National News Stories - Disaster

This story from BBC News is about a flood in Brazil that killed over 40 of people.

Below is the link to the full article:
Flood kills dozens in Brazil

The 5Ws:

Who - People in Brazil
What - They have died following bad flood
Where - South-east Brazil
When - Over the past few weeks
Why - There was torrential rain which caused a flood and killed a lot of people

News values:

Impact - The event has obviously had a huge effect on the people living in the south-east of Brazil
Continuity - The flood has been going on for a few weeks
Negativity - The event is tragic and very negative

National News Stories - Technology

This article from BBC News is about a robot winning a competition. 

Below is the link to the full article:

Google's Schaft robot wins rescue challenge

The 5Ws:

Who - A robot developed by a Japanese start-up recently acquired by Google
What - It won a 2 day competition
Where - Japan
When - The article does not state this W
Why - Darpa said it had been inspired to organise the challenge after it became clear robots were only capable of playing a very limited role in efforts to contain 2011's Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown in Japan.

News values:

Amplitude - More than 100 teams originally applied to take part
Surprise - This type of competition is quite rare

National News Stories - Business

This article from BBC News is about how Japan is close to escaping deflation after 15 years

Below is the link to the full article:
Japan close to beating deflation

The 5Ws:

Who - The Japanese
What - They are close to escaping deflation
Where - Japan
When - As of now, 27 December 2013
Why - Japanese consumer prices have gone up at the fastest pace in five years, showing government policies to end its deflation problem may be taking effect.

News values:

Amplitude - This event would end up benefiting millions of people in Japan
Impact - This even will have a profound effect on the people of Japan's lives
Continuity - The falling prices have been going on for 15 years
Balance - This is good news for Japans economy in contrast to some of the other articles which are negative stories for other countries economies

National News Stories - Good News

This article from The Mail Online is about the tourism in Greece finally rising as they continue to battle the recession and debit crisis.

Below is the link to the full article:
Tourism in Greece finally starts to rise

The 5Ws:

Who - The tourism in Greece
What - The attraction of tourists in Greece has rises, bookings from Britain, Germany and the Netherlands were up 10 percent
Where - Greece
When - 2013
Why -  The tourism industry in Greece has overcome the crisis of the last two years and is now back on top form,' said Willi Verhuven

News values:

Impact - This is good for Greece's economy and will therefor have an impact on the people living there
Continuity - The recession has been going on for a long time now
Balance - This is good and positive for Greece

National News Stories - Crime

This article from BBC News is about murders which took place in a prison in Brazil throughout 2013.

Below if the link to the full article:
Gang war in Brazil's Pedrinhas jail kills 59 in 2013

The 5Ws:

Who - Inmates
What - 59 inmates in a prison have been killed in 2013
Where - A prison in Brazil
When - 2013 
Why - Some of the jails are in effect, run by powerful crime gangs

News values:

Continuity - It has been happening throughout the year
Conflict - There was obviously conflict between the inmates for the murders to happen
Negative - This is a crime story about murders therefore it is negative
Scandal - There is quite a lot of scandal in this story as it could provoke moral outrage

National News Stories - Education

This article from BBC News is about Shanghai's 'mind boggling' school ambition.

Below is the link to the full article:
Shanghai's 'mind boggling' school ambition

The 5Ws:

Who - The Chinese
What - They have accelerated even further in school tests
Where - Shanghai
When - There is no specific date given
Why - Shanghai is engaged in a systematic, long-term project to improve education, as a way of transforming its economy.

News values:

Surprise - The fact that the event is said to be 'mind boggling' shows that it was is quite a surprising story
Continuity - The students in Shanghai continue to do better and better in their school tests.

National News Stories - Politics

This story from BBC News is about Arvind Kejriwal being sworn in as Delhi's chief minister.

Below is the link to the full article:
Dehli's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal

The 5Ws:

Who - Arvind Kejriwa
What - He has been sworn in as Delhi's chief minister
Where - Dehli in India
When - 28th December 2013
Why - He won 28 of the 70 assembly seats and was able to form a government with Congress party support.

