Other Conventions of Radio News Bulletins

In this post I am going to be looking at what else is brought to a news bulletin apart from the presenter reading the story.

I will be looking at the following:

1) Going to a correspondent - someone being live at the scene of the story, who works for the radio station

2) Vox pops- members of the public commenting on the story. It could be 2,3 or 4 after each other, with different viewpoints, or there might be an extended vox pop

3) Sound bites- A piece of dialogue about a story from either an elite person or somebody prominently involved with the story - sometimes from a press conference or an interview that has been given, not someone just passing by

4) Outside broadcasts

5) Expert guests - One type of sound bite to give credence to the story

6) Archive clip - something pre-recorded from the past. Could be done when people die or extracts from previous interviews


I listened to 3 different national radio station news bulletins from completely different days and different times:

1. I listened to a news bulletin at 11am on Kiss Fm and none of the above were featured in the news bulletin. Just to check, I listened to another news bulletin on Kiss Fm and again none were included.

2. I listened to a news bulletin at 6am on BBC Radio 4 and I heard a sound bite and a vox pop.

3. I listened to a news bulletin at 9pm on Absolute Radio and I heard an archive clip and a vox pop.

Overall it seems that not all radio station news bulletins include these elements, as was the case with Kiss. However, when they are included it allows the listeners to hear different opinions regarding the news stories which I believe makes the news more interesting to listen to, rather than just hearing the stories being read by the presenter. From doing this task I have decided that I want to include some of these in my news bulletin when I create my radio station.

Comparing Local Radio Station News Bulletins

Neither of the randomly picked local BBC radio station news bulletins that I chose to listen to contained any of the same stories. I expected this to be the case as I suspected that local radio stations would choose most of the stories aired, because of the news value familiarity.

Although on BBC Radio Manchester all of the stories where chosen because they related to the local area, on BBC Radio Bristol two out of the four news stories where not as geographically close to the listeners (such as the story about the sacking of the Cardiff City football manager). These national stories must have been chosen because of their amplitude.

Although local radio station news bulletins do sometimes contain national stories, I think that the majority of the stories will be to do with the area of the station. This is something that I will consider when I write my own stories.

Analysing Local Radio Station News Bulletins - BBC Radio Bristol at 23:00

Running order:

1) The Primeminister has praised the response of the Environment Agency and emergency services to the recent stormy weather

Facts in the story:

• He said they where doing an amazing job
• Around 15,000 people remained without power in the South East of England

News values
Immediacy- The stormy weather was very recent
Familiarity- This story is geographically close to the listeners
Elite people- The Primeminister is a very well known person
Balance- This story will balance out the negative stories in the news as it is positive

2) 5 Britain's who were held among the 30 held in Russia after being arrested at the scene of an environmental protest in the Arctic have been celebrating getting home

Facts in the story:

• They where released after being held for 100 days before the charges against them were dropped

News values:
Continuity- Stories of the British prisoners in Russia have been in the news before
Balance- It is good news that the prisoners have returned home

3) In football Cardiff City fans have reacted with dismay to the sacking of their manager Malky Mackay

Facts in the story:

• Last season Mackay guided the club into the top 5 for the first time in over half a century

News values:
Immediacy- Mackay was sacked recently
Familiarity- Cardiff is geographically close to the listeners
Amplitude- The sacking of the Cardiff City manager affects all the players on the team and all the fans
Surprise- This is an unusual event, as the manager had done so well
Conflict- The Cardiff City fans disagree with what happened
Elite people- Malky Mackay is a well known person and Cardiff City is a well known football team
Negativity- It's bad news that the fans have reacted with dismay

4) Attempts to help a scientific vessel which is become stranded in thick Antarctic ice have suffered a setback after one of the ships going to its aid also became stuck

Facts in the story:

• The Snow Dragon from China has now turned for home
• Other icebreakers are also in the area and are attempting to reach the vessel and the 74 people on board

News values:
Amplitude- The 74 people stuck on the vessel and the people attempting to rescue the vessel are all affected by what is happening
Surprise- This is an unusual event
Continuity- A story about the vessel has been in the news before
Negativity- It is bad news that the vessel is stuck

Analysing Local Radio Station News Bulletin - BBC Radio Manchester at 23:00

Running order:

1) A family run hotel in Watchdale has opened up its doors to homeless people in the area today

Facts in the story:

• The Flying Horse Hotel has been collecting donations for things like scarfs, gloves, hats and shower gel for the past 4 months
• Gave out food and Christmas boxes this afternoon
• Did it to help the people out there that are less fortunate and to give a bit back as a family

News values:
Immediacy- The family had been giving out food and Christmas boxes earlier that day, and therefore the story was put on the news immediately
Familiarity- The story is geographically close to the listeners
Amplitude- This family could help many homeless people
Balance- This is good news and it will balance out the negative news

