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:
a.
Count the number of full-page ads. Give the total. ____________________________________
b.
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: http://forbin.qc.edu/mediastudies/mediasite/assign.htm