Background and Ownership
Top of the Pops magazine is a glossy magazine that is published monthly by the BBC Worldwide. It was launched in February 1995 whilst the popular TV show was launched. When it was first produced, it was described as a 'missing link between Smash Hits and NME magazine'. However, the TV show is in cancellation but the magazine is still being produced even though it has less music content inside it than it has when it was first launched. The magazine is part funded by the licence fee revenue and part f the profits are returned to the BBC for the benefit of the license fee payer. There are also free gifts and posters with every issue.
Content and approach to music
Top of the Pops is published monthly is appealing to female teenagers. The layout of the magazine resembles other magazines that are aimed at the same target audience such as 'Smash hits'. The magazine is an 'offshoot' of the once popular television show version of 'Top if the Pops'. The main musical emphasis is on chart pop music with well known and popular acts such as McFly, Girls Aloud and Rihanna. As well as this, the magazine also focuses on movies and television shows that are aimed at the same audience as read the magazine; for example, 'High School Musical'. These shows and music types appeal to the teenage demographic. The magazine tends to focus on discussing the private and love life of these celebrities. Therefore, the 'Top of the Pops' magazine has a bigger approach to the celebrities themselves and does not really mention how they are known; for music or television shows; unless on reviews and lyric pages. The emphasis is off the music stars as recording artists and tends to focus on them beyond this with their love lives; however, there are some features that do focus on bands and television stars on what their celebrity profession is. In this particular issue, there is an interview with the 'Jonas Brothers' but he questions are focused on their personal and love lives. The interview does not talk or focus on their careers in the music industry. The main feature that is shown on the cover of this issue is called 'The boy issue'; it writes about 'blush free advice', 'kiss confessions' and 'hot pics'. Therefore, this does not focus on the music and television careers of the popular stars shown; Joe Jonas and Zac Efron.
The main features advertised and expected within the magazine are beauty, fashion and celebrity boy based. As well as this there are real life stories that tend to be shown as sitting 'shallow mock scandals facing celebrities'.
Editorial Content: 'opinion leaders' and reader interaction
'Top of the Pops' magazine offers information on celebrity lifestyles as well as knowledge on the genre of popular chart music aimed at the target audience. By doing this, the magazine dictates the taste and needs of the target readers. Many artists are out as cover stars as they are popular amongst the age group and are also recognisable. This attracts more people to the magazine if they see someone they like or someone they recognise on the front cover.
Throughout TOTP magazine, there are opportunities for the reader to interact with the publication through letter pages that offer prizes for the 'star letter'. These letter pages give the reader a chance to write in about their favourite celebrities and send in photos of the reader with a celebrity they have met. This is different to the opportunities in magazines such as Kerrang! and NME that offer chances to give feedback and opinions on new music releases and events on pages such as 'feedback' and 'rant of the week'.
Promoting the industry and other products
Top of the Pops magazine uses cross-media with the BBC and radio 1. The radio show offers the pop acts shown in the magazine a similar demographic. The magazine also often tends to recommend BBC television shows such as 'Doctor Who'. They do this with features about the programme and interviews with the cast and sometimes give away free gifts that relate to this.
Competitions within the magazine also show cross media references of pries of HMV vouchers, mobile phones (videophone, Motorola) and Nintendo and PlayStation game players. Other big prizes include tickets to cinemas for free screenings and tickets to premieres of new release films. In this way, this also promote the films, for example 'pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Just my luck'. Just my luck, was a popular film and starred popular music acts, McFly, which made it easy to cross-promote media techniques within the magazine.
The use of free gifts with TOTP magazine allows the female teenagers to feel that they are getting as much as possible for their money; for many, their hard earned pocket money. A main 'freebie' with the magazine is free posters of popular celebrities as well as stationary sets and charm bracelets.
Advertisements are also included within TOTP magazine and many are based with an emphasis on female beauty and hygiene. As well as this, there are also adverts placed in the magazine for child line and the NSPCC, this reminds the audience and reader that the publication can show and provide a service beyond celebrity narrative and lifestyle stories.
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