2) The North West ambulance service have said that they've seen a 5% drop in the number of calls it received across the region between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day compared to last year

Facts in the story:

• They are putting the reduction down to more awareness about using the 999 number for genuine emergencies
• They were most contacted about falls

News values:
Familiarity- This story is geographically close to the listeners
Amplitude- Much fewer people phoned 999 which means 999 were more able to help the people who really needed it
Balance- This story balances out the negative stories in the news

3) People from across Greater Manchester have come together to rebuild a special room for a 7 year old boy

Facts in the story:

• As a Christmas present, Harvey's parents have built him a special sensory room to help him with his autism
• Vandals stole the equipment and set it on fire but people are helping them to rebuild it

News values:
Familiarity- This story is geographically close to the listeners
Balance- This story will balance out the negative stories in the news

Comparing News Bulletins on Local Radio

I want to compare two local radio news bulletins, aired at the same time, to see if the stations present similar news stories. I suspect, however, that the stories will be completely different, relatable only to listeners in the respective local areas.

Analysing News Bulletins on Existing Radio II

Magic News Bulletin at 1pm

Running order:

1) Royal Bank of Scotland hire a team of lawyers to investigate claims that their policy has forced small businesses to close

News values:
Immediacy, familiarity, amplitude, impact, surprise, conflict, negativity, scandal

2) British Greenpeace activist has been released from prison in Russia

News values: 
Frequency, familiarity, continuity, conflict, scandal, balance

3) A scheme enabling people to check if their partners have a violent past is being introduced in England and Wales

News values: 
Familiarity, amplitude, impact, surprise, conflict, scandal, balance

4) Police officers face the sack if found guilty of misconduct

News values: 
Amplitude, surprise, continuity, negativity, scandal

5) Police presence across London as a result of recent cycling deaths

News values: 
Familiarity, amplitude, surprise, continuity

6) Singer Robbie Williams enters record book for the highest number of albums released in the UK

News values: 
Familiarity, elite people, balance

Radio 2 News Bulletin at 1pm 

Running order:

1) Royal Bank of Scotland hire a team of lawyers to investigate claims that their policy has forced core businesses to close

News values: 
Immediacy, familiarity, amplitude, impact, surprise, conflict, negativity, scandal

2) Payday loans story

News values:
Amplitude, surprise, scandal

3) Calls for Police Crimes Commission to be abolished

News values: 
Amplitude, surprise, conflict, scandal

4) A scheme enabling people to check if their partners have a violent past is being introduced in England and Wales

News values:
Familiarity, amplitude, impact, surprise, conflict, scandal, balance 

5) England's batsman returns home from the Ashes

News values: 
Familiarity, elite people, balance

6) Monty Python tickets sell out in under a minute

News values: 
Surprise, elite people, balance


Conclusion 

I'm glad that I listened to more news as it confirmed what I originally thought - this was that some of the same stories would appear on the different stations.

There are some news stories that are so big, in the sense that they affect lots of people, that they will appear on many stations regardless of the type of station or its audience. Other stories, however, appear to be chosen specifically because they will appeal to the target audience of the station.

When writing my own script for my news bulletin I will include a combination of stories that would appear on lots of different stations and stories that are specific to my demographic.

Comparing News Bulletins

None of the radio stations that I listened to contained the same news stories which implies that the news editors of each station had chosen the stories that will appear in the news bulletins not only on the basis of news values, but also because of how the stories will appeal to their respective target audiences.

Some of the stories on Kiss appear to have been chosen because they will appeal to a slightly younger audience (for example the TOWIE story).

The audience for Radio 2 is defintely older than that of Kiss and this is reflected in the types of stories chosen for their bulletin (for example the story about the economic issues in Scotland. I think, also, that the stories chosen for Absolute where also aimed at an older audience.

I was surprised that none of the radio stations contained the same news stories as I expected at least two stories to have appeared on all of the stations (particularly as the bulletins were aired at the same time on the same day).

To double check, I'm going to listen to another two different radio station news bulletins to see if they have some of the same stories regardless of their audiences. I am going to listen to 1pm news bulletins on Magic  and Radio 2.

