Second page drafts

This is the first draft of my second page, it does not yet have all the images and none of the filler articles have been included yet. The second page needs to look similar to the front so I have used the same amount of columns, the main difference is more articles and more but smaller images. To fill the page there needs to be a range of filler articles. These articles will only be a short paragraph or two to take up any negative space. The size of images and space above and below the articles needs to be adjusted.

Here I have started to fill in the spaces with extra articles and images. For the article about the boating pond I couldn't get a single image to represent the story. So I have included two and made sure that they fit together on the page. To make the page look as professional as possible I the columns for each article need to be inline.

This is the second page with all the articles and images. I have used lines to seperate the articles as this is common in newspapers as it makes the page much more organised and easier to read. A lot of free space has been taken up by filler articles but also by changing the size of headings. The most important or interesting storeis have the biggest headings as they should stand out more on the page. There is still some space that needs to be filled on this draft.

Front Page Draft

This is my first draft of the front page.
I chose a conservative blue colour for the banner as this represents the values I want to put across. There are 8 columns across the page, which after research I have noticed is typical on local newspapers.
There are a lot of problems with it, the biggest being the large amount of empty space, the page should be completely covered so not to leave blank, white spaces, not only is this a waste of paper that could be taken up by smaller news stories but it is also aesthetically displeasing.
The climbing wall article and the skate park article should not be in line like they are as there could be confusion to which columns are in which articles.
There should also be a thin column of contents or articles running down the right alignment as this is traditional in local newspapers.
Finally the photos (which aren't mine yet) should be bigger, so they look more attractive on the page, and to break up the text so that the page seems more interesting.

On this draft of my newspaper I have inserted my own photos and arranged the text around them so it looks neat and professional. Having the text tight around the images like this means there is no negative space. I have also arranaged all the stories into individual columns apart from the main story. This highlights it as the main story. One problem with is the image for the main story is longer than the block of text, which seperates it from the story and doesn't look very good.

On this draft I have further tweaked the spacing of the columns, headlines and images. I have also included an advert. Adverts can be usually found at the bottom of local newspaper's front page. To fit in with the representation of Harrogate being a smart and reasonably wealthy town my advert is for an upmarket garden landscapers. The Bright pink and green really stand out next to the plain text. To improve this draft I need to make the main headline smaller so it is obvious which story it belongs to and also arrange the text into columns, as it is not very common for articles to be arranged in a solid block and also the image needs to be the same size as the text. There also needs to be more contents in the boost at the top of the page or images.

Names

After audience feedback on possible names I have decided to call my newspaper
Harrogate Post
Sounds professional
Could be linked to Yorkshire Post, which means it will have a good reputation
Short and snappy as Harrogate is already a long word
Lots of towns have a ‘Post’ so will make it part of Yorkshire

These were other options
Harrogate Herald
Already a Herald in Harrogate
Harrogate News
Too plain and dull, would not attract people
Harrogate Gazette
Sounds a bit too American, and doesn’t accurately represent Harrogate

Photos

In these images I have used a range of shot angles and distances so there is a range of different images. It was important to include people in the images, as a few of the articles are about single people. The conditions of the photo were also important, I will not be able to use some of these images as the weather is a bit dull and grey which doesn’t accurately represent the sunny and happy Harrogate that I want to portray in my newspaper. Mis en scene is important, so the objects and subject placing must be right in the photos, for example the story about the boating pond should have a picture of a boat or someone using one. Plus the ones taken in the school have smart and happy students in them, these photos are representing the school as a smart and modern school, which adds to the whole representation of the town. After audience feedback I was told some of the images could be improved. To make them look better I will manipulate them on PhotoShop, this could be as simple as brightening them.

This image will accompany the main story on the front page of my newspaper, I chose it because it includes happy, smiling students outside the new sixthform sign. The camera angle is tilted up slightly so the sign could be seen, I also made the image medium so that the picture is balnaced half and half with the building at the top and the girls at the bottom. To make the photo look better I manipluated it on Photoshop. First I cropped the image to remove all the negative space. Then I used the spot healing tool so remove marks from the wall. Finally I brighted the image.

This photo will go with the story about Valley Gardens boating pond along with the picture underneath. For a story about a park and remote control boats it was important that the photo represents a day out in the park. So the photo includes a range of people, young, old, families, dogs etc. This gives a community feel to the newspaper. When manipulating this image I blurred the trees and the background of the image. This means the focus is on the people and not the park itself, as the people are the subject of the story.

This is a good action shot to go with the story on the climbing wall. It is also good because it shows some of the bouldering wall in the background, not just some one using it. The subject not looking at the camera shows the concentration that goes into the climbing. I didn't have to manipilate this image much, the lighting was good in the room, so I only had to crop the image a small amount.



This goes with the tourism awards article. The only manipulation I did to this was to remove the edge of a notice board on the wall.

Filler articles

Blue Monkey closes down

The Blue Monkey night club formerly know Carringtons closed down unexpectedly this week after only being open for just over a year. It is reported that the closure was due to lack of business which lead to unpaid bills and eventually the owner, Richard Nunn was forced to close the doors until the time is right. As of now the long term fate of the club is unknown.

Drugs, rock n roll and litter

Two members of a local were prosecuted this week for drug taking and littering at Harrogate’s war memorial after a gig in the town centre. Lewis Penny, 22 and Justin Clark, 27 were arrested last Friday night after being caught on CCTVPenny was charged for possession of the class B drug Naphyrone, where as Clark was accused of possession and littering. Both have been fined £280.

New Police HQ

A new police station has been approved in the west of the town, the council hope that the new head quarters will mean faster response times and as a result a major reduction of criminals escaping the scene.

Near miss for bus in Starbeck

There was a dramatic turn of events in Starbeck after a full 36 bus accidentally ventured onto the level crossing as a train was approaching. Luckily quick thinking drivers created enough space for the bus to reverse off the tracks.

Roadworks

Unfortunately for Harrogate drivers plans were released this month of 11 weeks of road works all over town. The council has said they know it is a massive inconvenience but the work will improve the roads of Harrogate greatly.

Dad to the rescue
There was a panic in Harrogate town centre last week after a baby was locked in a car due to a faulty key fob.
Maria Crosby was sent into a frenzy after she mistakenly locked her 7 month old son, Elliott, in her car. The incident occurred when Maria accidentally closed the Nissan Micra’s door which locked automatically, and when she went to unlock it with the key fob it wouldn’t open. Maria became very worried for her son as it was a warm day and the interior of the car was already heating up.
Maria called the fire department so they could come and break into the car. When a fire engine arrived Maria was surprised to see that it was her own husband who had been called out to help. He also didn’t know it was his own son he was sent to save.
Elliott was removed from the car safely and Maria will be making sure it never happens again.

Article 11

Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Awards

The Yorkshire showground has been injected with a touch of glamour this week as the second annual Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Awards comes back to town.

Millions of pounds are generated each year by the tourism industry, so the awards were created to celebrate the businesses and individuals that are involved in Harrogate’s leading enterprise.

There was 9 awards altogether, which included Waiter/waitress of the year, which was won by Magda Krawczyk from the Ceder Court Hotel, Best achievement of the year, which was won by Harrogate Theatre, who have risen up to success after the threat of closure a few years ago. Finally Harrogate ambassador of the year went to Caroline Bayliss of the Harrogate Area Tourism Partnership.

Harrogate is now preparing for the Yorkshire tourism awards which will be held at the same venue.

Article 10

Harrogate Comedy Festival
The Harrogate Theatre will be enjoying a wealth of comedy talent this month with the launch of the Harrogate Comedy Festival, which will be running from the 7th to the 23rd of October.
The line up, which is made up of 40 acts, includes stand up comics that have grown in popularity in the last few years due to television shows such as Live at the Apollo and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow. And also much more recognisable names who have been entertaining for much longer. Notable additions include: Keven Bridges, the Scottish comic made famous by his sarcastic opinions on his home country, Josie long who has featured on many TV shows and won Best Newcomer and Edinburgh festival in 2006 and Russell Kane who has been nominated for the same award 3 times. The festival will end with the Comedy Closing Gala, which will be a show featuring 4 acts, which will feature stand up, sketches and even some musical numbers.
The organisers of the event hope that the festival will create a reputation for the theatre and the town in general as a hub of culture that embraces all forms entertainment. Tickets are still available for the various performers and can be bought at the box office at Harrogate Theatre.

Article 9

The Harrogate Police department are carrying out a search for two young men suspected of burglary, after they were spotted leaving a house in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The house on Roslyn road was owned by the Weller family who were away for the weekend visiting family, when they returned early after being contacted with the police they were greeted with a broken window and missing Televisions and jewellery. The family were very shocked with what happened and had said they never expect something like that to happen to them.
The police were called to the residence after an elderly neighbour was awakened by noises from next door that prompted to her to check out the window. “I dismissed the first noises I heard as there are lots of cats on the street that make noise during the night” says Liz Brown, 60 “but when there were more noises later I looked out my window and saw two men leaving the house next door and getting into a van” Liz only saw one of the men in detail briefly as he passed under a lamppost, and described him as about 17 to 20, quite thin and with short brown hair with very distinct stripes shaven into the side, just above the right ear.
If anyone knows of a young man matching this description should contact the Harrogate Police Department.

Article 8

Worried teachers and parents of Beckwithshaw Primary School are sending out an appeal to the council to make the nearby road safer.
The head teacher, Caroline Rice, is appealing for a lollipop lady to monitor the main road outside the school building. The school is concerned with the speeds that cars reach while travelling along Otley road.
The main problem is the lack or car parking facilities on the school side of the road; this means that parents are forced to park in the carpark at the Smith’s arms, opposite the school, which then leads to children having to cross the busy road.
After several near misses in the last month, the school decided to really push for some help. “The cars travelling past the school just seem to be getting faster, so it is important that we make sure no one is going to get hurt” Said Lynn Songhurst who teaches years five and six.
The school’s appeal coincides with the possibility of speed limits being reduced to 20mph outside schools, what do you think about the safety of roads near schools? Comment on our website.

Draft 2
Worried teachers and parents of Beckwithshaw Primary School are sending out an appeal to the council to make the nearby road safer.
The head teacher, Caroline Rice, is appealing for a lollipop lady to monitor the main road outside the school building. The school is concerned with the speeds that unwitting drivers reach while travelling along Otley Road.
The main problem is the lack of car parking facilities on the school side of the road; this means that parents are forced to park in the car park at the Smith’s Arms, opposite the school, which then leads to children having to cross the busy road.
After several near misses in the last month, the school decided to really push for some help. “The cars travelling past the school just seem to be getting faster, so it is important that we make sure no one is going to get hurt” Said Lynn Songhurst who teaches years five and six.
It is less than 5 years ago that the 30mph speed restrictions were introduced outside schools. This was following a series of accidents involving primary school students. Other measures such as the mini roundabout have also been introduced. "Drivers still don't seem to realise that small children and fast cars don't mix" said Bev, 31 and mother of 2.
There is now the possibility of speed limits being reduced to 20mph outside schools, what do you think about the safety of roads near schools? Comment on our website.

Article 7

Employees of RBS in Harrogate have suffered a massive blow this month after they were informed of a potential 500 job losses between now and 2012, as part of a National programme to cut 3,500 jobs.
The Royal Bank of Scotland is one of the ten biggest businesses in the district, but now will suffer a loss after it was announced that RBS’s Back Office Support Centre, Cardale Park will be closed by the end of the year.
The effected employees mainly work in retail, business, or the customer service departments with also some call centre staff. A handful of the ex-office workers will be offered similar jobs at Advent Brain, who bought the majority if RBS’s Global Merchant Services earlier in the year, but there will still be a huge group of unemployed workers.
Andrew Jones, Harrogate MP, has expressed his shock over the Job cuts, he has pleaded with RBS to reconsider the closing down of the office. He is worried about the effect of the closure on local economy and is concerned for the employees and their families.
Derek Wilson, 47, is an IT technician at the offices, “I really have no idea what I’m going to do now, it isn’t easy to get a job at my age, and I still have a family to support.” The employees at Cardale Park have already started to clear out their offices in preparation for the closing of the office in early December.

Draft 2
Employees of RBS in Harrogate have suffered a massive blow this month after they were informed of a potential 500 job losses between now and 2012, as part of a National programme to cut 3,500 jobs.
The Royal Bank of Scotland is one of the ten biggest businesses in the district, but now will suffer the loss after it was announced that RBS’s Back Office Support Centre, Cardale Park will be closed by the end of the year.
The affected employees mainly work in retail, business, or the customer service departments. Some call centre staff will also be affected. A handful of the ex-office workers will be offered similar jobs at Advent Brain, who bought the majority if RBS’s Global Merchant Services earlier in the year, but there will still be a huge group of unemployed workers.
Andrew Jones, Harrogate MP, has expressed his shock over the job cuts. He has pleaded with RBS to reconsider. He is worried about the effect of the closure on local economy and is concerned for the employees and their families.
Derek Wilson, 47, is an IT technician at the offices, “I really have no idea what I’m going to do now. It isn’t easy to get a job at my age, and I still have a family to support.” The employees at Cardale Park have already started to clear out their offices in preparation for the closure in early December.

