the setting up of ITN.
Richard Dimbleby becomes presenter of Panorama after the success
of the first general election results programme.
1956 ITV begins broadcasting in the Midlands and the North. Ludovic
Kennedy presents current affairs programme This Weekfor ITN
(termed by some the poor mans Panorama).
1957 Tonight, a 40-minute topical magazine programme, is launched on
BBC.
1959 Robin Day and Ludovic Kennedy join the Panorama team.
1962 Full ITV coverage. BBCs audience share falls to 27%.First communications satellite, Telstar, goes into orbit.
1963 World in Action, a single issue 30-minute current affairs programme
begins on ITV.
Associated Rediffusions 30-minute weekly current affairs programme,
This Weekis launched on ITV. Jeremy Isaacs is the editor.
1965 Late-night daily current affairs programme24 Hours begins.
1966 First worldwide broadcast is a joint venture by BBC and ITV of the
World Cup final from Wembley. Estimated international audience of
400 million.
1967 ITN launch News at Ten, the first half hour developed news programme.
The first colour TV transmissions introduced on BBC2.
1969 News magazine programme Nationwide presented by Michael Barratt.
The moon landing watched live by huge international audience.
1975 Weekend World begins on ITV on Sundays.
1980 BBC2 launches Newsnight, an in-depth exploration of political issues
and events.
1982 Launch of Channel 4 News a 50-minute in-depth exploration of two
or three current issues together with news bulletins.
1983 BBC1 and ITV begin breakfast TV.
1984 Sky set up by Rupert Murdoch. Launched on satellite and cable.
1985 Michael Buerks report on the Ethiopian famine leads to Bob Geldofs
Live Aid which raises more than 60 million.
1986 First daytime TV service from BBC.
1987 First daytime TV service from ITV.
A brief history of TV news
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
9/49
bfiEducation2003
student notes
Page 3 of 3 TV News
A brief history of TV news
1991 Cable News Network (CNN) becomes leading international news
source due to its coverage of the Gulf War. Influences presentation ofnews in Britain.
1995 Martin Bashirs interview with Princess Diana gains Panorama its
biggest ever audience 22.8 million.
1996 The lively, informal presentation of Channel 5 news makes a huge
impact, affecting the way other channels present TV news.
1997 BBC News 24 is launched.
1998 ITV reschedules News at Ten.
Launch of digital broadcasting Sky Digital and ONDigital.
1999 Martin Bashir joins McDonald on the first Tonight with Trevor
MacDonald. Interviews the Stephen Lawrence murder suspects.
2000 ITV reinstates News at Ten, but it is scheduled at any time between
10 and 11pm. The BBC reschedule the Nine OClock News to 10pm,
on a consistent basis. This helps the BBC to draw viewers from ITV
and improve ratings.
11 September 2001 Collapse of World Trade Center witnessed live on TV around the
world by millions.
March 2003 War on Iraq gets 24-hour news coverage.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
10/49
Identifying PublicService Broadcastingin todays TV news
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 1
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Working in pairs, remind yourselves of
some of the basic principles of Reiths
view of Public Service Broadcasting, and
Greg Dykes redefined version of Public
Service Broadcasting outlined below.
Reith and Public ServiceBroadcasting
In 1925 John Reith, General Manager of the
BBC, presented a statement of his views on
broadcasting to the Crawford Committee,which had been set up to establish
guidelines for the long-term future of
broadcasting. His memo formed the basis
of Public Service Broadcasting for 30 years
and still influences the regulation of
terrestrial broadcasting today.
Key points from Reiths memo are that
broadcasting should:
Educate, inform and entertain;
Lead public taste, not pander to it;
Act as a cultural, moral and educative
force;
Present the best of human knowledge,
endeavour and achievement;
Preserve a high moral tone, avoiding the
vulgar and the hurtful;
Bring the nation together as one man, by
ensuring universal access;
Act as a social cement to create a
national identity and an enlightened
democracy;
Remain free from commercial andgovernment pressures.
Changing definitions of PSB
In early 2003 Greg Dyke and other senior
BBC executives started the process of
updating the BBCs remit, with a shift of
emphasis to the following values of Public
Service Broadcasting:
Quality
Diversity
Innovation
Distinctiveness Connectivity connecting with different
audiences.
Now watch the first five minutes of each
TV news programme which your teacher
will screen for you.
Look at these questions and make notes
of your answers.
1 Focus on Reiths definition of Public
Service Broadcasting and consider
whether he would have approved of each
news programme and why.2 How far do you think each news
programme fits in with the redefined
version of Public Service Broadcasting?
3 How would you define the quality of the
text? Is the notion of quality linked to
certain sub-genres of news?
4 Which of Reiths principles do you think
are still important for TV news
programmes in our multi-channel world?
In pairs, discuss your answers.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
11/49
Role-play cards
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 2
Page 1 of 4 TV News
Role-play televised discussion: dead or alive?
Rupert MurdochOwner of News International
You are very critical of the BBC licence fee
and the recent launching of BBC digital
channels BBC3, BBC4 and two childrens
channels.
The BBC gets anything it wants and
has done from any government.
Their 24-hour news was unnecessary
but they wanted to do it. We have spent
hundreds of millions of poundsestablishing Sky News and then they
come along.
You believe the governors of the BBC are an
anachronism and that Ofcom which you
welcome should control the BBC directly.
You are 71 years old.
Lord Reith (revived)First Director General of
the BBC 192738
You believe that generic channels are
destroying the unity and democracy of the
country.
