113MCIntroduction to Practical Broadcast Media

Task 1 - Magazine show

research By Emma Bakowicz (Green Group)

The Content

Russell Howard’s Good News is a comedy magazine show that focuses on news stories from around the world.

There are several different items including stand-up style discussion of news topics (both major headlines and more unusual ones), pre-recorded sketches, a mystery guest interview game, an inspirational news story (which is not joked about), and a guest stand-up comedian (on the Extra show).

The show is broken down into topics including;

Animals World politics Kids Big News

Observational It's not all doom and gloom

An example of the Mystery Guest item

Click on the video to play, or click elsewhere to move on.Duration: 03:48

This Morning is a general magazine show that provides factual daytime entertainment. It broadcasts for 9.5 hours each week, so there’s a lot of time to fill. It tackles a mixture of light-hearted and serious topics. It includes many different items such as;

Celebrity Guests Live Performances Competitions

Advice on health, style, beauty and fashion

Cookery demonstrations News headlines and Weather updates

The items included vary day to day, chosen from a pool of regular features.

An example of the cookery item, with Rosemary Shrager

Click on the video to play, or click elsewhere to move on.Duration: 02:46

The Presentation

There are two main presenters each episode; either Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, or Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford. The presenting style is friendly and chatty.

There are also a variety of regular experts and correspondents (such as an Agony Aunt, Doctor, Chef, Hair Stylist, Showbiz reporter and so on).

Russell Howard is the only presenter. He presents, introduces the guest(s), stars in the sketches, and is the participant in the mystery guest game.

There is a different mystery guest on each week (who has normally been in the news and is interviewed by Russell until he guesses their identity), and on the Extra show there is a different up and comingstand-up comedian on each Episode.

The Look

Russell Howard stands in the centre of a fairly plain stage. There’s no furniture or props, just a video wall in the background which changes to display relevant text and images. This huge, bright, changing screen is what provides the visual interest of the set. The mystery guest enters on their own mini-set, which provides clues as to who they are, whilst also giving somewhere for Russell and the guest to sit.

The title sequence and graphics used to separate sections are colourful and playful. They are made up of toys and objects, with bold and bright images and text.

Russell Howard’s Good News opening titles(most of)

Click on the video to play, or click elsewhere to move on. Duration: 00:14

The This Morning set is comfortable and homely, with stylish features such as vases and art. The main part of the set is like a living room, and there are other areas such as a kitchen, TV area, performance stage etc.

The graphics are quite elegant and feminine, consisting of beiges and creams, with text and floral details in shades of pink and blue. The graphics have an artistic scrap- or sketchbook feel.

This Morning’s opening titles

Click on the video to play, or click elsewhere to move on. Duration: 00:21

The Sound

The title music for Russell Howard’s Good News is Fast Fuse by Kasabian. It’s upbeat and fairly up-to-date. The song fits well within the title sequence, but it’s not one of Kasabian’s better known tracks. I think that title/theme music should be something that’s instantly engaging and recognisable and therefore associated with the show. It doesn’t necessarily have to be specifically written, but should have relevant and catchy lyrics and/or tune. For example, Mock The Week doesn’t have tailored music, but uses News Of The World by The Jam, which I think works very well.

Elsewhere, sound doesn’t really play a significant part in the production. There’s obviously speech and a few VT’s, and sometimes music accompanies the guest.Click on the icon to play Fast Fuse, or click elsewhere to

move on. Duration: 04:05

This Morning’s title music is very recognisable. It has been modernised several times since the show started in 1988, but has sustained the same signature tune. It has no lyrics and is very upbeat and cheerful. Using this type of music removes the risk of unintended associations or judgements by members of the audience, extending the appeal to as many people as possible.

Elsewhere in the show, sound is used during the live performances, in the ‘re-cap’ and ‘coming up’ titles, and in VT’s etc.

1988 music 2010 music

Click on the icons to play, or click elsewhere to move on. Duration: 00:30 Duration: 00:21

The Audience

On Russell Howard’s Good News there is a studio audience treated much like that of a stand-up gig. They’re not usually actively involved in the show unless they’re asked a question, or picked on and this doesn’t happen often.

I think that the target audience of this show is quite broad. It seems to be aimed at both males and females, primarily in the 18-35 age bracket. This is because Russell, being in this age group himself, discusses relevant topics and stories of interest to a fairly young, media-orientated culture. A large percentage of the audience will already be fans of Russell Howard’s comedy, so I expect his name would have been the hook for many people. I don’t think things such as race, location, income and social status are relevant attributes of the audience for this show, because the types of guest and topics covered are pretty generic; they’re not of particular interest to a specific group of people.

The audience participation on This Morning comes in the form of phone-in and web competitions and discussions. For example there may be an item about someone suffering from depression, featuring experts such as a Doctor and Agony Aunt. Members of the audience will be able to get in contact to share their own stories, offer support or advice, or ask questions. There are sometimes items that involve members of the audience coming into the studio, for example, for a make-over.

This Morning is obviously mainly aimed at women, due to the style and content of the entire show. The target age is more difficult to define though. The show has recently taken steps to appeal to a younger audience; such as redesigning the titles, having Holly Willoughby as a new presenter andyounger celebrity guests. This seems like a logical move as it could be aimed at stay-at-home mums. However a lot of the items still seem to be very mature.

So, what’s good about them?

I like Russell Howard’s Good News because it provides light-hearted factual entertainment, but in a different format than most other comedy shows. Most others are just stand-up (e.g. Live at the Apollo), just sketches (e.g. That Mitchell and Webb Look) or the very popular format of quiz/panel shows (e.g. 8 Out of 10 Cats). This show is more laid back as there is no competitive element, and no strive for controversy and attention. It’s also more varied than many other comedy shows in the way that it doesn't just consist of constant jokes and doesn’t dwell on much covered topics such as the economy and general election, and it does cover quirky, overlooked and often heart-warming stories, hence the name of the show.

This Morning provides easy watching that’s suitable for everyone. Personally, I don’t find it particularly engaging; it’s not something you watch for big laughs or specifically for serious information. However, this is because it’s so varied, making it fairly entertaining and informative for a wide audience. It’s very inoffensive and friendly, so offers casual viewing for many people. It’s much more varied and informal than shows such as BBC One’s Breakfast, which features “the latest news, sport, business and weather”. Breakfast is far more political and academic feeling; arguably more high-brow. I find that it’s purpose is far less for entertainment, and far more for information. This would appeal to a different section of the population even though it’s the same type of show on at the same time of day.