Radio 2 News Bulletin at 7:30am

Here is the running order for the news bulletin from the Absolute Breakfast Show:

1) Hospitals in England are to be made to publish details of whether they have enough nurses working on their wards

Facts in the story:

• They are to begin to publish monthly details of how many nurses they have on duty and whether the safe starting levels are being met
• The move is part of the government's response to the Francis Enquiry into failings at Stafford hospital which said there had been appalling care
• Ministers say the transparency will ensure safe care for patients

News values:
Familiarity- This article is about the hospitals in England, and therefore it is geographically close to us
Amplitude- This will affect the thousands of people that work in hospitals, and also people that are patients in the hospitals
Continuity- This story must have been spoken about before as this rule was only made due to other incidences happening
Conflict- The people working in these hospitals may disagree with this new rule

2) Wild life groups have accused the government of failing to meet a third of its commitments to protect the natural environment

Facts in the story:

• Wildlife and countryside groups have strongly attacked the government's record on the environment
• A report from 41 groups have said David Cameron failed to deliver a third of his commitments
• Ministers say the report is unscientific and unfair
• Dr Elaine King of the Wildlife and Countryside Link said the government need to take their concerns seriously

News values:
Familiarity- This article is geographically close to us
Amplitude- If the environment is neglected it could in the future affect many people and the wildlife
Surprise- It is rare for an accusation this serious to be made
Conflict- There is conflict between David Cameron and the wild life groups
Elite people- David Cameron is a very well known person
Scandal- This article could provoke outrage

3) Counsellors in Canada's biggest city Toronto have voted to strip further powers from its mayor

Facts in the story:

• Rob Ford has admitted smoking Crack Cocaine and drinking heavily but he refuses to step down
• The council has cut down his budget and transferred many powers to his deputy

News values:
Amplitude- The powers in which the mayor has affects all the people in the city
Surprise- It is not often that a mayor is taking drugs and has his power taken away
Continuity- Stories about Rob Ford's drug problems have been in the news before
Elite people- Rob Ford is a very well known person
Scandal- This story has scandal because he is an elite person in a position of trust and he is not leading a good example

4) Economic issues will again dominate the Scottish referendum debate today when the first minister Alex Salmon outlines the tax system aimed to help businesses

Facts in the story:

• The proposal offers new opportunities for an independent Scotland with incentives to help companies start and grow
• Warns that an independent Scotland will have to increase taxes or cut public spending

News values:
Amplitude- A new tax system will affect all the people of Scotland
Conflict- People may disagree with the new system
Scandal- This story could provoke outrage

5) A charity is calling for people to be given more time to cross the road at pelican crossings

Facts in the story:

• Living Street which represents pedestrians says older people often find it hard to cross the road before the lights change
• They are urging councils to extend the crossing time by 3 seconds

News values:
Amplitude- This will help many elderly people when crossing the road
Balance- This will balance out the negative stories in the news

6) A British charity said thousands of lives could be saved in developing countries by more widely reusing pacemakers sent from richer nations

Facts in the story:

• The charity Pace For Life says families of people with pacemakers should be asked if they want to donate them to help patients in countries where the pacemaker is otherwise unaffordable

News values:
Amplitude- This will save thousands of lives in developing countries
Surprise- This is an unexpected request
Conflict- People may disagree with this idea
Balance- This will balance out the negative stories in the news

7)  The editors of the Oxford Dictionary have revealed that the word 'Selfie' beat 'twirk' to be named word of the year

Facts in the story:

• Its use is said to have increased by over 17,000% in 12 months

News values:
Familiarity- This is geographically close to us as the Oxford Dictionary is English
Conflict- People may disagree with the word chosen
Balance- This will balance out the negative stories in the news

Absolute Radio News Bulletin at 7:30am

Here is the running order for the news bulletin from the Absolute Breakfast Show:

1) The Defence Secretary will make concessions to rebel MP's threatening to derail his plan shakeup of the army in a vote later.

Facts in the story:

• Phillip Hammond is expected to announce that Parliament will review the build up of Britain's reserve forces every year at the same time as 20,000 soldiers are let go
• It's an important change to his original proposal

News Values:
Immediacy- This story is talking about a vote that will take place later in that same day
Familiarity- This story is geographically close to us in London
Amplitude- This involves a large amount of people as the decisions the MPs make affects the entire country
Conflict- This story contains conflict as rebel MP's are threatening the Defence Secretary's plan
Elite people- MPs are well known people
Scandal- Some people may disagree with Parliament's decisions and this could provoke outrage from the listeners

2) Investigations are underway to find out what started a fire that killed four people

Facts in the story:

• Two people out of the four killed were children
• Another child is in hospital being treated for minor injuries
• The fire happened at a house in North Winfield near Chessfield

News values:
Familiarity- The fire took place in England and therefore it is geographically close to us
Surprise- Fires that kill children do not happen often
Personalisation- This is a human interest story as it could have happened in anyone's house and to anyone's children, so people will have an emotional response
Negativity- People dying in a fire is bad news

3) Northern Ireland's Attorney General suggests no criminal proceedings are brought in investigations into trouble's killings that took place before 1998

Facts in the story:

• John Larkin thinks it could help both communities move forward but the idea received an ice cold reception from many victims

News values:
Familiarity- These killings took place in England so it is geographically close to us
Surprise- Killings do not often take place
Continuity- These killings took place in 1998 and therefore it has been spoken about for many years
Negativity- This is a bad news story

4) David Cameron told MP's he's absolutely delighted that Hull has been named the UK City of Culture 2017

Facts of the story:

• It was up against Leicester and Swansea

News values:
Familiarity- This story is geographically close to us in the UK
Conflict- People may disagree with the city that was chosen
Balance- This story is not negative, and therefore it will balance out other stories

Kiss FM News Bulletin at 7:30am

Here is the running order for the news bulletin from the Kiss FM Breakfast Show:

1) Back to back defeats at Wembley for the first time in 36 years

Facts in the story:

• England where beaten 1-0 by Germany and then they also lost 2-0 to Chile
• They where booed by their own fans at the end of the games

News values:
Familiarity- This story is about the England football team and therefore it is geographically close to us
Surprise- This clearly doesn't happen often as this hasn't happened in 36 years
Continuity- This story is in the news because England has lost many games in row. The news of England's previous loses must have already been on the news
Conflict- There is conflict involved in this story because of England battling to win the matches, and conflict between the team, the fans and the press
Elite people- The England football team are very well known
Negativity- This is bad news for England as they are the team representing us and they lost on our turf
Scandal- This story is likely to provoke moral outrage from all the football fans listening

2) Half built shopping centre collapsed in South Africa

Facts in the story:

•  3 people have been killed and 30 have been hurt
•  The mall was near Durban
•  Officials had recently taken legal action to try and stop the development because of safety fears

News values:
Amplitude- The event has killed 3 people and injured 30 people. In addition, the fact that the mall collapsed will affect everyone in the area
Surprise- Its not often that a half built building collapses
Conflict- There is conflict involved in this story because officials had tried to stop the development
Negativity- This is bad news because people were injured and people died


3) The Disaster's Emergency Committee said that the UK has raised £44 million for the Philippines' typhoon appeal

Facts in the story:

• It's about what England have done to help, not what the circumstances are in the Philippines
• The money has already helped over half a million people with things like clean water and shelter

News values:
Amplitude- The money raised has helped a lot of people
Predictability- When a disasters hits somewhere around the world the UK do try and  raise money to help the people affected back on their feet
Continuity- Many stories about the typhoon have been in the news before
Balance- This is good news as the money raised has managed to help many people

4) Talks about Towie star Sam Faires joining her ex-fiance Joey Essex in the I'm a Celebrity jungle

Facts in the story:

•  Producers reason it will add sparks to the show
• Joey has already been flirting with Amy Willerton

News values:
Amplitude- Sam Faires joining the jungle could make the programme more enjoyable for the millions of viewers that watch the television programme
Conflict- There is conflict involved in this story because there are talks about her joining the show which implies they don't know whether she should or not
Elite people- This story is about a TV programme called 'Im a Celebrity Get me Out of Here' and therefore the people on it are well known
Balance- Although some people might not want her to join the show, its not a bad news story and therefore it balances out the negative stories

Analysing News Bulletins on Existing Radio Stations

I'm going to listen to 3 different types of radio stations to find out whether or not the news stories will be related to the type of radio station they appear on (for example rock stories on rock radio stations), or to see if there are certain stories that appear on all 3 stations, regardless of the genre of station.

When listening to the news bulletins I was focusing on the running order of the stories (to see if the stories that were replicated on different stations appeared at the same point in the bulletin), the facts in the story (to see if the focus of stories that were replicated were the same) and the news values in each story, on each bulletin. I thought that these elements may sometimes be different depending on the genre of the station and the station's intended audience. I am also going to listen to two local radio station news bulletins to see if they report things differently.

I knew it was going to be difficult to find 3 different radio stations that have a listen again feature, so I downloaded the tunein radio app to help me. It will help me because it will allow me to record live radio. This will allow me to keep going over the bulletins while I'm analysing the news.

The 3 different radio stations that I decided to analyse are Radio 2, Kiss FM and Absolute - which are totally different genres of station which target completely different audiences.

Comparing National and Local News

When analysing national and local news articles I found both similarities and differences between the two.

I found that both national and local news articles most of the time contain the 5Ws towards the beginning of the article. In addition, in both national and local news, stories have been picked on the basic of news values.

Below is a local and national news article with the 5Ws pointed out.