You are unhappy about much of todays
broadcasting output, especially with regard to
the tabloidisation of the news. Tonight with
Trevor McDonald will come under special
attack for pandering to public opinion, ratherthan leading it.
You are very anxious about the licence fee for
the BBC and want to retain regulation by the
12 BBC governors who will do their best to
continue the tradition of Public Service
Broadcasting.
John BeyerDirector of Mediawatch
Mediawatch is the morality watchdog pressure
group, formerly the National Viewers and
Listeners Association, founded by Mary
Whitehouse in 1963.
You are a great supporter of Reithian
principles. You believe that todays television
concentrates far too much on the
entertainment part of Lord Reiths original
memo and not enough on informing and
educating.
You argue that there are far too many violent
sequences broadcast on TV news this
desensitises us all and contributes to a more
violent society. You would like to see Ofcom
control TV news more rigorously and force
broadcasters to return to Public Service
Broadcasting principles.
Greg DykeDirector General of the BBC
You are very proud of the way you have
increased ratings for the BBC to beat ITV for
the first time. You are disappointed that Lord
Reith does not congratulate you on making
the BBC so successful.
You believe that it is possible to make TV
news both informative and entertaining just
look at Newsround!
You try to persuade Lord Reith that you have
kept the best of his principles of Public Service
Broadcasting, but that times have changed and
your new definition of Public Service
Broadcasting is more appropriate to the 21st
century.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
12/49
Role-play cards
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 2
Page 2 of 4 TV News
Jonathan MillerThe Sunday Times journalist
You are leading a campaign against paying
the licence fee.
You worked as a spokesman for Sky in the
early years of Sky television, so you know
Murdoch very well. In late 2002 you
challenged the BBC to sue you for licence
evasion.
You argue that the licence fee is like a tax and
that being forced to pay 112 for channelsthat you do not watch breaches European
human rights laws.
Peter SissonsTV news presenter
You were the main presenter of BBCs Ten
OClock News until January 2003, when you
were replaced by younger presenters Huw
Wheldon and Fiona Bruce and moved to BBC
News 24. You are not happy to be in a part of
the BBC that has come under heavy criticism
you take a pride in your job and think that
Greg Dyke is ageist and too obsessed with
ratings. But you have to be careful what you
say as you are still working under him.
You need to be prepared to answer attacks on
the way you raise your eyebrows to comment
on a news story rather than remaining
impartial and unbiased, as written into the
Royal Charter.
Trevor McDonaldPresenter ofNews at Ten and
Tonight with Trevor McDonald
You are hurt by Lord Reiths accusations that
your programme does little to inform or
educate. You use examples such as The
Prime Suspects on the murder of Stephen
Lawrence; the interview with the parents of
murdered Sarah Payne and the investigation
into the possibility of a law under which a
register of known paedophiles is made
available to the public. This gained 6.6 millionviewers. You also carried the first in-depth
interview with George Bush after 11
September 2001.
You believe in Public Service Broadcasting,
but think that it is necessary to adapt to a
changing world with new technologies.
Jana BennettBBC Director of Television
You are American by birth, but educated in
Britain. You have worked for the BBC since
1979, with a three-year gap when you went to
the United States and successfully ran the
Learning Channel for Discovery
Communications, increasing their ratings.
You are very against the idea of pay television
and want to get back to those first principles,
to demonstrate what the licence fee does for
Britain in maintaining Public ServiceBroadcasting. A piece of the BBC should be
owned by everybody, in their hearts and their
minds.
You also think that mass audiences are an
important way of measuring the success of
Public Service Broadcasting Serving a big
audience is serving the public well. You are
good friends with Lorraine Heggessey,
Controller of BBC1.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
13/49
Role-play cards
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 2
Page 4 of 4 TV News
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
14/49
Role-play cards
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 2
Page 3 of 4 TV News
Tessa JowellMinister for Sport, Culture
and the Media
You are a visiting fellow at Nuffield College,
Oxford. Before entering Parliament your job
was in psychiatric social work.
You have the difficult job of overseeing the
setting up of Ofcom and dealing with the
complex details of the Communications Bill.
You have been attacked for being too
protective of the BBC and are now arguing
that Ofcom will undertake a very thorough
review of every aspect of the BBC. The
members of Ofcom will be required to enforce
content regulation very firmly where
necessary.
Public Service Broadcasting will be an
important part of Ofcoms remit. Ofcom will
have to be prepared to use their powers to
investigate impartiality and maintain standards
of taste and decency.
Phil RedmondBrookside creator and
Chairman of Mersey TV
You are angry at the way the BBC, under
Director General Greg Dyke, has muscled in
on what you consider to be the territory of
commercial TV. You want to use the
opportunity of the Ofcom review and the
charter renewal process to put forward
alternatives to the licence fee. You want the
focus to be firmly on the way the BBC is
funded. The licence fee is a cultural poll tax.
Personally, Id just scrap the whole idea
of Public Service Broadcasting. What
we should have instead is a public
service provider, across media including
the internet. The government should
review whether the BBC is still the best
way to deliver Public Service
Broadcasting in the digital age.
David LiddimentEx-Director of Programming at ITV
You are very critical of the BBC governors,
arguing that they do not do a good job of
regulating the BBC. You are also critical of
Greg Dyke for popularising the BBC. You are
upset that BBC1 beat ITV for ratings at prime
time for the first time in 2002.
You were responsible for rescheduling News
at Ten and now admit that it was a mistake.
This is one of the reasons why you left your
job in August 2002. You believe that thecelebrity interview, such as Living with Michael
Jackson, has a legitimate place in current
affairs.
