TV Production Term _____ Class Period _____ Date _____ Name______

Magazine Content Analysis Assignment (20 points) This assignment is due by: ______

In this assignment, you are asked to describe the relationship between the editorial content and advertising content of a media product. Try to select a magazine whose audience (or target audience) is comprised primarily of a gender/age/race/culture different from your own.You will share a magazine with a partner, but you must each turn in your own answers.

1. Write the name of the magazine you selected? ______

2. List the date of the issue of the magazine you selected: ______

3. Who is the owner/corporate parent of the magazine under study (e.g. Condé Nast)? This information should be listed in the masthead. You might also look online to determine the range of publications this organization produces. ______

4. Determine the content. A content analysis is an exercise in classification and counting. To conduct a content analysis of a magazine, take the following steps:

  1. Count the number of full-page ads. Give the total. ______
  2. Count the number of major/full-page articles. Give the total. ______

5. Create and name a set of categories (keep it to a reasonable number, 5-10) that cover the full range of ads and articles in the magazine. After you have decided on your categories, assign each advertisement and article to one of your categories. (Examples of categories are food, perfume, automobiles, medication, clothing, etc.)

Name: / 1. / 2. / 3. / 4. / 5.
Total:
Name: / 6. / 7. / 8. / 9. / 10.
Total:

6. Based on your observations, who is the target audience for this magazine? ______

7. Summarize and analyze your findings. Can you find any evidence that the advertisers have influenced the content of the publication? Based on your findings, evaluate the usefulness of the editorial content for readers, and the influence that advertisers have in shaping editorial content.Your summary should be presented in a clear statement such as “Based on my analysis, I believe that the editors have shaped this magazine’s content primarily to serve ______(the needs of the advertisers or readers) because my data shows ______.”

8. Please attach a full-page advertisement from your magazine. You must also include a one-page analysis of this advertisement. (For the analysis, describe the advertisement in detail and answer these kinds of questions: What is the ad for? Where in the magazine did you find it? At whom is it directed? Is it effective? Finally, compare your description with your answers and explain how you feel about the advertisement.)

Ideas from: