MATT HINDHAUGH

FACTUAL TELEVISION PROGRAMMING

Factual programming is a non fiction type of programming which can document real life events, highlight current aff airs and discuss actual people.

Factual programming splits into several diff erent sub-genres. These include:

-News -Reality TV -Chat Shows -Documentaries

DEFINING FACTUAL PROGRAMMING

The news documents recent stories to the viewing public. It covers recent reports and events.

The fi rst news show was broadcast on BBC in 1954. News shows that followed included ITV news, Channel 4 news, and Sky News channel.

News programmes will tend to have a set schedule where they will report the current events to the viewing audience. Only when there is breaking news will regular programming be interrupted to report the story.

The programme involves reports from several presenters which can be either live or recorded, reporting further on a certain story.

The show will also involve a news presenter, giving a brief outline to the stories that will be later expanded on by a presenter.

There are diff erent types of news stories. These include: -Hard News -Soft News -Breaking News -Developing News -Cont inuing News

NEWS

Multiple presenters- usually a man and woman. The man will be older, while the woman will tend to be a younger woman seen as eye candy.

Outside Broadcaster- people in diff erent locations, usually positioned where the story they are covering took place.

Interviews- people being interviewed who have a knowledge of a news story being covered by an outside broadcaster. The outside broadcaster will usually be the interviewer.

Headlines- covered at the beginning of the show, covering what will be shown on the news programme ahead.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF NEWS

The factual news programme which I will be studying is the 60 second news, which is broadcast on BBC 3.

It is shown several times throughout the night on BBC 3 in between programming, and covers the big stories of the day. Within the diff erent programming's, it covers showbiz news, sport news, environmental news and world news.

The show is always presented by young women, who look to be in their mid 20’s.

The target audience on BBC3 is teenagers and young adults, so the show is quick and to the point to keep the target audience interested in the channel.

The show was launched on the 16 t h July 2001. It covers diff erent aspects of news: world news, showbiz

news, sports news and the main news headlines of the day. These diff erent aspects are covered in diff erent shows which are all broadcast at diff erent times every night.

BBC3 60 SECOND NEWS

The codes and convention of 60 second news are almost the opposite to a traditional news programme.

Instead of having multiple presenters, there is a lone presenter, always being an attractive female, probably to attract the younger male audience who would normally not watch the news.

There are never outside broadcasters. Everything is covered by one person, and it is very to the point, unlike where outside broadcasters will go into great detail.

There are rarely interviews. For example, if there was a story involving a celebrity, they may have a quick snippet of that celebrity saying something on subject. There are never in depth interviews.

The headlines are in a smaller font and slide from right to left at the bottom of the screen throughout the duration of the show, instead of being announced at the beginning.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF 60 SECOND NEWS

The reason 60 second news may go against these common codes and conventions is because of their target audience. They aim at teenagers who may not particularly enjoy watching the news, so have come up with a way to get the news across to younger people without losing this audiences’ interest.

A documentary is a short fi lm that intends to document real life events. It consists of non-fictional stories, and intends to cover a recent or historical topic. The term came about when Scottish director John Grierson completed a research project into the psychology of propaganda in 1926.

There are 6 diff erent modes of documentary: -Poetic -Expository or ‘direct address’ -Observational (Fly on the wall) -Participatory -Refl exive -Performative These 6 modes were defi ned by Bill Nichols in 2001.

DOCUMENTARY

It is non-fi ction. Documentaries will have a narrative voiceover, talking to

the audience about the subject matter. Interviews with witnesses and experts.Filmed on location, not in a studio or on a set. A documentary has diff erent purposes. It entertains,

educates, shocks and informs. A documentary will follow a linear structure, unless there

is more than one subject being discussed in the programme.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF A DOCUMENTARY

Panorama is a documentary programme which has been running since 1953. It is the longest running factual television programme in the world.

The show investigates recent breaking news, helping to give a better understanding of the news to the viewing public.

The show will sometimes discuss multiple stories on one show, but depending on how breaking the news is, only one subject will be discussed.

In order to keep its ratings up, Panorama always aims to be entertaining while sticking to it’s journalism ways.

The show has always been on BBC, and since 1997, has got a regular slot on Monday Night at prime time (between 8pm and 9pm). Each show will run for 30-60 minutes.

The show has been presented by many famous BBC presenters in the past.

PANORAMA

Panorama is a show that follows most of the codes and conventions expected from a documentary.

It is non fi ction, as it is meant to be as a documentary. Everything is fi lmed on location. There are no scenes fi lmed in a

studio or on a set. While it attempts to entertain while educate, some may argue

against it being entertaining, but it is al l based on a matter of opinion.

It fol lows a l inear pattern, discussing a stories events in a clear order.

Interviews with experts and witnesses are a key part to the show, as it l ikes to put out people’s opinions on a certain news story. For example, if one person had encountered a problem with a certain news story, the public wil l want to know the story from the witness to know what happened exactly and how they can avoid it happening to them.

The show frequently goes undercover to make sure that the viewers see a completely honest side of things.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF PANORAMA

As it is shown on BBC around half 8 on a Monday, their target audience will be anyone from young teenagers up to the elderly, so with such a wide audience to aim at, the show obviously tries to remain interesting by covering the most up to date news in a way that will entertain the nation.

The show still remains one of the most popular factual programmes on TV, even after almost 60 years.

A chat show is a programme in which people discuss a topic, usually with a presenter and people interviewed by the presenter.

Chat shows can either involve well known people, such as on shows like The Jonathan Ross Show, or can just involve regular people, on shows such as The Jeremy Kyle Show.

In 1971, the fi rst ever broadcast chat show on TV was Parkinson, which further ran on for another 36 years.

Nowadays, there are chat shows on most major channels, and they have become one of TV’s most common types of programming.

CHAT SHOW

A presenter who will ask the questions and push for an answer out of the interviewees.

A single interviewee or a group.Filmed in a studio with an audience.More than one interview per show.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF CHAT SHOW

The Jeremy Kyle Show has been broadcast on ITV since 2005, and is an award winning talk show. The show is centred around confrontations between real life people, hoping to sort out their issues on the show.

The show is broadcast Mondays-Fridays on ITV1, and later broadcast on ITV2. Each show is just over an hour long.

The show is heavily criticised, but has been and remains one of the most known and popular

shows on TV. With over 1000 episodes made, it is one of the most broadcast chat shows on British TV. The show has now even got a US version.

THE JEREMY KYLE SHOW

The show does not break away from the normal codes and conventions expected from a chat show. It has all the aspects which are needed, which obviously include the presenter, interviewees, a live audience, and more than one interview per show. Usually on this particular show, 3 diff erent stories are covered over the running of the broadcast.

As the show is set around confrontation, this does make it diff erent to most other chat shows on British TV, as it is much more heated. Also, Jeremy Kyle himself is very in people’s faces on the show, getting very much involved with all the drama, whereas most presenters will stick to listening and asking the questions. For example, in shows like this is the USA, such as Jerry Springer or Maury, they stand back and let people get on with their confrontations, whereas Jeremy Kyle likes to go a step further to help solve the issues himself.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF THE JEREMY KYLE SHOW

As a talk show, people argue it is too heated, hence criticisms of the show, but being so diff erent is what makes the show stand out. The show’s target audience can vary. It is broadcast at 10am on ITV1 on weekdays, so aims at watchers of daytime TV, but the show also tries to target people 16-24, as it’s heated nature will be something a good number of that age group will enjoy to watch. Being broadcast on ITV, a lot of the shows tend to be quite unique, so people would expect something diff erent from this show.

The show, despite being so criticised, is still successful, with constant new episodes and new dramas to show to the British public.

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