Article 6

There has been lots of excitement among fashion savvy teens over the last few weeks as we draw nearer to the opening of two major high street shops.

Primark and Topshop/Topman are on track to be opened by the end of the year. Both will be on Cambridge street, Primark in the old Bhs building and Topshop where Boots used to be.

Bhs closed down when Arcadia sold the lease to the building, as it was hard trying to compete with M&S down the road. Boots relocated to the bigger site, where Woolworths was, before the company went into administration in 2008.

There has been some speculation about Primark coming to Harrogate as some think the town is too upmarket to have a discount clothes shop, and it would lower the tone of the town centre. But these worries may not come to light as Primark will have to raise their prices due to rise in the cost of cotton.

Article 5

Valley Garden Boating Pond

A new attraction in the Valley Gardens has popped up over the summer holidays.

The boating pond in valley gardens has often stood empty, with only leaves floating on the surface. But now thanks to a new enterprise, those taking a stroll in the park can rent a remote controlled boat and take to the waters.

Ideal for children who are bored of the play park, the boats cost £1.50 for 6 minutes, with 6 colours to choose from they are the perfect accompaniment to an ice cream from the café.

Article 4

Harrogate’s home-grown hero
Donald Simpson Bell VC will be remembered at a service in France later this month, 10 years after a memorial was dedicated to him near where he was killed during World War One.
Donald Bell grew up in Harrogate; where he attended Harrogate Grammar School and later in life went on to teach in the town. During his time teaching he played amateur football for Crystal Palace, Bishop Auckland and Newcastle United. In April 1913 he left teaching behind and turned professional and started playing for Bradford.
But by the end of 1913 the shadow of war was looming so with the like many young, fit men at the time Bell joined the army. In November, 1913 Bell signed up to the 9th Battalion Yorkshire regiment, also known as The Green Howards.
Bell later became the first professional footballer to earn the Victoria Cross, the highest honour in the British and commonwealth armies, after his bravery at the battle of the Somme in 1916.
On the 5th of July Bell and the other members of his regiment were pinned down by a German machine gun near the town of La Boiselle. Bell charged out into open ground, throwing grenades at the machine gun nest, he singlehandedly captured the machine gun nest and saved the rest of his regiment. The same bravery lead to Bell’s death 5 days later in a similar situation.
He was killed at Contalmaison which became know as Bell’s Redoubt, and in 2000 became the location for a memorial, which was organised by the Friends of the Green Howards Museum. The friends of the museum, the Professional Footballers’ organisation and relatives of Donald Bell will return to Bell’s Redoubt in 2 weeks, 10 years after the memorial was erected. They will be joined by Buglers from the Yorkshire Corps of Drums and Reverend Clive Artley, who will lead a wreath laying ceremony.
For more information on Bell visit our website.

Draft 2
After audience feedback I have decided that there is too much background information on Bell fo this article to be on the first of second page, so I have cut down the text so there is less background information and more information about what is happening currently rather that in the past.

Harrogate’s home-grown hero
Donald Simpson Bell VC will be remembered at a service in France later this month, 10 years after a memorial was dedicated to him near where he was killed during World War One.
Donald Bell grew up in Harrogate and later in life went on to teach in the town. In November, 1913 Bell signed up to the 9th Battalion Yorkshire regiment, also known as The Green Howards.
On the 5th of July Bell and the other members of his regiment were pinned down by a German machine gun near the town of La Boiselle. Bell singlehandedly captured the machine gun nest and saved the rest of his regiment. The same bravery lead to Bell’s death 5 days later in a similar situation.
He was killed at Contalmaison which became known as Bell’s Redoubt, and in 2000 became the location for a memorial. The organisers and relatives of Donald Bell will return to Bell’s Redoubt in 2 weeks, 10 years after the memorial was erected. They will be joined by Buglers from the Yorkshire Corps of Drums and Reverend Clive Artley, who will lead a wreath laying ceremony.
For more information on Bell visit our website.