News values:

Amplitude - Tens of thousands of people have turned out in Dehli to support him
Impact - The new election will effect India and have an impact on the country
Elite people - Kejriwa is famous in India and well-known

National News Stories - Health

This article from BBC News is about new genetics clues for arthritis.

Below is the link to the full article:
New genetic clues for arthritis

The 5Ws:

Who - An international team of researchers
What - They have found more than 40 new areas in DNA that increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Where - America
When - The article does not state the exact date
Why - They did research into the disease and experiments on patients

News values:

Amplitude - The work is the largest genetic study ever carried out, involving nearly 30,000 patients.
Impact - This could have an effect on certain peoples lives
Continuity - The investigation is an ongoing process
Personalisation - This is a human interest story especially for people who suffer or know people who suffer from the disease
Balance - This is a positive news story unlike some of the other health stories which are usually more sad and negative

National New Stories - Sports

This article from The Mail Online is about NBA star Jason Collins being the first US athlete to say he is gay.

Below is the link to the full article:
NBA star announces he is gay

The 5Ws:

Who - Jason Collins
What - He has announced that he is gay
Where - In an article with Sports Illustrated magazine
When - The article does not say when
Why - He wanted to 'do the right thing' and 'stop hiding'

News values:

Surprise - Collins is the first US athlete in mainstream sport to admit he is gay, therefore it is quite a surprising story as it is almost unheard of
Elite people - Collins is well-known in the sports industry in the US 
Personalisation - This might give other people the courage to also come out

National News Stories - Celebrity

This article from The Mail Online is about the feud between Joan Rivers and Jennifer Lawrence

Below is the link to the full article:

Joan Rivers and Jennifer Lawrence feud

The 5Ws:

Who - Joan Rivers and Jennifer Lawrence

What - Joan Rivers says her New Years resolution is to 'ensure Jennifer Lawrence grows up'

Where - America

When - It has been ongoing since last month

Why - They have been arguing for a while as Lawrence said that Rivers 'judges people' 

News values:

Familiarity - The feud is based in the US, where a lot of the readers of this article live

Continuity - The argument has been happening for a while now
Conflict - The story is about two famous people in an argument
Elite people - Both people in the article are very famous and well known
Scandal - The story is quite scandalous and there is a lot of elite gossip involved

Local News Stories - Disaster

This article from BBC News is about a tragic car crash that killed two people.

Below is the link to the full article:
Lensbrook car crash kills two people
The 5Ws:

Who - A 29 year old man and a 46 year old woman
What - They were in a car crash and both died
Where - Near Lydney in Gloucestershire
When - 15:40 on Friday
Why - They were travelling to in a Puegot and collided with a Mitsubishi

News values:

Immediacy - The story was published straight after the event happened
Familiarity - It happened in Gloucestershire which is fairly local for people who read the article
Personalisation - This type of story is one that can provoke emotion from the readers
Negativity - It is a very sad and negative story

Local News Stories - Technology

This story from The Mirror is about how bank robberies have fallen by 90% as better security pushes criminals to cyber-fraud.

Below is the link to the full article:
Bank robberies fall 90% in 20 years


The 5Ws:

Who - Robberies 
What - Bank robberies have fallen 90% in 2 decades
Where - Britain
When - The last 20 years
Why - As modern day cyber-fraudsters attempt to steal your money online instead.

News values:

Familiarity - It is effecting people in Britain which is where people reading the article live.
Impact - The event could have a big impact on peoples lives as it means there is a higher chance of getting robbed online
Surprise - It was not expected that the figures would drop so much
Continuity - The figures have been decreasing for 2 decades now

Local News Stories - Business

This article from BBC News about how France is to avoid another recession

Below is the link to the full article:
France is going to avoid another recession

The 5Ws:

Who - French President Francois Hollande
What - He has been seeking to revive the economy and says that France will avoid a recession this year, according to the country's statistics body.
Where - France
When - This year
Why - Because the economy is going to grow

News values:

Familiarity - France is in Europe where a lot of the readers of this article live
Impact - The event with have an effect on the living in France and will also be good for Europe as a whole
Continuity - There are continuos reports on the story
Elite people - President Hollande is an elite person

Local News Stories - Good News

This article from The Mirror is about Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho being satisfied with the team.