You are critical of snobbish public service
values that dictate that real current affairs
can only be politics, international stories and
big, long-term investigations.
Kim HowellMinister for Tourism, Film
and Broadcasting
You are well known for your outspoken
comments. You denounced the 2002 Turner
Prize as cold, mechanical, conceptual
bullshit. You upset many young people with
your controversial statements after the fatal
shooting of two teenage girls in Birmingham,
when you said that boasting macho idiot
rappers had created a culture in which killing
is almost a fashion accessory.You attacked violent computer games, films
and TV: a constant diet of death and
destruction in modern film and television has
created a pornography of violence,
appealing to viewers lowest urges.
Your job is to assist Tessa Jowell in overseeing
the Communications Bill. Almost 100 MPs
have criticised you for allowing Murdoch an
easy ride, if he wanted to buy Channel 5,
despite your adding an amendment to the Bill.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
15/49
Identifying newsvalues
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 3
Page 1 of 2 TV News
Read the notes below.
In pairs, identify the top three stories in two comparable TV news programmes. Using the
sheets provided, note title of each programme, and the topic of each story.
Identify the news values for each programme using Galtung and Ruges list. Again, use the
sheets provided.
How different are the news values for each programme?
News values
News values are the criteria which help to explain why photographs and events are selected
as newsworthy. Galtung and Ruge were among the first media theorists to define news values.
The list of news values below is adapted from their work. Use this list whenever you are
analysing news stories.
Immediacy: Has it happened recently?
Familiarity: Is it culturally close to us in Britain?
Amplitude: Is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people?
Frequency: Does the event happen often?
Unambiguity: Is it clear and definite?
Predictability: Did we expect it to happen?
Surprise: Is it a rare or unexpected event?
Continuity: Has this story already been defined as news?
Elite nations and people: Which country has the event happened in? Does the story
concern well-known people, such as celebrities?
Personalisation: Is it a human-interest story?
Negativity: Is it bad news?
Balance: The story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story
to balance a number of stories concerning death.
* J Galtung and M Ruge, 1973, Structuring and selecting news in S Cohen and J Young (eds)
The Manufacture of News, Constable
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
16/49
Identifyingnewsvalues
bfi Education 2003
worksheet
3
Page2of2
TVNews
Story1
Programme1:
Programme2
:
Story2
Story3
Story1
Story2
Story3
Newsvalues
Newsvalues
Newsvalues
Newsvalues
Newsvalues
Newsvalues
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
17/49
Opening sequences:identifying newsvalues
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 4
Page 1 of 2 TV News
In pairs, compare the opening sequences of GMTVand BBC
Breakfast news.
Using the table provided, identify the news values for each
programme, using Galtung and Ruges list and what you have
been taught about news values.
Number the news values in order of priority for each programme,
looking at the order of the news agenda, the time devoted to the
stories and the images used.
How different are the news values for each programme?
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
18/49
Openingsequences:ide
ntifyingnewsvalues
bfi Education 2003
worksheet
4
Page2of2
TVNews
Story1
Programme1:
Programme2:
Story2
Story3
Story1
Story2
Story3
Newsvalues
Newsvalues
Newsvalues
Newsvalues
Newsvalues
Newsvalues
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
19/49
Setting the agenda
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 5
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Working in groups, choose to be journalists for either GMTVor BBC
Breakfast news.
Look at the following 12 news stories. Choose eight of the stories
for the news agenda for your morning programme.
Decide on the running order, according to the news values of your
programme.
Identify your top three stories.
Write the headlines for these.
Choose a spokesperson to explain your choices to the rest of the
class.
News stories
1 Tourists report sighting of Loch Ness monster;
2 Scientific report states that genetically modified food is
dangerous;
3 Young Palestinian woman sets off suicide bomb in busy street
in Israel;
4 Search continues for kidnapped toddler;
5 Talk of another strike by firefighters;
6 Famous TV news presenter arrested for downloading child
pornography;
7 Queen has minor operation on her knee;
8 Famine in Ethiopia worsens;
9 Air rage drunken airline passenger jailed for three years;
10 Sudden death of famous rock star from the 1970s and 1980s;
11 Fighting continues between India and Pakistan on Kashmir
frontier;
12 Eminem starts world tour.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
20/49
Catching up with therunning order
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 6
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Watch the first ten minutes of three different news programmes
broadcast by the same channel on the same day.
In groups, note any changes in the running order of the stories.
Using your notes on news values, try to explain why you think the
news producers changed the running order.
In your group, decide on the running order you prefer and explain
why, on the basis of news values.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
21/49
Producing the news scriptwriting
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 7
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Imagine that you are journalists in the news production team for the
ITV evening news (scheduled at 6.30pm).
OR
Imagine that you are journalists in the news production team for your
regional ITV news programme (scheduled at 6.00pm).
Write the script for the following news story.
You might include some interviews, some footage of the area
where the incident happened, and a report by our own
correspondent. You have 30 minutes.
News story
A suspected terrorist attack caused police to cordon off a huge area
around a small local airport.
A young man, aged 18, was arrested close to the airfield. He was
suspiciously dressed.
The rush hour traffic couldnt cope and there was soon chaos. Huge
traffic jams delayed some motorists for over four hours.