Questionnaire Analysis

Using a questionnaire I have researched the aspects of a newspaper that attract my target audience the most.
Out of 32 of the people I asked, 20 of them regularly bought local newspapers, these included The Harrogate Advertiser, Yorkshire post and the York press, some of those who didn’t buy them regularly they commented that a relative sometimes bought them. 24 out of 32 thought that £1 would be the most appropriate price for a local newspaper, 8 people thought that 50p would be appropriate and no one ticked £2. This suggests that people expect local newspapers to have quite a bit of content, which would be worth £1, but not as much as national newspapers which are normally more expensive. The results also show that weekly newspapers are more popular, this means that people like to know about news that has just happened not, something that happened a week ago.

Overall Hard news was the most popular type of article, then Human interest, then Entertainment and then sports. This shows that the balance between hard news and human interest is important as they are the most popular. Entertainment and sports are less popular but it is still important to have them so to keep a broad appeal. Out of the other aspects that attracted people to local papers, a range of articles was most popular, again showing that good composition is important when attracting an audience. The next popular was a clear and organised layout, when creating my newspaper I will make sure the pages a clear and easy to read.

Finally from my results it is shown that most people prefer the traditional layout for a newspaper as it is easy to read, and with multiple articles on the front page, so there is more to read. Those who didn’t like the traditional layout thought that it was boring and would like to see something new.

Article 3

Get your skates on

After success of temporary skate parks in the summer holidays, Harrogate council have been looking for an appropriate site for a permanent placement.
The council is awaiting planning permission for a permanent skate and BMX park, designed by specialists Gravity Engineering, to be built on a prepared site in Valley Gardens. There were previous plans for a possible park here but they were cancelled in 2008 after public opposition.
£14,000 has been put a side for the park which will be erected along side the tennis courts so not to spoil any of the green and open spaces. So far the park is on track for a January opening, but the plans could still be amended after consultation with local skaters.

Audience Feedback:
Catchy headline, this makes it sound interesting.
The article follows the contents pyramid.
The opening is good as it answers who, what, where, when.
The background info is good

Some points that should be improved:
Re-word the first sentence, so it's more like an intro and add a few more words to sentences so they make more sense.

Draft after audience feedback:
After success of temporary skate parks in the summer holidays, Harrogate council are planning on providing a permanent site for Harrogate skaters, Bmxers and rollerbladers.
The council is awaiting planning permission for a permanent skate and BMX park, designed by specialists Gravity Engineering, to be built on a prepared site in Valley Gardens. There were previous plans for a possible park in the Gardens but they were cancelled in 2008 after public opposition.
£14,000 has been put a side for the park which will be erected along side the tennis courts so not to spoil any of the green and open spaces. So far the park is currently on track for a January opening, but the plans could still be amended after consultation with local skaters.

Article 2

Harrogate climbing centre

Since opening at the beginning of the year Harrogate Climbing Centre has enjoyed a wealth of keen climbers joining up to make use of the brand new facilities.
The centre has a range of different sized walls with different difficulty climbs, ranging from the children’s wall to the largest, which is 14metres, for experienced climbers. There is also a bouldering room, full of smaller climbs that don’t require a harness. The centre also has the luxury of an indulge café, where you can buy a drink or a sandwich after a hard days climbing.
The centre provides a range of different activities, including kids clubs (5-17years), corporate events, arrangements for birthday parties and various lessons. Experienced climbers can also get qualifications that allow them to teach climbing. These include the single pitch award, which allows a climber to teach climbing outdoors and the climbing wall award which allows them to teach on manmade structures.
Joel Hart, 18, only started climbing this summer and has already signed up for a 26 week pass says: “Climbing here is really fun, it’s great workout and much more interesting than going to a gym”
Prices for the climbing wall start off at £5 for an under 18 session all the way up to £360 for an annual pass. You can also hire out a range of equipment for a small fee and you can go on the walls unsupervised if you are over 18 and can show you are a competent climber.