Below is the link to the full article:
Jose Mourinho happy with Chelsea

The 5Ws:

Who - Jose Mourinho
What - He was happy with Chelsea after they beat Swansea 1-0
Where - Stamford Bridge
When - 26th December 2013
Why - Because they beat Swansea and played well during the match

News values:

Immediacy - The article was published very soon after the game
Familiarity - The event happened in London which is where a lot of the readers are from
Elite people - Mourinho is very well known in the sports industry
Balance - This story is positive in contrast to some of the other articles which are negative

Local News Stories - Crime

This article from The Mirror is about a man whose dead body was found in a pond.

Below is the link to the full article:

Man's body found in pond

The 5Ws:

Who - Police and residents

What - Found a dead body in pond

Where -  Kidderminster

When - Boxing Day

Why - It is unknown at the moment and is what the police are investigating

News Values:

Immediacy - The story was published the day of the event, meaning it was 'breaking news'

Familiarity - It happened in England

Impact - The event has a big impact on the residents

Surprise - This is not common and does not happen regularly therefore it is a surprise and shock

Personalisation - This kind of story is one that provokes emotion in people

Negativity - It is very negative and sad

Local News Stories - Education

This article from BBC News is about how more student want to go to universities further away from home.

Below is the link to the full article:
Fewer wanting to be near home when going to university

The 5Ws:

Who - University students
What - More and more want to go study further away from home rather than be near
Where - Across the UK
When - 2013
Why - One reason is because of tuition fee, e.g. in some want to go study in Scotland because there is no tuition fee

News values:

Familiarly - It was happening across the UK
Amplitude - It is to do with a vast number of students
Surprise - It could be seen as unexpected that the number of students wanting to be near home has dropped so dramatically over the years
Continuity - The study has been ongoing for many years now
Personalisation - It is the type of story which many people can relate to, especially if they are at the age where they are coming up to that stage in their life

Local News Stories - Politics

This article from BBC News is about Danny Alexander attacking Tories over EU exit 'flirting'.

Below is the link to the full article:

Danny Alexander attacks Tories

The 5Ws:

Who - Lib Dem cabinet minister Danny Alexander

What -  He weighed in to the growing coalition row over Europe

Where - Europe

When - The article does not contain this W

Why - He felt that jobs could be put at risk if the Tories kept up their rhetoric.

News values:

Familiarity - It is to do with Europe
Amplitude - It is possible that this could effect a large amount of people across Europe
Continuity - The issue has been going on for some time now
Conflict - Conservatives are arguing that Britain should vote to leave the EU
Elite people - Danny Alexander is well known amongst the Lib Dem party

Local News Stories - Health

This news article from The Mail Online is about a man who nearly lost his leg in a motorbike crash and the miracle that he is alive and home for Christmas.

Below is the link to the full article:

Mark Delf's leg injury

The 5Ws:

Who - Mark Delf

What - He nearly lost his leg in a motorbike crash

Where - Northumberland

When - January 2013

Why - He crashed into a pick up truck

News values:

Familiarity - Northumberland is in the North East of England

Impact - The tragedy might make people less keen to drive a motorbike themselves

Continuity - The accident happened almost a year before this article was published, meaning it has been and ongoing procedure

Personalisation - People might feel a connection to the story as it is about a man who has a family and was driving a motorbike which many people also do

Negativity - Obviously the accident is very sad and negative, but it is a positive that the doctors thought it would be worse than it is

Local News Stories - Sports

This news article from The Mail Online is about footballer, Jack Wilshere, unhappy about being banned for 2 matches after behaving abusively during a game against Manchester City.