The young man was later released after explaining that he was on his
way to a fancy dress party.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
22/49
bfiEducation2003
student notes
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Genre in TV newsand current affairsprogrammes
(Worksheet 8)
Notes on genre style and form
A genre text, such as a television soap opera, can be easily
understood by audiences, as it contains a repertoire of familiar
elements. In a similar way, TV news programmes have sets of codes
and conventions. They use:
Live in-studio presenter/s;
A desk/table with chairs or sofa in the set;
Direct address to camera;
Outside broadcasts;
Interviews;
Still images on a backdrop behind the presenter;
Captions;
Graphics;
Formal codes of dress.
TV news can therefore be analysed as a genre, as the elements
above form a pattern which helps us to identify the programme as TV
news. This recognisable pattern creates audience pleasure: the
recognition of familiar conventions together with the addition of a
number of changes or differences. This aspect of genre is known as
repetition and difference and helps to account for the changes made
in news presentation on a fairly regular basis, showing that the styleof even the most conservative of programmes is not fixed and is part
of a continuous process of redefinition.
Early news was constructed in the form of news bulletins. More
developed programmes like Panorama, which was first launched in
November 1955, and looked at the background to news stories, were
current affairs. More in-depth news programmes which mixed news
bulletins with detailed reports began in July 1967 with the launch of
the half hour News at Ten. These differing types of news programmes
can be identified as sub genres.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
23/49
Genre in TV newsand current affairsprogrammes
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 8
Page 1 of 2 TV News
In pairs, look through the pages of a television listings magazine.
Identify as many current affairs and news programmes as you can,
making notes on their key generic features.
How easily do the programmes fit into one genre?
Identify and discuss hybrid or sub-genres with your partner.
Use the following examples as a starting point.
Programme and
scheduling time
Genre Themes/content Conventions
Newsround
BBC1, 5.25pm
Monday Friday
Tonight with
Trevor McDonald
ITV, 8.00pm,
Mondays and
Fridays
Current affairs
programme.
Infotainment?
One or two issues,
often including
human interest
stories, covered in
one half hour
programme.
McDonald stands in
the centre of an
arena-like set
a ringmaster
introducing his acts.
News programme
for children
Four top news
stories, generally
entertainment based:
Harry Potter
Football
Presenters perch or
stand in front of
desks in brightly-
coloured studio set.
Mise en scne
includes comfortable
settees and rugs.
Press pack involves
viewers.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
24/49
Genre in TV news and current affairs programmes
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 8
Page 2 of 2 TV News
Programme and
scheduling time
Genre Themes/content Conventions
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
25/49
Can you spot brandidentity?
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 9
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Compare the title sequences of two or three TV news programmes.
1 How do the different channels seek to establish their brand
identity? Identify the following key stylistic elements to help your
analysis:
Music
Graphics
Camerawork
Editing
Mise en scne
Mode of address
News values.
2 What kinds of audience do you think these programmes are
aimed at?
3 How effective do you think the title sequences are at attracting
their target audiences?
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
26/49
bfiEducation2003
student notes
Page 1 of 1 TV News
(Worksheet 10)
Modes of address
The mode of address refers to the style of delivery used by
presenters and interviewers. This is a key factor in establishing themood and tone of the TV news programme; usually an authoritative
one, but sometimes more light-hearted as in Newsround or RI:SE.
TV news presenters are given a highly privileged status through the
following well-established conventions of their mode of address:
Direct address they look directly at the camera;
The use of personal pronouns: Thank you for watching. Well see
you tomorrow at the same time. The use of the inclusive we
helps to encourage the identification of the audience with the
presenter and, by extension, the Reithian principle of one nation;
Smooth, fluent and articulate diction;
Accents on national news programmes tend to be limited to BBC
English, Scottish or Welsh. It would be unusual to find a presenter
with a Geordie accent on one of the national TV news
programmes; they tend to be used more for documentaries;
The straight angle, medium close-up shot that is consistently used
throughout the programme;
The soundtrack of the title sequence usually important, serious
sounding introductory music to catch the attention of the potential
viewer and to symbolise the importance of the announcementsthat are to follow, like a fanfare to announce an arrival in a
Shakespeare play. The music is often mixed together with the
voice-over of the news presenter, announcing the top news
stories, as the title sequence segues into an establishing shot of
the set with the news presenter framed centrally;
The high angle establishing long shot of what often appears to be
a huge studio, with the presenter framed centrally, emphasising
her/his importance;
In TV news programmes, other journalists and interviewees are
expected to look at the interviewer, not at the camera directly. This
places them at a disadvantage in comparison to the direct address
used by the apparently omniscient presenter. Weather presenters
are also permitted to employ direct address, but their mode of
address, the brevity of their screen time and the camerawork help
to construct a less privileged status.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
27/49
Mode of address:how do TV newspresenters address
their audiences?
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 10
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Audience research tells us that people do like to have the news
presented by people whom they trust and are familiar with.
(Roger Mosey, BBC head of TV News, quoted in The Radio Times
1824/1/03)
Examine a five-minute closing sequence from any TV news
programme.
Note how often the presenter looks directly at the camera.
Do the interviewees look directly at the camera? If not, how does
this affect their status?
What do you think is the effect of reading the autocue?
Do the presenters have a regional accent?
How often does the presenter use personal pronouns such as
you and we? What effect does this have?
Note any examples of vocabulary which encourage familiarity or
formality.
How does the presenter sign off?
Soundbite
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
28/49
TV news presenters stars or servants?
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 11
Page 1 of 2 TV News
The star of the news is the news.
(David Nicholas, ex-Head of News, ITN, quoted in The Radio Times
1824/1/03)
Your teacher will screen a clip from a BBC news programme from
the past. Focus on the presenter/s.
Using the table provided, make notes on vocabulary, accent,
camerawork, lighting, codes of dress andmise en scne.
Watch a clip from a contemporary TV news programme. Focus on
the presenter/s.
Make notes on accent, vocabulary, camerawork, lighting, codes of
dress,mise en scne.
Make a note of the differences between the two. How far do you
think these differences reflect changing ideological values?
Are the news presenters today more or less dominant than the
news presenters of the past?
Soundbite
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
29/49
TVnewspresentersst
arsorservants?
bfi Education 2003
worksheet
11
Page2of2
TVNews
Vocabulary
Progra
mme1
Programme2
Keydifferences
Accent
Camera-
work
Lighting
Codesof
dress
Miseen
scne
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
30/49
A Proppian analysisof a TV news story
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 12
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Read the notes below.
Select a news story from any TV news programme.
Identify the roles or spheres of action for each person or
organisation in the story.
Do the roles change?
What does this exercise tell you about the ways in which the key
people and organisations are represented?
Narrative theory Vladimir Propp
Vladimir Propp* identified a number of common narrative structures
through his classification of 100 Russian folktales. His work has been
adapted by media theorists to apply to other media texts. Propp
found that there were seven basic character roles or spheres of
action:
The hero
The princess
The false hero
The villain
The helper
The dispatcher
The donor
One character may take on different spheres of action in the same
text. Propps theory is useful for analysing a news text as character
roles can alter depending on the institution and the context. For
example, David Beckham was assigned the role of the villain in the
1998 World Cup when he received a red card in the match against
Argentina but in 2001 he was represented as the hero as he led his
team to victory against Germany in the World Cup qualifying match at
Munich in 2001. Final confirmation of his role as hero came with his
decisive goal in the match against Argentina in the 2002 World Cup.
Propps theory can also be used to analyse the demonisation of
characters such as Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.
*V Propp, 1968, Morphology of the Folktale, University of Texas
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
31/49
A comparative textualanalysis of two TVnews programmes
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 13
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Media theorist, Stuart Hall, argues that television communicates
values and beliefs, not just matters of opinion or individual points of
view. He sees these communications as messages, which are socially
produced and made culturally available as shared explanations of
how the world works. In other words, they are ideologies, or
explanatory systems of belief.
Compare two news programmes in detail, by discussing the following:
1 How often and when is the programme broadcast?
While each programme in a group or series is unique, it can also
have a significance as a typical representation of that group.
2 Who makes the programme? Who owns the channel on which it is
shown?
Programmes can be seen as commodities, or products which are
exchanged. While ITV companies are obviously commercial, Greg
Dyke, Director General of the BBC, believes that the BBC has to
compete in the ratings battle in order for it to retain the licence fee.
3 Produce a content analysis.
List the content and the order of the items.
4 Analyse the mode of address.
How is the audience positioned? How does the programme speak
to its viewers? Can you identify the programmes target
audience/s?
5 Identify the forms of presentation.
Note the format of the programme, the camera conventions, and
themise en scne, including the studio setting, the lighting, and
the placing of the presenters.
6 Note the points of identification.
These can be established by direct address to camera, use of the
personal pronoun, and other strategies, which invite or engage the
viewer to go along with the values of the programme.
7 What are the preferred readings?
Can you identify preferred readings which are offered to the
audience as commonly shared ideas and opinions? Stuart Hall
argues that these views of the world tend towards the reproduction
of the status quo. Does your analysis support this view?
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
32/49
Closetextualanalys
isoftwo
TVnewsprogrammes
bfi Education 2003
worksheet
14
Page1of2
TVNews
Watchthetwoprogrammesscreenedbyyourteacher,andmakenotesinthetablebelow:
Programme1
Programme2
Elements
Presenter/s
Codesof
dress
hairstyle
make-up
Modeofaddress
Music
Miseenscne:
colour
setdesign
furniture
props
placingofpresenter/s
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
33/49
Closetextualanalysisof
twoTVnewsprogrammes
bfi Education 2003
worksheet
14
Page2of2
TVNews
Programme1
Programme2
Elements
Lighting
Camerawork
Openingandclosing
sequencegraphics
Listthetopthreestories
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
34/49
The licence fee foul or fair?
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 15
Page 1 of 2 TV News
Read the information below and then rank the statements in your
envelope in the order with which you agree with them.
Critics of the licence fee
Rupert Murdoch is constantly attacking the BBC for what he sees as
its privileged position. One of his journalists, The Sunday Times
writer Jonathan Miller, argued that the licence fee is a violation of his
human rights because it interferes with his right to receive or impart
information. He therefore refused to pay it and encouraged others to
do the same.
The Daily Telegraph is also questioning the licence fee as part of its
Free Country campaign. The newspaper perceives the BBC as
pushing a Blairite view of the world. It conducted a poll (reported in
The Observer, 17/11/02), which demonstrated the strength of the
opposition: 58% of those who took part said the licence fee was no
longer justifiable in an era when as many as 300 television channels
were available. However, writing in The Observer, Steven Barnett
argued that, two national TV stations, five national radio stations and
a comprehensive on-line service are well worth the price of a pint of
beer a week.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
35/49
The licence fee foul or fair?
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 15
Page 2 of 2 TV News
Channel 4 should receive a proportion of the licence fee, as it provides Public Service
Broadcasting and its advertising revenue is falling.
Now there are over 300 channels available, the licence fee can no longer be justified.
The requirement that I pay the licence fee of 112 is a violation of my right to receive
information (as protected by the European Human Rights Act).
Two national TV stations, five national radio stations and a comprehensive on-line
service are well worth the price of a pint of beer a week.