Draft 2
Since opening at the beginning of the year Harrogate Climbing Centre has enjoyed a wealth of keen climbers joining up to make use of the brand new facilities.
The centre has a range of different sized walls with multiple difficulties, ranging from the children’s wall to the largest, which is 14metres, for experienced climbers. There is also a bouldering room, full of smaller climbs that don’t require a harness. If you don't think climbing is your thing, or you are waiting for a friend the centre has the luxury of and Indulge cafe, where you can get a sandwich or a drink.
The centre provides a range of different activities, including kids clubs (5-17years), corporate events, arrangements for birthday parties and various lessons. Experienced climbers can also get qualifications that allow them to teach climbing. These include the single pitch award, which allows a climber to teach climbing outdoors and the climbing wall award which allows them to teach on manmade structures.
Joel Hart, 18, only started climbing this summer and has already signed up for a 26 week pass says: “Climbing here is really fun, it’s great workout and much more interesting than going to a gym”
Prices for the climbing wall start off at £5 for an under 18 session all the way up to £360 for an annual pass. You can also hire out a range of equipment for a small fee and you can go on the walls unsupervised if you are over 18 and can show you are a competent climber.

Article 1

NEW BUILDING, NEW BEGININGS
As the sun rises over Harrogate Grammar School, new shadows are cast upon the field. The new sixth form building was swiftly erected over the year, and was finished over the summer holidays, and is now become an integral part of the school.
The school got building permission in 2008 and construction started in late 2009. £2 million was put into the building, which has resulted in eight new rooms, which includes a high tech computer suite and a lecture theatre that seats 300.
The new building has meant the removal of the temporary classrooms that were put up in 2006 and were thought to be an eyesore. The sixth form students are very happy about this, Alex Thompson, year 13 said “The new rooms are much better than the old temporary rooms, they are better equipped and much warmer”. The school hopes that the new building will lead to collaborations with other schools, community wide projects, concerts and academic lectures.
The building work last year disrupted lessons with loud drilling and banging, but the head Richard Sheriff assures that it was all worth it as the space is much needed for the growth in the sixth form population.

NEW BUILDING, NEW BEGININGS
As the sun rises over Harrogate Grammar School, new shadows are cast upon the field. The new sixth form building, which cost £2 million, was swiftly erected over the year, and was finished over the summer holidays, and is now become an integral part of the school.
The school got building permission in 2008 and construction started in late 2009, which has resulted in eight new rooms, which includes a high tech computer suite and a lecture theatre that seats 300.
The new building has meant the removal of the temporary classrooms that were put up in 2006 and were thought to be an eyesore. The sixth form students are very happy about this, Alex Thompson, year 13 said “The new rooms are much better than the old temporary rooms, they are better equipped and much warmer”. The extra space has also meant the hallways are much less crowded in between lessons and during break and lunch.

The new building is just one of many new additions to the school, in the last few years the school has had a completely new library complete with lots of extra space and computers, the boys changing rooms and other sports facilities have been re-furbished, and are currently raising money for Astroturf to replace the now weathered and old shale pitch.

The school hopes that the new building will lead to collaborations with other schools, community wide projects, concerts and academic lectures.
The building work last year disrupted lessons with loud drilling and banging, but the head Richard Sheriff assures that it was all worth it as the space is much needed for the growth in the sixth form population.

After a grand opening last month the new building has already hosted an international fair, which featured stalls selling food from all over the world, a talk by Joanne Harris, the Author of the novel Chocolat, and various music and drama performances in the forum.

The building itself is now finished but some areas around the block are still cordoned off to allow grass to grow back after being turned into a muddy building site.

Mode of Address Analysis

The language used is formal so the articles and paper are taken seriously

Semiotic Analysis

Semiotic analysis of Yorkshire Evening Post front cover
The Yorkshire evening post starts straight away in giving a neutral, conservative representation of the Yorkshire area, by having a blue masthead. This suggests the paper is trying to keep a broad appeal. The rose in the masthead gives a feeling of Yorkshire pride, and the paper is showing off that it’s from Yorkshire.
The website under the masthead shows that the paper is up to date and modern, plus this is a valuable source of further information. The date next to this is very important, the customer needs to know if they are buying the paper for the correct day, this should always be included on the front cover.
The blue banner with the large ‘WIN’ attracts readers to the paper and the competition, the colour and the large bold font really stand out against the rest of the plain newspaper. The red text underneath connotes danger, which is backed up by the “shock”. This attracts people to the story as it stands out on the page.
The headline for the main article is a pun, as the story is about funding cuts on repairing roads, puns in headlines are used to make the story standout. They also give a light hearted edge to a more serious story. The seriousness of the story is shown in the big text size chosen for the headline, this makes it more dramatic. The image of the young girl makes the paper seem family focused and concerned with issues that effect all ages. Finally the advert at the bottom the local advertisement shows that the paper supports regional companies, this could create a broader appeal.
The layout of the front cover is traditional and conventional, there is no colourful headlines written in bubble writing and there are no comedy headlines, this means the paper come across as serious and trustworthy.


