Hurley launches India's Hello!

Further evidence that celebrity culture is making the world a smaller place was prominently displayed on Delhi newsstands yesterday as the first Indian edition of Hello! magazine was launched with Liz Hurley on the cover.
Featuring the same glossy photographs and gushing prose on Hurley's lavish marriage to Indian businessman Arun Nayar as the current UK edition, its publisher promised a similar mix of celebrities, royalty, sports stars and business leaders.
Most Indians identify celebrity with Bollywood actors, but Hello! said it hoped to change that perception by also focusing on industrialists, socialites and leaders in other diverse fields.
About 80% of the content will focus on Indian celebrities.
The editor of the monthly Indian edition, Ruchika Mehta, said the magazine was "the big daddy of the fine life", promising "the larger-than-life romances, the 'bling' homes, the to-die-for fashion and class, the 'giga-gorgeous' women and men, all packaged into a high gloss monthly".
The Indian market is seen by global magazine publishers as an important target for expansion. An increasing number of familiar titles are already available, including Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Seventeen, Maxim, Time Out and Hello!'s rival OK.
India's large number of English speakers, rising incomes and greater media penetration have attracted companies including Financial Times owner Pearson and Independent News & Media.
But foreign media firms have been slow to make big investments, opting instead for small stakes or licensing deals in a fragmented market dominated by regional language titles and family owned firms that are reluctant to cede editorial control.
Media ownership laws allow foreign ownership of non-news titles, but impose a 26% ceiling on news publications.

My Comments...

Personally i feel that an edition of 'Hello!' magazine will do well in India. Just as any other country the population will adore the opportunity to recieve celebrity gossip in a high spec glossy magazine. Although, considering its more up market appeal it's hard to see whether everyone will understand the concept. Launching the first edition via the use of Liz Hurley and her marraiage to Arun Nayar the editiors have considered a good approach to try and intergrate to cultures.Having originated from the west 'Hello!' in India may be popular throught the aspirational effect it may have on its target market to be more like those in the west.

'YouTube faces $1bn lawsuit for alleged breach of copyright...'

· MTV's owner takes on Google over site's TV clips
· Case is latest move in fight with established media

MTV's owner, Viacom, launched a surprise attack on Google yesterday, filing a $1bn (£520m) lawsuit against the internet giant and its YouTube video-sharing website.In documents filed with a US district court in New York, Viacom - which runs TV channels including MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy - accused the Silicon Valley firm of "massive intentional copyright infringement" on YouTube, which Google bought last year for $1.65bn.
The lawsuit is the latest flare-up in a running battle between the two companies over a host of clips taken from TV which have subsequently appeared on the video sharing site.
Popular programmes such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the anarchic comedy South Park, and children's favourite SpongeBob SquarePants have all been the focus of contention as Google tried to negotiate its way through the choppy legal waters.
But the process of taking down illegal clips has developed into a cat and mouse game, with TV producers attempting to catch copyright infringers as soon as they post a piece of video online. Viacom says that more than 160,000 individual YouTube clips have infringed its rights so far, and is concerned that these have been viewed more than 1.5bn times - depriving the company, it says, of valuable advertising revenue.
The case revolves around copyrighted videos taken from television by users and uploaded to YouTube. Viacom sees Google's procedure for flagging up copyright infringements as inadequate and accuses the Californian firm of dragging its heels to profit from illegal activity.

My Comments...