 

The dominant news values for national news are:
Familiarity
Amplitude
Surprise
Conflict
Negativity
Elite people
Immediacy

The dominant news values for local news are:
Familiarity
Amplitude
Surprise
Continuity
Negativity
Scandal

• Both national and local news articles share the dominant news values of familiarity, amplitude, surprise and negativity.
• Although familiarity is also a dominant news value for national news, familiarity is even more dominant in local news as it is present in every local news article. Amplitude is dominant for both national and local news but it's more common for national news. 
• Familiarity is the number one news value for local news.
• In local news, if amplitude is a present news value it's because the story effects many people in the community, but if amplitude if present in a national news article it's because it may effect people around the country.
• I didn't find that the news value of personalisation was dominant in either, but it was definitely seen more in the local articles because they focus on a smaller community. In a smaller community, the readers are more likely to be personally connected to what the article is about.
• Negativity was equally present in both national and local news as unfortunately the majority of news reported seems to be bad news.

Local News Analysis 10/Technology

This article from BBC News UK is about the word 'Selfie' being named as the word of 2013 by the Oxford Dictionary.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

Selfie named word of 2013- Technology article

The 5Ws:
Who- The Oxford dictionary
What- They name the word 'selfie' the word of 2013
Where- Oxford
When- This week

Why- Because research suggested its frequency in the English language had increased by 17,000% in the last year

News values:
Familiarity- The article is geographically close to the readers 

Frequency- Every year there is a word named word of the year

Predictability- Ever year there is a word named word of the year so we where expecting it to happen, and it is no surprise considering the popularity of the word chosen

Local News Analysis 9/Good News

This article, from BBC News London, is about the Tate Britain being renovated.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

Transformed Tate unveiled- Good news article

The 5Ws:
Who- The Tate Britain
What- Tate Britain re-opens
Where- London
When- Tuesday
Why- Because it was renovated

News values:
Familiarity- This article is geographically close to the readers
Amplitude- Thousands of people visit the Tate and this renovation will attract even more people
Surprise- This building is not often renovated
Continuity- News of the renovation has been in the news before
Elite people- This article is about a very well known gallery
Good news- Its good news to hear the gallery was renovated because it will attract more visitors

Local News Analysis 8/Crime

This article from BBC News Hampshire and Isle of Wight is about police being attacked at an illegal rave.

Police attacked at illegal rave- Crime article

The 5Ws:
Who- The police
What- They where attacked
Where- At an illegal rave in Hampshire
When- Midnight on Saturday
Why- Because they tried to stop the rave

News values:
Familiarity- This article is geographically close to the readers in a town in Hampshire
Amplitude- This article involves the 100 people at the rave and the 6 police officers
Impact- This may make some readers feel threatened because the police can't even control the people who were at this rave
Surprise- An event like this doesn't happen often
Conflict- There was conflict between the people at the rave and the police about shutting the rave down
Negativity- This is bad news as 6 police officers where injured
Scandal- This may provoke moral outrage from the readers as they may be worried about the police not being able to protect the people of Hampshire

Local News Analysis 7/Disaster

This news article, from BBC News Devon, is about a flood in Lynmouth.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

Lynmouth flood disaster- Disaster article

The 5Ws:
Who- 34 people
What- They lost their lives
Where- Lynmouth
When- August 1952
Why- A flood

News values:
Familiarity- This article is geographically close to the readers
Surprise- A big flood caused by rain does not happen often
Continuity- This story has been in the news before
Conflict- In the article there is a conflict about how the flood happened
Negativity- People dying is bad news

Local News Analysis 6/Education

This news article, from BBC News Norfolk, is about Norfolk school budgets being taken over my the local council.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

School budgets taken over by council- Education article

The 5Ws:
Who- 8 Norfolk schools
What- Their budgets have been taken over by the local authority
Where- Norfolk
When- with immediate effect
Why- because the schools were seriously under-performing

News values:
Familiarity- This article is geographically close to the readers, discussing measures taken in the county
Amplitude- The council taking over the budget will affect all the staff and members of all of the 8 schools
Surprise- It's not often that the control of school budgets changes
Continuity- Discussions about changing the control of the schools' budgets has been in the news before
Scandal- People that work for the school or go to the school could disagree with the change in hands of the control of the budget

Local News Analysis 5/Health

This article, from BBC News London, is about the oldest person in the UK dying at the age of 113.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

Oldest person in UK dies- Health article

The 5Ws:
Who- Grace Jones
What- She died
Where- Bermondsey, South East London
When- Earlier in the week
Why- She had a fall

News values:
Immediacy- Although the day that Grace Jones died is not included in the article, it is clear that it was very recent
Familiarity- This article is geographically close to the readers based in London
Surprise- Although people often die from old age, its not often someone reaches the age of 113
Personalisation- People can probably relate to the story because everyone knows of elderly people who have passed away
Negativity- Someone passing away is negative news

Local News Analysis 4/Business

This article from BBC News Cumbria is about a plastics plant in Workington that is to be temporarily closed, causing the loss of jobs.