Analysis of second page
Both the main articles on the second page have been continued from the front page, this is so people buy the paper and keep on reading from the front page, it also means the longest articles in the paper can be broken up and given more space. This makes them easier to read. The other articles are quite small and don’t take up much space. They also don’t draw focus from the main, and slightly more important articles. The articles are split up with thin lines to make sure there is no confusion between the articles. Finally the images continue the idea of representing a happy, and diverse community.











Semiotic analysis of Harrogate Advertiser front cover
Like the Yorkshire Post, the advertiser is trying to keep a conservative look with a blue masthead. This means the paper can have a broad appeal, and not only appeal to certain people. “voice of the town since 1836” on the mast head shows that the paper is for the people of Harrogate and tries to report on issues that only effect them. This is like the rose on the Yorkshire post, it is trying to make the paper personal to Harrogate citizens. The website URL and the small section explaining the online exclusive content is showing that the paper is up to date and modern, this will help the paper appeal to a larger audience as lots of people have access to the Internet.
The main photo on the front cover goes with a article about the Majestic hotel re opening after a fire, the images shows the smiling staff outside the building. The smiling people makes the newspaper seem more friendly but also represents the paper’s focus on the Harrogate community, and is trying to show them grouping together even after a fire. This and other human interest articles balance more depressing hard news, such as deaths and job losses. For example the the main article on the front page is about a motor bike crash that ended in a death, the headline used the adjective 'grim' to describe the death toll of bikers who've died in crashes, this makes it sound very serious and that the crashes were quite gruesome. The Advertiser is using the idea that bad news is good news to try and sell more papers, as consumers like to read about tragedy just as much as light hearted news. This composition will help sell more copies.
The small section about the newspaper being made from recycled paper is another step the newspaper will have taken to appeal to a wider audience as some people will only buy things that are environmentally friendly, plus this makes Ackrill media group look good in general.
The layout of the front cover is traditional and conventional, there is no colourful headlines written in bubble writing and there are no comedy headlines, this means the paper come across as serious and trustworthy.

Second page
The main value that this page addresses is composition, the types of articles are well balanced between hard news, human interest and entertainment. Different people like to read different types of articles, so it is important to have the mix. The photos are again bright with smiling people, and show the vibrancy of the community, the image of the inside of the hotel also show a hint of the wealth that there is in Harrogate, so represents the town accurately.

Draft of Questionnaire

Questionnaire on local newspapers
Age: 20-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 60+

Gender: Male Female

Do you regularly buy local newspapers? (If so, which ones?)
Yes No
......................................................................................................................................

What do you think is a reasonable price for a local newspaper
50p
£1
£2
Other.............................................................................................................................

Which type of articles do you prefer (Number 1-4, 1 being preferred)
Hard news (serious stories)
Human interest (more light hearted stories)
Entertainment
Sport

How frequent would you want a local newspaper to be released?
Weekly
Fortnightly
Monthly

What features of a newspaper attract you the most? (You can tick more than one)
A good range of articles
Big masthead
Clear and organised layout
Photos
The price
Other ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Would you buy more than one copy of a newspaper if there was an article personal to you?
Yes No

Do you prefer multiple articles on the front page, or only one or two?
Multiple One or two
Why? ............................................................................................................................


Do you like the traditional layout for a newspaper?
Yes No
Why? ............................................................................................................................

Proposal

I will create a local newspaper that focuses on the news and issues in the Harrogate town area with the main aim of keeping the town informed. It will be an ultra local newspaper, so i will not deal with national issues, unless I am reporting on how they have an impact on the local area. Through the newspaper I am to represent the Harrogate area as a busy, vibrant community with lots of events and things going on. I will have a wide range of articles from entertainment to local politics, so the newspaper will appeal to a wide audience, from teenagers to the elderly and people of all economic backgrounds and beliefs. The paper will stay politically neutral so that it will attract a bigger audience. The ideology I will have will be conservative so to keep a broad appeal. Harrogate is seen as an unusually wealthy Yorkshire town with a very white middle class population, so I need to take this into account in the construction of the newspaper. The paper will be written in a formal but friendly style, and the speech used will follow the conventions of other newspapers. Like all the other newspapers in Harrogate my paper will be produced by Ackrill Media Group, this will ensure that it will have a good reputation from the start.