‘Radio Times’ – Research and Planning

For our ancillary task we were asked to produce a double page spread article to be featured within a magazine of our choice. ‘Radio Times’ seemed to fit the criteria for the choice as it’s a weekly TV and Radio listings magazine, founded by the BBC who eventually merged into IMC (Immediate Media Company). Background: ‘Radio Times’ is a highly rated magazine with a broad audience which means it would be the best place to advertise our documentary due to the mass amount of people who would be able to view the article. As the magazine is solely focused on TV and Radio listings it would be the perfect place for our topic to be featured. The topic of our Documentary is on CCTV and would therefore benefit everyone in the UK and possibly worldwide due to the fact ‘everyone is being watched’. Furthermore, ‘RadioTimes’ also recommends programmes on their website to watch which would coincide with the aspect of advancing our advertisements. Price: To purchase a copy of the ‘RadioTimes’ would set you back £1.60 which in comparison to magazines such as ‘TV Choice’ where you pay 45p for a magazine that solely gives you information on Soaps and Drama’s, Radio Times on the other hand gives you information about Documentaries, TV programmes, Radio Shows and even has a Sports section. This means that by advertising our Documentary we could be only appealing to the social class that can afford £1.60, however they have a website which allows you to view their articles online, so we can appeal to a wider audience. Readability: The magazine appeals to readers of most ages, from exciting imagery to detailed text about programmes. As our article is about a debateable and often controversial topic which could get many people such as young adults, adults and seniors putting forward their own opinion. As ‘Radio Times’ has a very endearing nature, it would allow most people to read and enjoy

the style of the article, we included pictures in our article which fits with the theme of the magazine.