Personally i think that legally and proffesionally speaking it is wrong for 'YouTube' to feel as if they have the freedom to exibhit anything that they want on on this site. Fair enough it is a popular and easy way for everyone to access the media but perhaps for future reference they should consider gaining permission from certain companies before deciding to put particular videos up as they should consider the fact the this is the way that these companies make their money...it's actually quite selfish of 'YouTube' to not have considered such attributes regarding other companies and their rights.

eSsaY QueStioN..x

‘Using the comparison of these two texts as your starting point, explore the media issues and debates which they raise…’

You will need to address:

• Key concepts
• Contextual factors
• Media theory

‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’, by Gil Scott-Heron is a rap genre music record from 1972. The date of its release highlights the fact that it was one of the earlier records of this genre to be publicised. This track portrays a view of society where ethnic minorities were seen to be under represented within the media, which displays a hegemonic view about society suggested by Karl Marx where media production was predominantly white owned and therefore portrayed accompanying views. ‘The revolution will not be televised’, as the title of this track and considering it’s repetition within the track highlights this fact as a clear message to its intended audience which would presumably, primarily be the African American community of all ages at the time. However, today we would be more likely to link the rap genre with mostly male teenagers from perhaps 15/16 – 24 years of age whom aspire to be or identify with the artists that they listen to. This idea of Personal Identity where the audience may construct their own identity from characters in media texts is suggested by Blumer & Katz ‘Uses & Gratifications Theory’.

The content of this track in comparison with the rap records released today emphasize upon the fact that the issues and topics that were discussed in tracks of this nature at the time are completely different from what we associate rap music with in today’s society. For example, in this track Gil Scott-Heron raises issues about the under or misrepresentations of the black community whereas a typical rap record today would usually be associated with the likes of money, drugs, crime and women for example Jay-Z’s ‘Big Pimpin’, identifying a shift of priorities almost as many would argue that black culture is now more popular but the representations of the black community that we as the audience consume are perhaps inappropriate or wrong.

‘Your Revolution’, by Sarah Jones from 1998 presents exactly this view in the form of a contemporary and post modernist text. She has used the method of intertextuality and pastiche in order to express her views about what has become of the representations and portrayals of the black community in mainstream media. Although her track also discusses a form of ‘revolution’ like Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’, she focuses largely upon ‘the female revolution’. ‘When it finally comes, It’s gonna be real’, depicts the view that the female revolution has not yet happened, creating a sense of female empowerment through this text. This empowerment is also recognised through the explicit sexual references which she makes, ‘Your revolution will not happen between these thighs’, challenging the subordinate stereotypes of women.

Jones’s criticism of other mainstream black artists portrays her anger of what has become of the black community; she takes overt shots at artists such as Foxy Brown, LL Cool J and Biggie Smalls suggesting that they have taken inappropriate advantage of their position in the media. This suggests that such artists have conformed to the roles given to them by society where a black person is narrowed down to being seen as having one of three characteristics: black person as entertainer, trouble maker or dependent as suggested by Stuart Hall.

Both texts convey a form of ‘revolution’ taking place. Where Heron proposes the fact that black people are not given the opportunity to be represented within the media, Jones proposes the view that in fact they are now represented in popular culture but in a negative light.

CuLt oF tHe CeLebRiTy..x

What is a 'sleb'?

A 'sleb' is the term given to a 'c list' celebrity. Such celebrities are those that have become famous from reality tv shows such as 'Big Brother' whom claim a celebrity status from merely sppearing on these shows as opposed to true 'a list' celebrities.

Looking at an edition of a national tabloid, in what ways are celebrity related stories presented in this edition? Account for these representations...

(1) Story: 'Britney Shears' - shocking photos that prove tormented star needs help...
This news story is on the front page of the 'News of the World', where two accompanying photographs are also shown. This article presents Britney to be a self destructed and insecure mother whereby she appears to be irresponsible. They have not taken a very sympathetic approach towards her post natal depression and perhaps the reasons why she may have become this way where she appears to genuinely need help she is portrayed as asking for what she got. This is negetive publicity and tarnished her past success.

nEwS VaLuEs..x

What is 'gate keeping'?

The gatekeepers are predominantly the editors whom are responsible for selecting and ordering news broadcasts or selecting and planning the newspaper layout. This is the process of deciding the stories considered for inclusion in the paper and rejecting others.

What do we mean by 'bias'?

