Third Textual Analysis - Top Of The Pops

Front Cover

Unlike all of the previous reviewed magazines, Top Of The Pops is monthly published unlike the conventional weekly publishing. The magazine enlists the usual pop requirements such as music charts, star gossip beauty advice and so on. It’s defiantly more diverse to the previous magazines as it upholds much more of a childish tone through both of it’s text and images.

Language

Immediately from the cover do I feel overwhelmed from the luminous pink colours and variations of images. It’s basically full to the brim with information and images which instantly makes the audiences mind feel too plagued – not good. The pink tones that are on the front cover have multiple connotations and the majority of which are girly and childish therefore infering how this magazine is targeted towards a younger generation of teenagers and most of which girls.

As the majority of stories on the cover all have equally sized images and text, it’s hard to see whether or not there is actually a main one. On this occasion I would have to say that ‘Justin Bieber’ it the main headline due to his image being slightly larger then the rest and with his text only being highlighted within a large circle.

Over time, as different editions of the magazine are released, the masthead at the top of the page varies in colour depending on the house style/theme colours. As this edition is mainly pink, you can see how the colours of logo have varied to white and pink. This makes it feel much more incorporated with the magazine and adapts with the colour tones. A bright green logo wouldn’t necessarily go with the pink tones of the background. This shows how the magazine adapts over time to create a variation so that the readers feel as if it’s fresh and different each time it is released.

Unfortunately, there is no font that features within the house style as there is such a variety. It’s made the front cover feel to complicated and hectic. It should of just been kept to a very minimal with a maximum of 2 or 3 varied font styles and colours

Beneath the Top Of The Pops logo is the magazine's slogan, however due to it being behind the artists head, it’s not readable. As the magazine has become so popular over time, they have been able to incorporate the logo and slogan of the magazine behind the artist. This is becoming a large convention with many magazines as they’re feeling the need to do this. I feel that once this has been done on a magazine cover then you know that you’re the magazine has made it! However, as I’ve never personally read the magazine myself, I’m unable to know what the slogan is, therefore meaning that I’m already missing out on sections of the magazine. If a new comer was to come to the magazine they would be absolutely clueless and would most probably dismiss the thought of even purchasing the it.

Due to this previous statement, I get the impression that the magazine isn’t necessarily for new comers, yet only really available to the current audience that it has. This is quite a bad aspect of the magazine as it will not able it to really lengthen it’s appeal basis, therefore bringing in a larger audience and a larger income. I think that this is most probably why the magazine is only released on a monthly basis.

Often enough, images besides the main image feature on the front cover as it keeps everything very sleek and simple. This magazine is a clear example of why this is a convention as it feel to overwhelming, cramped and messy. TOTP goes against the conventions of not having images on the front cover. However as this magazine is focused to children, you know that they’re not looking for perfection.

I feel as if TOTP is extremely similar to the style and nature of Cosmo Girl however it’s been weakened down for a younger audience. Both magazines feature stories about Pop music as well as gossip stories and fashion tips.

At the bottom of the magazine is of course the barcode and price both of which are two large conventions of music magazine covers. As they’re both presented in a solid white box, they don’t feel part of the magazine and just look odd. However as they don’t feel part of the magazine, then they stand out making sure you check the price out before you look at anything else.

Cover stories at the sides of the magazine such as “smuggle up to One Direction” are chatty and eye catching which encourages the viewer even more to purchase the magazine. I wouldn’t necessarily say that they where at all informative as each cover line is too summarised to learn much information.

Insitution

Top Of The Pops magazine is independently produced and released by the BBC which therefore means it has nothing to do with Bauer Media and so on. I feel like this is a bad aspect to the magazine as it won’t get the same amount of publicity and advertisement that Bauer Media can offer. This would therefore mean not as many sales due to the lack of audiences having no knowledge that the magazine even exists. I would personally say that the magazine is on a ‘low-down’ compared the NME or Billboard.

Ideology

Even if they wanted to, BBC would never be able to cause any controversy within there magazines as they have a lot of assets and good representations to maintain through-out the rest of their business.  Due to this all of the content that is produced within the magazine is appropriate and utterly truthful. Besides as the target audience for the mag’ is so young, they need to produce content that won’t corrupt or cause bad behaviour for children of out generation. As soon as they do, all the parents of the children would soon bring the magazine down and give the whole establishment a bad name.

Audience

Stories that are featured on the cover aren’t at all scandalous giving off a really positive impression. The magazine only appear to be saying what is really there and going on in society, as too expanding what maybe or isn’t even there which often causes trouble and sadness. The image isn’t at all sexual which even furthers the respect for the magazine, especially on this issue. Stories, images and all other content need to be completely appropriate for the young audience otherwise there will be large amounts of complaints which would eventually destroy the magazine.

Represenation

Stories that are featured on the cover aren’t at all scandalous giving off a really positive impression. The magazine only appear to be saying what is really there and going on in society, as too expanding what maybe or isn’t even there which often causes trouble and sadness. The image isn’t at all sexual which even furthers the respect for the magazine, especially on this issue. Stories, images and all other content need to be completely appropriate for the young audience otherwise there will be large amounts of complaints which would eventually destroy the magazine.

Every time the magazine is released, it costs no more then £2.20 which is considered a little steep for younger teenagers. However as it is only released on a monthly basis I find It hard for a youth to cover the cost of saving almost 50p per week.

Contents (None)

For some strange reason Top Of The Pops never have nor never will have a contents page featured in their magazine. After trying to discover why by doing some researching, I’ve still not come across any reason as to why they don’t My only suspicion would be that children are more likely eager enough to get straight into their reading as to waiting around looking at contents pages. I know for a fact that when I was younger I often used to just skip the contents pages of magazines; I still even do now for the average gossip magazine.

Double Page Spread

Language

As both the double page spread and front cover feature the same colours and a few of the same fonts this therefore goes to show that a house style/theme has been used. I personally don’t believe that such a young generation would be satisfied from this however the magazine creators clearly did. The house style makes both the front cover and double page spread feel linked and almost co-ordinated with each other.

Rather then using two similar image for the front cover and the double page spread, the creator appears to have used two different images from different times of his career; both of which reflect how old he looks. In the pink boxes, the textual information is expressed in a very childish and chatty manner inferring how it’s trying to match the suitability of it’s audience.  Rather the using sophisticated language and so on, everything has been kept to a low basis to really achieve what the target audience is requiring.

The double page spread has gone against the usual conventions of having the visual imagery on the right hand side of the page with the text of the left hand side. As young teenagers don’t necessarily know the conventions and don’t therefore automatically look at the conventional layout then the magazine pretty much gets away with it. Rather then using the conventions, the layout is more images focused within the middle and text circulating this.

At the top of the page, the title is reflected within the same colour scheme and font as the front cover. This is often conventional within pop magazines however on some occasions it isn’t. I feel as if the magazine is more organised and not as hectic when features that are on the front cover stay constant into the contents and double page spread.

One convention that the magazine has stuck to has been the byline that is focused as the bottom left hand side of the page in pink. The colour and text has also part in the house style having been printed in pink.

As the whole layout is completely different to what we normally see and have seen in the previous magazines, there isn’t much to analytically pick out.

Insitution
Ideology
Audience
Represenation