Below is a link to the rest of the article: 

73 job losses- Business article

The 5Ws:
Who- A plastics plant in Cumbria
What- 73 job losses 
Where- Workington 
When- Before March 2014 
Why- Because the plant is going to be mothballed  until the economy picks up

News values:
Familiarity- This article is geographically close to the readers  in the region
Amplitude- This event will cause 73 people to lose there jobs 
Impact- people feel threatened by the closure of businesses
Frequency- This kind of event is becoming more common since the economic crisis
Personalisation- Readers may feel sympathy for the people losing their jobs if they have lost a job and they know how it feels
Negativity- This is negative because people are losing their jobs

Local News Analysis 3/Sport

This article, from The Jewish Chronicle online, is about the London Maccabi Lions progressing in the County Cup.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

London Maccabi Lions progress in the County Cup- sports article

The 5Ws:
Who- The London Maccabi Lions football team
What- They progressed in the County Cup
Where- London
When- Last sunday
Why- Because they beat the team they where playing

News values:
Familiarity- The article is about a football team in London and therefore it is geographically close to the readers (it is also related to a specific community)
Immediacy- the game was played recently
Frequency- Football teams always progress in leagues and cups
Conflict- There was conflict between the football teams taking part in the game as they both wanted to win
Balance-  This story is good news as the team won the match and therefore it balances out the negative news in the newspaper

Local News Analysis 2/Politics

This article, from the BBC Highlands and Islands, is about the Highland licensing board agreeing on a new policy on sales of alcohol.

Below is a link to the rest on the article:

New policy on off-sales agreed- Politics article

The 5Ws:
Who- The Highland Licensing Board
What- They agreed on a new policy on off-sales
Where- the Highlands
When- November 2013
Why- Because the Highlands were known as having the greatest incidence of alcohol-related harm

News values:
Familiarity- This article is from Highland and Island News and the article is about a policy in the Highlands, Scotland. Therefore it's geographically close to the readers 
Amplitude- A policy for the whole of the Highlands was changed and therefore it will affect all the people in the region
Surprise- Laws don't often change 
Continuity- Articles about changing the policy have been in the news before
Conflict- The Highland Licensing Board has to create this new policy because harm is being caused due to alcohol consumption

Local News Analysis 1/Entertainment

This article, from the Somerset local news on BBC online, is about Glastonbury holding X factor-style auditions for the street entertainers.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

X factor-style auditions held for the street entertainers of Glastonbury- Entertainment article

The 5Ws:
Who- The street entertainers
What- They are holding X Factor-style auditions
Where- Glastonbury
When- October 2005
Why- To sort the Lemars and Will Youngs of Glastonbury from the Rik Wallers and One True Voices of the town

News values:
Immediacy- The story was published before the event took place to let the people of Glastonbury know about the event
Familiarity- The article was published in the Somerset local news and the event was in Glastonbury so the event is geographically close to the readers
Amplitude- There are many street entertainers and this is a big event
Surprise- An event like this would not happen often
Personalisation- Thousands of people audition for entertainment competitions and people reading the article may be able to relate to what the street entertainers will go through
Balance- This is good news for the street entertainers of Glastonbury

Introduction to Local News Analysis

Having looked at a range of national news stories, I'm now going to look at a number of different local news stories online to see if they also contain the 5Ws and to see if similar news values are included within the stories.

I am going to be creating a local radio station so its important to find out whether local news shares conventions with national news, and to see if the news stories are constructed in a similar way.
I will be looking at stories taken from the local regional news section on the BBC website, but also from local newspapers.

National News Analysis 10/Technology

This news story from the BBC News website is about tech giants, Apple and Samsung being back in court because of patent damages.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

Apple and Samsung back to court- Technology article

The 5Ws:
Who- Apple and Samsung
What- Go back to court
Where- California
When- March 2013
Why- Because Samsung infringed six Apple patents

News values:
Amplitude- This court case is involving 2 very large companies with many peopleusing their products possibly affected
Surprise- This type of high profile court case doesn't happen often
Continuity- This conflict has been taken to court before and its been going on since 2012
Elite people- Both Apple and Samsung are very well know companies
Conflict- A court case always involves conflict
Negativity- this is bad news for at least one of the companies involved, and possibly for consumers

National News Analysis 9/Good News

This article from The Daily Mail is about women who divorced their husbands and then remarried them years later.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

Women remarrying their husbands- good news story

The 5Ws:
Who- Victoria Craig
What- She remarried her husband
Where- Wiltshire
When- In August
Why- After her ex-husband had a stroke she realised she couldn't lose him again