(Lecturer Steven Barnett)
The History Channel and the Discovery Channel have more public service value than
Channel 5. It isnt fair that they derive none of the benefits awarded to public servicechannels.
The BBC is given too many privileges over its commercial rivals.
The licence fee is an enormous privilege and an enormous responsibility. It is right andproper that we should have to justify our continued access to it, and that access should
only come if we are seen to be living up to the obligations it brings.
(Caroline Thomson, BBCs Controller of Public Policy)
The BBC is no longer distinctive enough to justify the licence fee.
The BBC must be able to justify to its audience that it uses their money, and earns their
support, by offering services that extend the range and enhance the standards of what is
available to them.
(Tessa Jowell, Culture Secretary)
The cosy model of commercial revenue on the one hand and licence fee on the other will
not be able to continue.
(Peter Bazalgette, Endemol UK)
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
36/49
How useful is BARB?
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 16
Page 1 of 1 TV News
You will need to use a TV listings magazine for this exercise.
Read the information below on how BARB conducts its research.
Write down what you think the top ten programmes were in the
last month.
Research the top ten programmes in the last month by going to
the website www.barb.co.uk.
Do the results confirm your views on the popularity of certain
programmes?
Do the ratings demonstrate the inheritance factor or any of the
other scheduling points?
BARB
Since 1980 audience ratings have been measured by the
Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB). As even the
smallest drop in ratings can cause anxieties among advertisers and
cause a drop in advertising revenue, BARB is extremely important for
both TV companies and advertisers.
The organisation issues meters to a representative sample of viewers,
reflecting the age, gender, race and earning power of the British
audience as a whole. These meters record when the television is on,
which programme or channel is being screened, video recording and
playing and whether anyone is in the room. BARB performed an
overhaul of its methods in early 2002, in order to cope with the
changes caused by digital television. It had been criticised for using
too small a sample 4,485 households. New results suggested that
previous figures had been too high, implying that advertising rates
were also too high. These findings caused some controversy with the
television companies. Since then, BARB has argued that it has
refined its new measuring techniques: 5,100 households are used
and over 10,000 people are now involved.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
37/49
How do audiencesuse the news?
Applying the uses and gratifications theory
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 17
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Read the following notes. Then interview ten people of different ages,
genders and income about their motivation for watching TV news.
The uses and gratifications theory
The uses and gratifications theory suggests that audiences have
needs which they seek to gratify through their consumption of the
media. A number of theorists have tackled this theory, which is based
originally on Maslows hierarchy of needs*.
A particularly helpful approach comes from the research of McQuail,
Blumler and Brown** into audience needs. The researchers definedfour major areas of need which the media seek to gratify:
Diversion (escape from our routine and problems);
Personal relationships (the need for companionship and feeling
part of a social group);
Personal identity (exploring or reinforcing our own values, through
comparison with others values);
Surveillance (the need for a constant supply of information about
what is happening in the world).
Suggested questions for your survey
Which TV news programmes do you watch regularly?
Which is your favourite TV news programme?
Give three reasons for choosing that programme over others.
*A Maslow, 1970, Motivation and Personality, Harper & Row
** D McQuail (ed), 1972, Sociology of the Mass Media, Penguin
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
38/49
Scheduling
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 18
Page 1 of 3 TV News
You will need to use a TV listings magazine for this exercise.
In pairs, using the schedule sheet provided, note the scheduling of
breakfast news, lunchtime news, early evening news and the
evening news. Also note the presenters, the content (where it is
listed) and the programmes immediately preceding and following it.
Now research the audience figures for each of these programmes.
Use www.barb.co.uk and/or www.mediaguardian.co.uk and
listings magazines.
Have they risen or fallen in the last year?
Discuss whether your findings in the table above help to explain
the audience ratings.
Scheduling terms
The following definitions of scheduling terms may be useful in
discussing scheduling issues.
Hammocking: a less popular programme can be placed or
hammocked between two popular programmes. This used to be
a successful technique, but channel loyalty is less reliable in our
multi-channel world. In September 2002, the ITC hoped that
Melvyn Braggs new series on the history of the English language
would inherit the audience from Dr Zhivago. They applied to
temporarily scrap News at Ten as they feared a news bulletin in the
middle of the two programmes would encourage audiences to
switch channels.
Inheritance factor: placing a new programme after an established
one so that it will inherit its audience.
Junction management: schedulers omit commercial breaks and
allow programmes to overrun in order to improve audience ratings.
Pre-echo: placing a new programme before an established one
the hope is that audiences will tune in early to watch a favourite
programme and decide to watch the new programme the following
week.
Stripping: showing the same type of programme regularly at the
same time every day news, soap, sport, chat shows.
Time shifting: recording a programme to watch later.
Trailing and cross-trailing: common junction points where two
programmes start at the same time on BBC, ITV or Channel 4,
enabling schedulers to advertise a programme on the other
channel.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
39/49
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 18
Page 2 of 3 TV News
Scheduling
Watershed: 9pm is the watershed. Programmes which contain
sex, violence and strong language may only be shown after thistime, assuming that children will be in bed.