Below is the link to the full article:

Jack Wilshere hits out

The 5Ws:

Who - Jack Wilshere

What - He put his middle finger up to the opposing team during a match and as a result has been banned for the next to games.

Where - The Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

When - The article does not state the date of the event.

Why - He claims heard rude remarks about his children and got angry so reacted in an abusive manner, resulting in the ban.

News values:

Frequency - There have been many cases of footballers being banned from games because of bad behaviour.

Predictably - It is not a surprise that this has happened as footballers are known to lash out sometimes.

Conflict - This story contains an argument between players in opposing team.

Elite people - Wilshere is quite a famous footballer

Scandal - The story may course moral outrage from people who watched the game or feel it was wrong of him to be abusive.

Local News Stories - Celebrity

This news article from The Mirror is on Nigella Lawson speaking out about how her husband abused her and what actually happened at Scott's restaurant.

Below is the link to the full article:

Nigella Lawson reveals her torment

The 5Ws:

Who - Nigella Lawson

What - She was tormented by her husband

Where - Various places, including Scott's in Mayfair

When - June 2013

Why - According to him, he was checking her nose for cocaine. However she says he was angry at her over something she had said and then proceeded to strangle her.

News values:

Immediacy - The story came out straight after it happened, meaning it was important and 'breaking news'.

Familiarity - The people involved live in London, which is where a lot of the readers live

Continuity - The story has been on going for many months now.

Conflict - The story contains a lot of conflict and drama between Lawson and Saatchi.

Elite people - Both Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi are famous and classified as 'elite people'. 

Personalisation - There are many woman around the world who have suffered from domestic violence.

Scandal - This story is very scandalous as Nigella Lawson has always been seen as someone who would not go near drugs.

News Values

Audience is often a factor when it comes to news editors choosing which stories will appear in a news bulletin. Radio news bulletins usually contain only a handful of stories when in reality there are often far more stories that could have made the bulletin. News editors made tough decisions about which stories they will broadcast. They do this by considering which news values prospective stories contain. News values are the factors defined by Galtung and Ruge that help to explain how journalists and editors decided that certain news stories and images were accepted as newsworthy, while others were not. While they applied these factors to news stories in newspapers, they can also be applied to radio new bulletins. The list of news values below is adapted from their work. The news values that were identified were:

Immediacy: Has it happened recently? is the story "breaking"?
Breaking news stories are often found at the top of a news bulletin.

Familiarity: Is it culturally or geographically close to us in London/Britain/Europe/the USA?
The majority of the stories in a news bulletin will have either taken place in the UK or the story will affect/involve UK nationals. Familiarity as a news value becomes an even bigger force with regards to local news.

Amplitude: Is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people?
This often pushes stories up the bulletin.

Frequency: Does the event happen often?

This could push the story down the news bulletin.








Impact: Can we identify with the story as having effect on our own lives? Does the story contain elements that would make us feel threatened?

Stories that the listeners can relate to tend to be found towards the top of the news bulletin.

Predictability: Did we except it to happen?
Like frequency, this may push the story towards the bottom though if the story includes scandal it may have the opposite effect.

Surprise: Is it an unusual or unexpected event?

Stories that shock us because they are unexpected are likely to appear at the top.

Continuity: Does the story already been defined as news? Is it part of an ongoing or long-running story?
Opposite of breaking news. Unless the story is huge, the further away it is from breaking news the further down the new bulletin it will appear.

Conflict: Does the story contain drama in describing disagreements, arguments, gifts or battles between two or more people/organisations?
Most stories involve some degree of conflict and stories that involves individuals taking on large will appear towards the top of the news bulletin.

Elite people: Does the story concern well-known people such as celebrities?
Certain types of publication e.g. tabloid newspapers and entertainment magazines and radio stations often focus on stories that feature celebrities

Personalisation: Is it a human interest story?
Stories that overtake an emotional

Negativity: Is it bad news?
Negative news stories tend to dominate news bulletins.

