Channel 4 News Analysis

Basic details

1.  Channel 4 News is on every day Mon
2. day-Friday 7:00 to 7:30pm.
3.  The first programme broadcast was on the 2nd November 1982
4.  Awards won: International Emmy Award for News - 2014,2013,2004. British Academy Television Award for Best News Coverage - 2012, 2004, 1996. British Academy Television for Best News Coverage
5.  The media institution that produces Channel 4 News is ITN.

Presenters

1. The main 4 presenters in Channel 4 news are Jon Snow, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Cathy Newman and Matt Frei.
2. What are the presenters wearing? What does this communicate to the audience? The presenters are all wearing formal suits which communicate to the audience that this is a professional news programme.
3. A TV News programme might use a variety of presenters to prevent it from looking discriminatory, race-wise, age-wise, sex-wise, etc. They may also do this to keep it interesting for the reader.
4. How are other reporters or presenters used in the TV News programme? The other reporters and presenters used in the TV News programme to help and give responses.
5. There are 20 male presenters and 8 females, and more people of the white ethnicity than any other.

Opening sequence

Analyse the opening 2 minutes of the programme.

1. What is the very first shot? The very first shot is of the camera zooming into the 4 (Channel 4 logo.".
2. The opening sequence shows the Channel 4 news logo being zoomed in by the camera, it then shows 3 different pictures of headlines about the 2015 Election as the music runs in the back, the shots change as every beat comes in the background music.
3. The shots change with the beat of the background news music, there are three different shots.
4. 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 are told what will come on later, 4 different news reports are shows with the opening sequence in the first 2 minutes.

Studio mise-en-scene

1. The audience are able to see the desks and computers.
2. The news presenter are all standing for the whole time presenting.
3. The technology is visible, the screen in the background catches the audience's attention because it's the only thing moving, the news reporter is too, but not enough to keep the audience's attention. The technology in the background makes it look modern rather than old-fashioned.
4. The studio uses different shades of purple and grey, these two colours connote wealth and professionalism which make the news programme look better.

How news stories are presented

1. The news reporter addresses the news report in a formal manner, staring into the camera as it zooms in, slowly.
2. The camera zooms in, slowly from different angles to stop the viewer from getting bored.
3.  Channel 4 News usually covers is International, UK, Science, Business, etc.
4. Give two real examples of how news stories presented to keep the interest of the audience. There is a digital screen in the background which could attract the viewers' attention

Running order
Watch the first 15 minutes of the programme – as recent as you can find.

1. What is the top story? Nepal earthquake kills more than 4,000.
2. How long does the top story last for? The top story lasts for 10 minutes. 
3. After the 
4. How long is each story shown for?
5. Why do you think each story was shown for the time it was?

Audience

1. What is the target audience for this TV News programme? Research online – you should be able to find plenty of suggestions to the target audience if not the official target audience of the programme.
2. Why might someone choose to watch this TV News programme over others?
3. Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or comment?
4. What audience pleasures (Uses and Gratifications theory – Blumler and Katz) does the programme offer?

Institution

1. Who owns, runs or produces this TV News programme?
2. Does the institution own, run or produce any other TV News programmes, channels or newspapers?
3. How does the programme fit the TV channel it is on?
4. What role does OFCOM have in making sure TV News is fair and accurate?

TV News and New/Digital Media

1. Does the TV News programme have a dedicated website?
2. What does the website offer viewers?
3. Does the TV News programme have a Twitter feed?
4. How does the Twitter feed promote the programme?
5. Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or submit news stories?