In terms of news values this is the fact that the way every news story/report is presented is influenced by the backgrouds and attitudes of the interviewers, photographers, writers and editors based around it.

Galtung & Ruge...

Frequency : The time span of an event and the extent to which it fits the frequency of the newspaper's or news broadcast's schedule.
'Cut Carbon Emissions By 60% - Londoners given 20 years target to go green'

Thereshold: How big is an event? Is it big enough to make it into the news?

Unambiguity: The message is clear just in the title of the article. although the article is only small the message is still given in brief in the title.

Meaningfulness: How meaningful will the event appear to the receivers of the news? Hartley stresses in this context what he refers to as “cultural proximity”. Events happening in cultures very different from ours will not be seen as being inherently meaningful to audiences here.
'Girl Guides See Future Blighted By Sex Bias And Pressure To Be Thin'

Unexpectedness: This is unexpected because you dont expect a baby especially to die and then come back alive.
'Public View Us As Sex Obsessed, Archbishop tell Anglican Synod'

Consonance: Does this event match the audience’s expectations? Journalists have a pretty good idea of the angle from which they want to report an event, even before they get there.

Continuity : Once an event has been covered, it is convenient to continue to cover it – the running story.

Composition: This is a matter of the balance of the news. It is a master of the editors’ judgement, more than anything else. A different news broadcast will have a different agenda in terms of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ news, for example, usually dependant on the perceived target audience.

Reference to elite nations:This again relates to ‘cultural proximity’. Those nations which are culturally closest to our own will receive most of the courage.

Reference to elite person: The media pay attention to important people. Anyone the media pay attention to must be important (cult of the celebrity).
'Prime Suspects Triupmh at Oscars'

Personalisation: Events being seen as actions of individuals.
'Husband Doctored Virtuoso's work to save her legacy'

Negativity: Bad news is good news in terms of what is reported.
'Serbia Guilty Over Srebrenica Masscare'

NeWs sToRy..x

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,11049-2007050378,00.html

Shilpa: 'It WAS bullying'
BOLLYWOOD beauty Shilpa Shetty today branded Jade Goody “aggressive, mannerless and obnoxious.” But the Celebrity Big Brother winner refused to call Goody and fellow housemates Jo O'Meara and Danielle Lloyd racist, instead blaming a "lack of education" for the bullying she experienced in the house. In her first in-depth TV interview since leaving the show, Shilpa looked shocked when she was confronted with The Sun's allegations that fellow housemates had called her a "Paki". An informant has told police that the word was twice used to describe Shilpa in footage that was never shown on the series. A song was also sung including the lyric: "This house used to be happy, until that f******..." The line is believed to mean the word "Paki". Jade was said to be in the room at the time. "That to me is a lack of education," Shilpa told Sky News presenter Kay Burley. "That says more for them than for me." When pressed by Kay as to whether it was racist, Shilpa added: "It is over and done for me. I truly believe they have had to face so much after they came out they have learnt their lesson." In the interview, Shilpa repeatedly refused to brand the bullying she suffered as racist, saying that the word did not exist in her vocabulary. “I think it stemmed from jealousy and insecurity but it definitely wasn’t contrived racism,” she said. But Shilpa told Kay she would not join Jade for a joint press call in India and would not "hold her hand" in trying to win back public support. However, she added she did "feel sorry" for her. Shilpa said she hoped she had dealt with the bullying with "dignity" and had been amazed at the support she has received from the British public. The actress went out in public for the first time yesterday and said her reception was “very, very warm and welcoming”. “I expected just the Asians to welcome me and be proud of me,” she said. “But the British audience and public showed me so much love.

My Comments...
The incidents that took place in this years Celebrity Big Brother to do with the alleged racist bullying between Jade Goody and other housemates against Shilpa Shetty were a very big deal and contributed to alot of the media in recent weeks and probably won't be forgotten too soon. Being Asian myself, and having watched the show there are times when I felt as if though some comments made by certain individuals were offensive, however I personally feel that this comes down to ignorance more than racism. It's just kind of sad to see how uneduacated and ignorant so many people are 2day...it's kind of shocking. I didn't like Danielle...seriously!

SeLf eVaLuaTiOn..x

Attainment...2
I've understood most if not all of the work we've covered so far...could always work harder though

Effort...1
I think I put alot of effort into Media with everything especially my blogs because I know I do my work properly and try to keep everything up to date and although I've improved since last year i guess theres always room for more

Punctuality...1
I am practically always on time to my lessons and think that I've only been late once or twice

Submission & Quality of Homework...1
I think theres only been like one or mayybe two homeworks that I haven't completed on time so far so I think I deserve a 1 because this is a massive change from last year and I also think that the quality of my work is high especially my blog work which I do take pride in :)

Ability to Work Independently...2
I am able to work independently, however I do prefer working in a group sometimes - but I do get what I need to do done when working by myself

Quality of Writing...2
I think my quality of writing is quite good at the moment as I am able to express my views well and use appropriate media terminology etc however I feel that this can still be improved
Organisation of Media Folder...1
I think my media folder is perfectly organised :)

Oral Contributions in Class...3
Could probably quite drastically improve because I don't tend to contribute unless I'm asked to

Standard of Module 5 Blog...1
My blog is always up to date and consists of high quality and detailed work therefore I feel that I deserve a 1, also I think my blog looks pretty and I am very proud of it :)

Standard of Module 6 Blog...1
Same as Module 5

MoDuLe 1 eXaM pRaCtiCe..x

Text 1 – Film Poster...

• The title of the film is ‘Friday After Next’ – the title graphics have been written in a simple but bold lower case font which, are slanted and take up half of the film poster; this bold fashion illuminates the title of the film and makes the genre of the film clear: ‘comedy’. This is because the lower case lettering helps to suggest the light hearted and comical tone of the film. Also, the ‘I’ in the Friday has been dotted with a Christmas tree decoration – suggesting the film may be set in this festive season.
• The key image on the poster is a photograph of the main characters in the film. They have been chosen in order to show their importance in regard to the film. We can also see Christmas lights and two of the characters are dressed in Santa Claus and Rudolph outfits; highlighting the Christmas theme of the film. The image used is a long shot and is placed in the centre of the poster – enabling us to view the characters clothing and posture; this helps the audience to be able to gain an insight to the roles and functions of the characters.
• The film appears to be based around Christmas. It seems to be portrayed as a comedy film due to the nature of the written graphics and the images on the poster. For example, the style of lettering and the colours used depict a bright and light-hearted tone. The images used are humorous and display this sense of comedy.
• The protagonist of the film is famous rapper ‘Ice Cube’. Although, the poster does not feature the names of any of the stars, there is evidently an image of him on the poster which may be a successful technique in promoting the film as fans of this artist may be one of the potential audiences.
• The most important colours on the poster are green and red. These colours have been specifically chosen in order to promote the Christmas theme of this film as these are the colours that we would most usually associate with Christmas. Also, these colours are bright and bold, suggesting a bright feel about the film - this makes us recognise the fact that this film is of a comedy genre.
• The catch line is ‘xmas in the hood’. This is placed at the bottom of the poster and is written in the same bold font and in lower case lettering. Also, this phrase is written colloquially – it portrays humour and seems comical. Also, this catch line may have been used to attract the films’ target audience. This is an American film distributed by New Line Cinema. As it would have been released in the USA initially, the core target audience of the film would have been Black Americans – most probably of a middle or lower class. This is indicated by ‘in the hood’. This film appears to be more predominantly aimed at a male audience as all the characters on the poster are male apart from one female whom appears to be fetishised due to her sexually provocative clothing and body language. As the film is rated 15, the target audience would be between 15 to 25. I feel that the target audience for this film is also the group that this film is intending to represent.
• The poster has been made attractive to the target audience by the use of characters chosen and displayed on the poster, this is because the target audience would recognise much of the cast and may thus want to watch the film. Also, the catch line would be key in appealing to the target audience as they may feel as if they can relate to it and may find this appealing.
• The credit block doesn’t reveal much information apart from the distributors of the film.
• I feel that the USP of this film is that it is directed at a more niche audience although it has been produce by a major and mainstream distributor. Also, it is a film based around Christmas which may do it many favours, especially since it was due to release just before the Christmas period of time – November 22^nd. This may encourage many to view it as it appears to have a festive feel about it.

Text 2 – Magazine Front Cover...

• The title of the magazine is ‘Cosmo Girl’. This title associates its name with its target audience in a sense as it reflects that this magazine is for ‘girls’. Also, the ‘cosmo’ in the title focuses on astrological features which may be published inside this magazine – this could be its USP.
• ‘Cosmo Girl’ is published by ‘Hearst Corp’. This publisher is also responsible for the publication of ‘Cosmopolitan’ magazine which, is considered as the adult version of Cosmo Girl.
• The target audience for this magazine appears to be teenage girls aged between 14 – 18 and predominantly of white ethnicity with middle/working class parents. This can be identified by the appearance of the model on the front cover, as well as the types of articles mentioned and adverts featured. However, as the magazine is broadcasted nationally this magazine may also appeal to others.
• There is one main image over the entire page; this is of ‘Hilary Duff’ whom is a celebrity. This image is a medium close up shot – this emphasises upon the models facial features as well as providing a little bit of her clothing. She appears to be smiling and is wearing fancy clothing – she is depicted as someone the target audience may aspire to be like.
• The features within the magazine are mentioned on the front cover in order to attract the target audience by making them feel obliged to purchase the magazine as they’ll be interested and will want to continue reading the mentioned articles.
• The type faces used are bold and easy to read but still remain to appear girly. The word ‘girl’ in the title seems as if it has been written with lipstick – this enhances a girly effect and makes the magazine appear appealing to its target audience.
• The cover also looks colour co coordinated and bright. The reds, blacks, whites and golds may reflect the Christmas season as this is a Dec/Jan edition. The general layout is similar to that of other magazines of the same kind – publishers know that this will sell.
• The style of the layout looks appealing to the audience as the finish looks fairly expensive – the cover is glossy. The effect conveyed is of a girly and fun nature.
• From the image of Hilary we gather that the magazine intends to represent youthful and independent young women in the making. This is so as there is solely just one image on the cover which is of her and as we can primarily just see her facial features we know she hasn’t been intended to be fetishised therefore she seems to look good – but for herself.

Text 3 – Newspaper Front Cover...

• The masthead is placed at the top of the page – ‘The Sun’. The colours used in the masthead are red and white; this draws attention to it as this differentiates from other newspapers as they most often have their masthead in black and white. Below this is a large image of Saddam Hussain & Chirac – close ups of their faces have been used as they are the focal points of the story. Below this is the headline and sub heading – this appears to be of a comical tone.
• The typefaces and fonts used are bold and simple, this suggests the less sophisticated aspect of this particular paper.
• The photographs on the page take up almost half of the copy. They are in colour and very good quality – this may depict the emphasise on the two men and makes them and the story seem more important. Also, these images appear to have been cropped out of other pictures.
• Apart from this one main story which takes up most of the copy, there is one small brief in the top right hand corner of the copy; next to the masthead. This story appears to be about a celebrity – Cheryl from ‘Girls Aloud’.
• The headline; ‘Spot the Difference’, is written in a much larger size font than the rest of the copy. It is also written in red – this makes it stand out amongst the rest of the writing on the page – highlighting its importance to the copy.
• As the headline is so short, all of the words are key. This particular headline is important as it comes across as very comical and promotes a rather cynical view of a serious topic. This could be a technique to appeal to its audience and others. Therefore, this particular headline would influence the reader to approach this story in a more humorous way.
• There is not any further writing on the copy than the headline and the sub headline – the reader may therefore feel that the copy does not really live up to the expectations produced by the headline. However, this may be a better technique as there is less to read on the copy – just the key information.
• ‘The Sun’ is a tabloid – right wing – red top paper. Therefore, it is renown for sensationalising stories and featuring more gossip and soft news. This is heavily depicted through the presentation of this particular copy as this serious article has been portrayed in a comical tone in order to sensationalise the story to make it appear more interesting and appealing to the reader.
• Rupert Mordoch is the owner of ‘The Sun’. He owns a great fraction of the media, therefore this particular paper helps to promote hegemony as he intends to make the reader feel what he does.