Scandal: Is the story likely to provoke moral outrage from parts of the audience?
Stories with scandal, particularly with elite people tend to appear a lot.

Balance: The story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story to balance a number of stories concerning death. These stories often appear at the end of a news bulletin.

Already I have noticed that the 5Ws appear in all the stories that I have looked at. This is clearly a convention on news stories so when I come to write my own news stories I will make sure i include the 5Ws in each one.

The 5 Ws

Journalists tend to include the 5W's in news articles so the are perceived to be the most significant elements of the story that the customer needs to know. Often the 5W's will appear towards the beginning of the news story as this enables the reader/viewer/listener to decide if the story will be of interest to them or not. Another reason why the 5W's tend to appear at the beginning of the story is that often stories may need to be edited and shortened at the short notice. Stories will be cut from bottom up and the inclusion of the 5W's at the beginning means the meaning of the story will not be fundamentally altered.

Who is it about?





What happened?

Where did it happen?

When did it happen?






Why did it happen?

What I've Learned from my Preliminary Task

Now i've completed my preliminary task, I have realised that I will need to do more research on real radio shows if I want my full show to sound realistic. I think this is going to be really important for the representations to sound realistic - I will also choose my actors more carefully, picking exactly the right people for each different character.

I have included the clips of many of the recorded and edited elements from my preliminary task to highlight what I was able to achieve with the software (Adobe Audition), taking recorded voices and editing out gaps and mistakes and layering clips on the multitracker.

Finished Preliminary Task

I have just finished recording and mixing my preliminary task. I have uploaded it onto SoundCloud so that I can add it to my blog - here it is!



I'm going to do a brief evaluation of the recording and editing process and analyse the ways that I can improve certain things before I record and edit my main radio show. I'll post that when I'm done.

Possible Music and Sound Effects for my Preliminary Task

Here are the SFX and Music that I will be using in my preliminary task, for the jingle and the archive clip.

I have taken them from the BBC Sound Effects library, and the music comes from one of the Music CDs at college.

Preliminary Task Script

Here's the script for my preliminary task. I've created a London-based local radio station, with a jingle that gives a hint at the type of station that it is. My guest is an actress who is promoting a new horror movie. The archive clip is from that movie, "The Black River".

JINGLE: "London FM 101.4 - Number 1 For Entertainment"

PRESENTER (BEN): Hi I'm Ben and you're listening to the Drivetime show on London FM 101.4. I'm here with Nina Gold, star of hit horror movie, "The Black River". Hi Nina.

NINA: Hi Ben. Thanks for having me on the show.

BEN: The movie's broken box office records in the US, you must be thrilled.

NINA: Yeah, its done so well, everywhere it's been released. But it's great to be back in the UK. The premiere last night was fantastic.

BEN: Let's listen to a clip

ARCHIVE CLIP:
Sinister creepy music
Door opening
Nina plays Jodie
Jodie opens door…

"Hello… Hello"
"Is there anybody there"
Sound effect of something crashing and footsteps fading away
"It's okay, I won't hurt you, I'm here to help"

New character - sinister voice

"You are not welcome"
"I forbid you to enter"

Jodie

"I promise I won't harm you"
"But I need to find the girl"
HUGE SCREAM… music builds to a crescendo

I will be recording it soon and I've started looking at sounds for the archive clip of the trailer and the jingle

AS Media Studies Coursework - Introduction

For my AS Media Studies coursework project I will be researching existing radio stations to help me script, record and edit a 5 minute extract from an imaginary local radio station.

At the heart of my extract will be a news bulletin which will include outside broadcasts, voxpops and a news jingle. I will also be scripting and recording a number of other jingles (one for the station and another for the show itself) and adverts that will be appropriate for my target audience and that will fit in with the codes and conventions of local radio.

Before I begin researching for my radio extract, I'm going to script a short preliminary task which will include a jingle, a presenter introducing a guest, the guest responding and an archive clip featuring the guest. This will give me a chance to use the recording and editing equipment as well as getting me thinking about some of the conventions of radio.