Zones: The Comedy Zone on Channel 4 on a Friday night is an
example of scheduling a series of programmes in a similar genre
or with a particular theme one after the other.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
40/49
bfiEducation2003
Page 3 of 3 TV News
Schedulingworksheet 18
BBC1 BBC2 ITV1 Channel 4 Channel 5
BREAKFASTScheduling
Presenter/s
Content
Previousprogramme
Followingprogramme
LUNCHScheduling
Presenter/s
Content
Previousprogramme
Followingprogramme
EARLY EVENING
Scheduling
Presenter/s
Content
Previousprogramme
Followingprogramme
EVENINGScheduling
Presenter/s
Content
Previousprogramme
Followingprogramme
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
41/49
You are theschedulers
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 19
Page 1 of 1 TV News
One of you is the controller for either BBC or ITV; the other is the
scheduler.
Your evening news programmes have been losing audiences for three
months and you are concerned.
Construct a strong evening schedule for one weekday tea-time
and evening between 5pm and 11pm which can accommodate the
early evening news, regional news and evening news. Use the
advantages of hammocking, pre-echo and the inheritance factor in
order to increase your audience ratings. Remember the need to
include advertising slots if you are working for ITV.
Report back and justify your decisions to the whole group.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
42/49
Sick of celebrities?
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 20
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Watch Newsround and the ITV News. Identify all the celebrities
who appear in each programme.
What defines them as celebrities for example, actor, singer,
boyfriend of actor, etc?
How far do the celebrities increase the entertainment value of
these news programmes?
Does their appearance in the programme increase your interest in
the programme as a whole?
How positively are they represented by each programme?
Compare your answers with those of other students.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
43/49
How to makeTV news a turn-onrather than a turn-off
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 21
Page 1 of 1 TV News
You are highly paid members of a think tank. Your job is to make BBC
news and current affairs more appealing to a younger audience.
The future of the licence fee partly depends on you!
Watch the five-minute clip carefully.
Identify the key elements that make this example of TV news
unappealing to younger audiences. In your groups, consider the
presenters, their mode of address, the content, themise en scne,
the camerawork, the lighting and the music. (You have 10 minutes
to do this.)
You now have to decide which BBC news or current affairs
programme you are going to either drop from the schedule or
replace with your own programme. (Again, you have 10 minutes to
do this.)
You must now come up with a detailed proposal for a new BBC
news or current affairs programme that will attract younger
audiences of 1734-year-olds of both genders, without alienating
your regular audience. You will need to include details on
presenter/s, codes of dress, mode of address, mise en scne,
camerawork, news agenda, news values, lighting, music,
scheduling, title and title graphics. (You have 3040 minutes to
do this.)
Elect one spokesperson from your group (or perform this as a
team exercise) to pitch your proposals to the rest of the class in a
presentation that must last no longer than one minute.
In groups, present your proposals in writing to BBC Director
General Greg Dyke.
If required, storyboard the title sequence of your TV news
programme.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
44/49
Representation andideology: Whosestory do we trust?
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 22
Page 1 of 1 TV News
In this activity you will analyse three differing representations of a
news event, such as the London May Day riots, 2 May 2000, the
bombing of Baghdad in March 2003, or the Sars virus April 2003.
In pairs, watch the news footage of the event from ITV News.
Watch the investigation into the event on Tonight with Trevor
McDonald.
Look at the report on the event from The Times or another
newspaper.
Note any differences in the order that the events are presented.
Note any differences in statistics.
Note any bias in vocabulary.
Who is interviewed in each report?
Whose views are ignored?
Summarise your findings. How are the different groups
represented in each news report?
How balanced or biased is each news report?
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
45/49
Balance or bias?
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 23
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Student brief 3
You will be shown a two or three minute clip of a controversial
event without the sound.
Watch the clip carefully and construct a voice-over that is
hostile to the demonstrators or activists and supports the
establishment.
Be prepared to read or record your script as a voice-over
when your teacher plays the news footage again.
Student brief 2
You will be shown a two or three minute clip of a controversial
event without the sound.
Watch the clip carefully and construct a voice-over that is as
balanced and impartial as you can make it to everyone
involved in the event.
Be prepared to read or record your script as a voice-over
when your teacher plays the news footage again.
Student brief 1
You will be shown a two- or three-minute clip of a
controversial event without the sound.
Watch the clip carefully and construct a voice-over that is
sympathetic to the demonstrators or activists.
Be prepared to read or record your script as a voice-over
when your teacher plays the news footage again.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
46/49
Spin: a necessaryevil?
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 24
Page 1 of 1 TV News
Cut up the following ten statements.
Decide how much you agree or disagree with each statement and rank them in order of
agreement.
Discuss your result with two or three other students. See if you can reach a consensus of
opinion in your group. Note the statements that cause the most debate.
I think Tony Blair has increased
our trust in politicians by the way
he has opened up the lobby system
and ended secrecy.
We have developed a postmodern
spin-culture in which taking a position
on an issue is more attractive than
doing anything about it.
Spin doctor Jo Moore was only doing
her job when she sent an e-mail to the
press office of her boss Stephen Byers
on 11 September 2001, with the advice
that this was a good day on which to
bury bad news.
In the late nineties spin degenerated from
being a fashionable career
option to a euphemism for deceit
and manipulation.
(George Pitcher, The Observer)
Politicians also have their responsibilities
to be less obsessed with the minutiae of thepolitical process, less worried about spin
and sometimes prepared to take action
where they cannot see an immediate short-
term advantage.
(Richard Tait, former editor of ITN)
Everybody knows its a symbioticrelationship we need them and
they need us. Its a bit childish
to claim thats not the case.
(Nick Robinson, journalist)
Alastair Campbell has a difficult job.
I respect him for the way he tries
to limit the damage on the Labour Party
of stories like Cheriegate or the
BBC drama The Project.
I trust Trevor McDonald more than
I trust the politicians.
Politicians play to the camera as much
as they are roughed up by interviewers.
In this way, broadcasters are co-opted
by the spin culture.
(George Pitcher, The Death of Spin, 2002)
One of the reasons that so many people
disagreed with the war against Iraq in
2003 was because spin-doctors have
made us more suspicious of politicians
and their motives.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
47/49
The sultans of spin
bfiEducation2003
worksheet 25
Page 1 of 1 TV News
You areAlastair Campbell,
Communications Director to thePrime Minister
The Prime Minister phones you to let you
know that a scandalous news story
concerning his eldest son is likely to be
published in The Sun on Friday. Today is
Thursday and there is also a chance that
the story will be reported on the BBC and
ITV news. The PM wants you to deal with
it quickly.
The lobby journalists are bound to askyou about this story and you have to
decide what to do quickly. You could:
Draft a press release;
Deny everything.
The briefing with the lobby journalists is in
ten minutes.
You are James Hardy,
chair of the lobby journalists
You have been openly critical of Alastair
Campbell in the past, but believe that he
has been trying very hard to improve his
relationship with the lobby journalists
since Cheriegate.
You know nothing of the rumours until
your friend, lobby journalist Peter Oborne,
tells you today. You trust him.
This time you are determined to get the
truth out of Campbell.
You have ten minutes to prepare.
You are Fiona Millar,Alastair Campbells partner,and adviser to Cherie Blair
You have extra details on the story from
Mrs Blair, but have been asked not to
reveal them to Campbell. You know that
the Prime Minister wants the story
squashed before it does any harm. You
suggest:
Sending memos to individual contacts
in the BBC news department and atITN;
Telephoning Rebekah Wade, editor of
The Sun.
The meeting is in ten minutes.
You are Peter Oborneof The Spectator,
the right-wing weekly magazine.You are on record as saying thatthe Downing Street machine is
institutionally deceitful.
A source that you trust has inside
information and has told you that the
rumours are fact rather than fiction.
You have clashed with the Blairs and with
Campbell before, particularly over therudeness of Downing Street to the royal
family. You are looking forward to
challenging Campbell at the briefing.
You have ten minutes to prepare your
questions.
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
48/49
bfiEducation2003
student notes
Page 1 of 2 TV News
Anchor
The process through which one element of atext supports the preferred reading of
another element, such as the caption for a
still photograph. Also used in the United
States as a term for news presenter.
Bias
A particular slant or angle on a story which is
favourable or unfavourable to certain people,
places, events or issues.
Captions
Super-imposed written text that anchors a
photograph or image.
Chromakey
An effect which allows the superimposing of
a secondary video image over the original
camera shot when the main subject of the
original shot is in front of a blue background.
Used for weathercasters in television news.
Cinma-vrit
Often used in documentaries which claim toget as close to the subject as possible; often
uses hand-held cameras, and has a low
budget look.
Computer-generated images (CGI)
Graphics and effects created with special
software.
Connotation
Interpreting images to discover additional
and/or associative meanings and values.
(See denotation.)
Context
The opening and closing sequences, the
advertisements, the other news stories which
surround the photograph or news story.
Cropping
Cutting off part of a photograph to focus on
a particular aspect, create a particular
meaning or fit a given space.
Cutaway
Shots which conceal breaks in continuity orhelp to liven up reports, often shots of the
interviewer nodding (noddies).
Denotation
Describing what is actually seen.
(See connotation)
Direct address
Part of the mode of address, this is a
convention used by all TV news presenters.
It helps to place them in a privileged
position, reinforcing their authority.
Dominant groups
Social groups which have power or status in
society. Media theorists believe that
dominant groups make their own viewpoints
and values seem normal, while the values
of others are made to seem abnormal,
unimportant or disruptive.
Framing
How the subject matter of the image isplaced within the frame.
Gatekeeping
Process of selecting some news stories and
rejecting others.
Graphics
Design of text (typography), symbols or
images in, for example, a title sequence.
Ident
A short sequence with music which identifies
a channel.
Ideology
A shared system of ideas, values or beliefs.
Intertextuality
The conscious reference to other media
texts, which has the effect of creating
another layer of meaning.
Glossary
-
8/2/2019 TV NEWS H'OUTS -UNIT 34
49/49
b
student notes
Media imperialism
The dominance of a particular set ofideological values through control of media
institutions.
Mode of address
The style of delivery used by presenters and
interviewers a key factor in establishing the
mood and tone of a news programme.
News agenda
The ways in which each set of news
producers constructs their selection and
prioritisation of news stories.
Newsgathering
The processes and resources which are used
in constructing news, including press
releases, news agencies, etc.
News values
The factors which influence journalists and
editors in their selection of news stories.
PolysemicAn image or news story which carries several
possible meanings.
Positioning
The placing of the audience in a position
where they are likely to accept a preferred
reading.
Preferred reading
The interpretation that the producers of the
text would prefer audiences to accept.
Propaganda
The careful construction of a news story tosupport or attack a person, group or cause.
Soundbite
A short, relevant statement that is easily
edited and therefore much valued by
broadcasters.
Spin doctors
Public relations experts whose job is to put
the best interpretation on a news story, for
the person, party or institution they
represent.
Sub-genres
Subdivisions within a genre that become
established through repetition
Tabloidisation
Increase in tabloid news values (human
interest stories, soft news as opposed to
hard news)
Visual imperativeWhere the visual is given pre-eminence and
dictates the news agenda.
Vox pop
Voice of the people members of the
public are asked to voice their opinion on an
issue. The answers are then edited together
into a sequence.
Glossary