aUdiEnCe pRoFiLiNg..x

MaiN sTrEaMeRs:
mainly buy well recognised brands and consume mainstream texts...
I would most probably consider myself to be a 'mainstreamer' if I have to catergorise myself even though I think it's hard to just assume your typically just part of one group.
I feel that I'm a mainstreamer in my ways as I consume many mainstream products and texts, for example. I mainly shop for garments in shops such as River Island...I love consuming mainstream branded food such as Pepsi & Nando's and I consume mainstream texts such as 'Friends'

aSpiReRs:
seek to improve themselves...define themselves by high status brand names which they may consume...
I could partly refer to myself as an aspirer as if and when given the opportunity I do consume high status brand names - probably not more so as I can't afford it all the time.

SuCcEeDeRs:
feel secure & like they are in a position of power or control...
I don't think this is me at all as I'm obviously not in a position of power or control - who knows this may change over time.

rEfoRmeRs:
idealists whom consume eco-friendy products - environmentally friendly and generally healthy...
The only things that I perhaps do that would associate me with this group is the occasional shop at 'The Body Shop' and just general recycling.

iNdiVidUaLiSts:
highly media literate...
I don't think this is really me - I know I'm quite media literate but probably not enough...I still consume more mainstream stuff than anything

"Jobs axed with American FHM..."

Around 40 Emap staff will lose their jobs as a result of the closure of the US edition of FHM.

Paul Keenan, the chief executive of Emap Consumer Media, blamed deteriorating US trading conditions for making the title unprofitable, and said there was no prospect of an upturn in its fortunes.
A total of 47 staff will be affected, but a small number will remain to manage the US FHM website, which will continue to operate.
"Trading conditions in the US market have deteriorated over the past 12 months and we do not expect an improvement in the near term. In these circumstances, we do not anticipate that the title would be able to trade on a profitable basis going forward," Mr Keenan said.
"This decision does not affect FHM UK or any of the 30 other editions currently published around the world.

The US title sells around 1.25m copies a month. However, the US mainstream men's market - including Maxim and Stuff - has suffered a steep decline in ad volumes over recent months.
In the 12 months to October 2006, the three men's titles lost 11% of ad volume, the equivalent of 300 pages a month.
The March edition of the US FHM will be its last when it goes on sale in the new year.
FHM's US edition is also the biggest-selling of any of the 30 versions of the title around the world.

The UK version of the magazine remains the market leader in this country, but its circulation of 420,688 in the first half of 2006 was 24.9% down on the second half of last year.

My Comments...

This article talks about 'top' mens' magazine 'FHM' and it's surprising downfall in my opinion. This particular story talks about the fact that 'FHM' has been withdrawn from shelves in the US even though it has 30 other titles all over the world - what could be the problem? This article also reveals that sales have dropped for competing mens' magazines of the same genre such as 'Maxim' and 'Stuff'. I can't think of many reasons why this may be happening in the US currently...perhaps guys have other ways of entertaining themselves such as websites or downloads which are free?
Personally, I'm quite shocked by this article...it's just not something that I would expect I guess - especially since such things usually begin in the US and are then introduced to the rest of the world...