CASE STUDY PRESENTATION ‘Top Of The Pops’

TYPE/FOCUS OF THE MAGAZINE

The magazine was launched in February 1995 (fortnightly), and is famous for giving girl group ‘The Spice Girls’ their nicknames. The publishing company is BBC Worldwide and it’s current editor is Peter Hart. The price is £2.99.

. It was originally marketed as the missing link

between ‘Smash Hits’ and ‘NME’. It has gradually changed, with hardly any music content, more like a gossip column to appeal to the change in the target audience, which is young girls. It is still in publication despite the cancellation of the TV show. It is aimed at younger teenage girls from the age of 11+. The main focus of the magazine is pop music. It provides celebrity gossip about the featured artists in the magazine, fashion tips, boys and beauty advice, quizzes, song lyrics and posters.

DISTRIBUTION

As well as buying it your local news agents or supermarkets such as Asda or Sainsbury's, you can also get a subscription online from sites such as ‘News Stand’ and selected issues of Amazon. However, this is usually more expensive than purchasing it from a supermarket.

ANALYSIS OF THE FRONT COVERThe teenage boy band appeals to the target audience of young girls and by also giving a direct mode of address it makes the reader feel as if it is more personal.

The house style of the magazine is very busy which appeals to the target audience.

The masthead is pink which relates to the target audience, this is a convention.

The barcode is clearly noticeable

Pink/blue/white colour scheme.

Main coverline has large capitals, smaller capitals underneathEffective variety of font sizes – reflects hierarchy of importance

The puff of the ‘1D pics inside’ draws the audience in and also the ‘7 hot posters’ puff.

ANAYLIS OF CONTENTS PAGETitle centred at top

The colour scheme has changed from the front cover to purple/black/whiteA smaller picture of the front cover is on the contents page to make it easier for the reader to locate the stories on the cover they want to find.

Puff of ‘Wins and offers’ in the corner grabs the readers attention

A note from the editor makes the magazine seem more personal and also the use of the title ‘inside your mag’

Each feature has a title and a brief description in small print

Large page numbers in photos link to features

The three columns have subheadings above each of them.

ANALYSIS OF THE DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Large portrait image takes up all of the left page and some of the right hand side as well.

The colour scheme is continued from the contents page.

A smaller image of the right page links in with the main image.

Direct mode of address given by the three teenage boys

Text wraps around the photos and pull quoteText laid out in two columns.

The text is in interview form.

A “pull quote” is highlighted in large font centre of page

A “pull quote” is highlighted in large font centre of page

Different colours for the three boys and the interviewer are different to make it clear to the audience who is answering the questions.

ASPECTS I INTEND TO USE

I will imitate some of the features of ‘Top Of The Pops’ in my magazine such as:

A band or single artist shot on the front cover A bold colour scheme to draw the reader in 1 large image on the double page spread

and a couple of smaller ones Two columns on the contents page A large pull-quote in centre of page A note from the editor