News Values:
Familiarity- This story is about people that are living in Wiltshire, England so its geographically close to us
Surprise- It's unusual for a couple that have got divorced to get back together
Personalisation- Many people have had a divorce and everyone knows somebody that has got divorced so people can relate to the story
Balance- This story is a good news story and therefore will balance out the negative stories

National News Analysis 8/Crime

This article from BBC News online is about a man being arrested for being involved in human trafficking.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

Man gets arrested for human trafficking- Crime article

The 5Ws:
Who- An unamed man
What- Was arrested
Where- In Gillingham
When- Earlier that day
Why- For suspicion of people trafficking and money laundering

News values:
Immediacy- The arrest took place on the day the story was published
Familiarity- The event took place in Gillingham, England
Impact- This could make the public fear that an event as horrific as human trafficking has taken place close by
Surprise- This does not happen often
Negativity- Although the criminal getting arrested is a good thing, the article is not a happy one, focusing on crime

National News Analysis 7/Education

This article from the BBC News website is about a British University being giving a large donation.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

University receives a large donation- education article

The 5Ws:
Who- The University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies
What- They received a large donation
Where- London
When- Earlier in the week
Why- To contribute to paying for building upgrades, research and scholarships

News values:
Familiarity- This university is in London and therefore it is geographically close to us
Surprise- Although donations are made fairly often, donations of this size are rare
Amplitude- The donation will affect all the people attending the university (in a good way) and the scholarships will help people attend the university when they wouldn't have been able to
Balance- This story is good news and helps balance out all the negative stories in the news

National News Analysis 6/Disaster

This article from BBC News Online is about the Philippines getting ready for the imending typhoon Haiyan.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

Philippines brace for typhoon- Disaster article

The 5Ws:
Who- The citizens of the Philippines
What- They are preparing for the arrival of a typhoon
Where- The Philippines
When- Friday
Why- Because there have been typhoon warnings

News values:
Immediacy- This article was published today, which was when the warnings about the typhoon where released
Amplitude- This typhoon will effect thousands of people
Surprise- typhoons and natural disasters do not occur often
Continuity- A different story about the typhoon was released earlier in the day before this one
Personalisation- Bad storms and natural disasters occur all over the world, so the audience will feel sympathy and fear for the people in the Philippines
Negativity- This storm may effect many people's lives

National News Analysis 5/Health

This article from BBC News online is about a doctor being jailed for killing a patient.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

Doctor jailed for killing patient- health article

The 5Ws:
Who- David Sellu
What- He was put in jail
Where- North-West London
When- The patient died in 2010
Why- Because he was negligent when treating a patient

News values:
Familiarity- This event happened in North-West London so it is geographically close to us
Surprise- Doctors aren't usually negligent and an event like this is rare
Continuity- This story has been in the news before- presumably when the event was first heard about
Conflict- This story contains conflict as the doctor has been accused of being negligent
Negativity- This is not a happy story
Scandal- This story may cause moral outrage from the audience as we must put our trust in doctors, and this event may cause people to worry

National News Analysis 4/Business

This news article from the BBC News website is about 400,000 people losing jobseeker's allowance under new government sanctions.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

People losing jobseekers allowance- Business article

The 5Ws:
Who- Over 400,000 people
What- Lose their jobseeker's allowance
Where- The UK
When- 22 October 2012
Why- To ensure that the people actively seek work

News values:
Amplitude- There are thousands of people that get jobseeker's allowance and if those benefits are cut it will effect them greatly
Impact- If some people don't get this allowance they will not have enough money to support their families
Surprise- Sanctions changing is not an usual event
Conflict- In the article we see that Gillian Guy criticises the new sanctions. This is a form of conflict
Negativity- This is bad news for the people who are getting jobseeker's allowance
Scandal- There will be many different opinions and arguments regarding the new sanctions, with many seeing it as outrageous

National News Analysis 3/Politics

This news from the BBC News website is about BEA systems cutting jobs at Scottish Shipyards.

Below is a link to the rest of the article:

BAE Systems cuts jobs- politics article

The 5Ws:
Who- BEA systems
What- They are cutting jobs
Where- In Scotland, England and Portsmouth shipyards
When- Wednesday morning
Why- Because of a significant drop in demands for ships

News values:
Immediacy- The story was released on the day that the news was announced
Familiarity- it's geographically close to us. as it affects workers in England
Amplitude- The job cuts are affecting thousands of people
Impact- many workers will be jobless and may not be able to support their families
Surprise- This came as a shock for the workers and for the audience
Conflict- The workers lost their jobs when they didn't want to
Personalisation- many readers will know somebody who has a lost a job and they will feel sympathy for these workers
Negativity- It's bad news for the workers, and the state of the industry
Scandal- The workers, and people who disagree with the cuts may be outraged by this incident

National News Analysis 2/Sport

This article from the BBC News website is about the Stoke goalkeeper 'Asmir Begovic' refusing to rule out the move to Man City.

Below is a link to the full story:

Asmir Begovic possible move to Man City- Sport article

The 5Ws:
Who- Asmir Begovic
What- He has refused to rule out the move to Man City
Where- Stoke
When- After the match on Saturday
Why- Because before the boss Mancini was sacked they where very close to a deal

News values:
Amplitude- If Asmir was to move football teams it would affect many football fans
Frequency- Footballers move teams quite frequently
Continuity- The deal was almost don't before, therefore this story was probably spoken about before
Conflict- This story contains conflict as its about whether or not Asmir will move football teams- he has a conflict with himself
Elite people- He is a famous footballer

National News Analysis 1/Entertainment

The news article from 'The Mirror' talks about Lisa Robin Kelly's death in a rehab facility after losing her battle with a drug and alcohol addiction.

Below is a link to the rest of the article: 

Lisa Robin Kelly's death- Entertainment article

The 5Ws:

Who- Lisa Robin Kelly 

What- She died

Where- A rehab facility 

When- Wednesday evening 

Why- Drug and Alcohol addiction 

News values: 

Immediacy- The story was published 2 days after her death. This shows that the story was 'breaking news' 

Surprise- Her death was unexpected, especially as she was in a rehab facility trying to get better

Conflict- This story contains conflict as she was fighting her addictions to drugs and alcohol 

Elite people- Lisa Robin Kelly played Laurie Forman in US sitcom That '70s Show. She was a celebrity 

Personalisation- A lot of people may know somebody who has struggles with addiction and this may make them relate to the story

Negativity- Death is bad news 

News Analysis

Because a news bulletin is the main element of my radio extract I'm going to start by analysing the way news is presented in a variety of different formats, looking at newspapers, online news, TV news and radio news to see if there's a consistency in terms of conventions.

I'm going to start by looking at national news stories online from the BBC news website and the websites of national newspapers. I'm going to look at a range of different stories to see if they contain the 5Ws and news values regardless of what type of story I am analysing.

I'm going to look at a number of different types of stories including the following:
1) Celebrity/entertainment
2) Politics
3) Sport
4) Business
5) Health
6) Education
7) Disaster
8) Crime
9) Good news
10) Technology

News Values

News values are the factors defined by Galtung and Ruge that help to explain how journalists and editors decided that certain news stories an image 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 news bulletins.


Immediacy- has it happened recently? is the story 'breaking'? 
This often pushes a news story to the front page of a newspaper or in our case, to the top of a radio news bulletin.

Familiarity- is it culturally or geographically close to us in London/Britain/Europe/the USA? 
This news value becomes even more prominent with local news coverage.

Amplitude- is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people? 

Frequency- does the event happen often?






Impact- can we identify with the story as having a profound effect on our lives? Does the story contain elements that would make us feel threatened? 
The often has the effect of pushing a news story higher up the news agenda.

Predictability- Did we expect it to happen? 

Surprise- Is it an unusual or unexpected event? 
This news value, more then predictability, tends to push a story further up in the news agenda. Surprise as a news value can relate to positive as well as negative stories.





Continuity- Has the story already been defined as news? is it part of an ongoing or lone-running story?
Many news bulletins contain stories with continuity as a news value. However most of the time the news story will be further down the news agenda. Often there will be 'breaking' elements to a story that has already been defined as news.





Conflict- Does the story contain drama in describing disagreements, arguments, fights or battles between two or more people/organisations? 
Most news stories will contain this news value






Elite people- Does the story concern well-know people, such s celebrities? 
Certain types of newspapers (such as tabloids including the sun, the mirror and the star), certain television news broadcasting (such as E News) and certain radio stations (such as capital radio) are dominated by stories including this news value.
There are many that only become 'news worthy' because they involve celebrities.





Personalisation- Is it a human interest story?
This is a prominent news value providing an emotional response from the audience. This is one of the most frequent news values because a large percentage of the audience can relate to them.






Negativity- Is it bad news?
News bulletins and news papers are frequently dominated by bad news stories.






Scandal- Is the story likely to provoke moral outrage from part of the audience? 
Scandal, particularly involving elite people or members of society in positions of trust feature high up on the news agenda.

Balance- The story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story to balance a number of stories concerning death. 
Whilst 'good news' stories don't tend to dominate news bulletins, they are often found towards the end of a bulletin as an antidote to the bad news that has dominated.

When I analyse news in more detail i'll make a note of all of the news values. Determining what news values are in stories will help me when I am creating my own news stories, helping me think about a story's suitability for inclusion.