Case study 2

BBC News At Six

Basic details

What do the letters BBC stand for?

British Broadcasting Corporation.

How is the BBC funded?

The BBC are funded by the licence fee that is paid by the public.

What is the BBC's famous mission statement? (Clue: it's three words)

To 'Inform, Educate and Entertain'. 

What is BBC1's programme remit? 

To be the BBC's most popular and attractive channel with high viewing figures. 

How does the BBC News At Six fit into BBC1's remit?

It attracts high viewing figures.

Presenters

Who are the presenters of BBC News At Six? 

Fiona Bruce, Sophie Raworth and George Alagiah. 

What are the presenters wearing? What does this communicate to the audience? 

The presenters are looking sharp and formal as they are wearing smart clothing e.g. suit and tie. However, sometimes the presenters lose the tie. This method could be used to communicate and attract a younger audience with the atmosphere that they are remaining casual as BBC News At Six is watched by families.

Why might a TV news programme use a variety of presenters? 

They may use multiple presenters because each individual has a specific role to abide while presenting and they have different personalities or race so the audience is more likely to relate to the presenters, which will attract a wider audience and will boost their viewing figures. 

How are the other reporters or presenters used in the TV news programme?

There are different reporter/presenters that have different roles. Some may be at the scene of crime or a specialist that interviews people e.g. the public or people in the parliment. 

Is there a balance between male and female presenters? What about race/ethnicity? What effect might these aspects have on an audience? 

I disagree, there are more female presenters. This may attract a wider female audience as females are more likey to relate to the presenters. The majority of male audience may not feel involved if no male reporters/presenters are involved in the show. 

Opening sequence 

What is the very first shot? 

The first shot is the presenter towards the camera. 

How does the opening sequence use graphics or images to grab the attention of the audience? 

They use graphics to show statistics to notify the audience of how large the story is e.g. Tesco has lost £6.4 Billion. 

How is music used in the opening sequence?

The drums are played every time they introduce a new topic/breaking news in the opening sequence. 

How are news stories introduced in the opening two minutes? Is there just one story or are the audience told what will be coming up later? 

The audience is informed briefly about what breaking news stories they have to offer and explain them in more depth later on in the show, based on most important to least important.  

Studio mise-en-scene

What aspects of the studio can be seen by the audience?

The audience can see:
  - The workers at their computers - presumed to be collecting the news 

  - The camera's filming the presenter 

  - The presenter at the desk

  - The workers behind the desk through the glass screen

Are the presenters standing or behind desks? Why do you think this is?

During the opening sequence the presenters are sitting behind the desk whereas after the animation and the date appears on the screen the presenters are standing close to the animated screen which is convenient which makes the viewers see and hear what the presenters are talking about and can also see more information (important information)

Are journalists or technology visible? What might these things suggest to the audience?

Journalist are visible during the TV News programme, before the actual news headlines are mentioned, the journalist are shown through a crane shot of the studio, at their desk, this shows what they are always finishing new news for the viewers and that it is new and updated.

How does the studio use colour?
The studio uses he colours, red and black.

How news stories are presented

How does the news programme typically present a story?
The news programme typically presents a story by the presenter talking to the camera about the news headline. They have animations giving more information with the presenter talking over the animation. Interviews with people or members of the public. Back to the studio with the presenter. 

What different techniques does the programme use to present the news? (E.g. presenter to camera, reporter on location, interviews, graphics, images, video etc.)

Presenter talking to the camera, reporter at a different location, interviews with people or members of the public, animations on the animated screen. 

What types of news does the TV News programme typically cover? Give five examples (e.g. politics, international, sport etc.)
Political
International
Local (UK)
Sport
Celebrity 

Give two real examples of how news stories are presented to keep the interest of the audience.
The election
The migrants

Running order: Watch the first 15 minutes of the programme – as recent as you can find.
What is the top story?
Tesco's £6.4 loss

How long does the top story last for?
4 minutes.

What are the other stories the programme does or will cover? List them in the order they are presented in (the ‘running order’).

Tesco's loss

Migrants

On-line Paedophiles

The Hacker in America

Election 2015

How long is each story shown for?
2/3 minutes each.

Why do you think each story was shown for the time it was?
The less importance the story has to the UK the less time BBC tends to spend on it.

Audience

What is the target audience for this BBC News at Six? Research online – you should be able to find plenty of suggestions to the target audience if not the official target audience of the programme.
The target audience is mainly families.

What are the viewing figures for BBC News at Six?
4 million viewers.

Why might someone choose to watch this TV news programme over others?
Someone might choose to watch this TV News programme over others because it is more traditional news and has been running sucsessfully for many years therefore it is trustworthy and reliable.

Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or comment?
What audience pleasures (Uses and Gratifications theory – Blumler and Katz) does the programme offer?
There is an opportunity for the audience to get involved with the TV News programme as it has a website people can visit and they also provide you with email services to keep you updated.


Institution

What other news programmes and services does the BBC offer in addition to the BBC News at Six?
BBC offers BBC News at One, BBC News at Ten, CBBC and Cbeebies.

What role does Ofcom have in making sure TV News is fair and accurate?
Ofcom has a set or rules which is called the broadcasting code and they make sure the TV news is fair and accurate by letting viewers contact for complains about what they have seen so Ofcom can review it.

The BBC has been accused of 'dumbing down' the News at Six. What does this mean? Do you agree with the accusation that the news is 'dumbed down'?
I agree with this statement because in one of their shows the showed a down arow on a animated receipt when it clearly said decrease beside it.


Tv News and New/Digital media 

Does the TV News programme have a dedicated website?
It has a website named BBC News.

What does the website offer viewers?
It offers a chance for visiters to get involved with new by sending them emails and the audience can send photos and videos to them.

Does the TV News programme have a Twitter feed?
Yes.

How does the Twitter feed promote the programme?
The Twitter feed promotes the programme by tweeting what is going on for it to then go on to be shown when the next programme airs.

Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or submit news stories?
Yes, the audience can get involved in the programme and submit news stories.