Essay question - 3 media texts ... case study

"Audiences are no longer just consumers of texts, but producers too" - To what extent is this true of the media products in your case study?.

It is a well known fact that media forms can never exist on one platform , it will always exist on broadcast ,print and e-media .This is true for the case study that I have explored , in which I found out that Tom and Jerry ,Blue Peter and Drake and Josh , exist on all 3 platforms .
My case study is primarily focusing on Institutions of  the BBC ,Nickelodeon and Disney how they are regulated .I found out that from first primary text , that Tom and Jerry are broadcasted on the Disney channel ,have their own website, a Facebook fan page and  have their own DVD series out for people to buy . For my second text , Blue peter , they also have their own programme broadcast on BBC 1 , have their own website and you can even buy merchandise like their calendar (although online ) . For my third text Drake and Josh , I found out that they have their own website (nick website !) , broadcasted through Nickelodeon and have their own merchandise such as badges and t-shirts.

My first mini question for this essay is ... how much of a role do audiences have in contributing to media texts?

Well first of all the reference to Tom and Jerry , the audience is mainly targeted at children from social grading E , as it is a cartoon , however some elements such as the blackface gangs can be targeted at an older if not adult generation .Recently a person had complained about the use of blackface in an episode , therefore their comments were taken very seriously and now all produced cartoons can no longer have anything relating to blackface, have cigarettes as this somehow encouraged younger kids to think that it was acceptable to smoke .Secondly they have their own facebook fan page , which allows anyone to like or dislike an aspect, therefore other users can see the comments , maybe the producers look at those comments and inform Walt Disney of ways to improve their current production . The second text that I looked at was Blue Peter , and for them in particular they have competitions such as the recent one to design an emblem for the her majesty the Queens 60^th year on the throne , and the winner will have that emblem produced . This is a way that children aged 6-12 from social grading E can take an active part in designing things that can easily be shown of on T.V .Another way that the BBC have managed to create audience interaction is through their CBBC website , there users can chat about the recent developments in the programme , and sometimes ask questions and have them answered by the  shows producers if they seem relevant enough . The third text is Drake and Josh , whose show has ended however sometimes Nickelodeon decide to put on special shows such as the x-mas for 2008 . The main actor himself is also a television producer and director , another way that the stars themselves land their own jobs within the filming industry .They do have their own website that includes regular updates and children can look at past episodes and chat about them .

My second question is to what extent do the websites fro my three texts appear accessible ?

The first website that I investigated is Blue Peter . The first thing that manages to strike out , is the typeface of the whole website , it looks user friendly and can easily be seen when you first see the website . It includes a lot of colour and animation which is what seems to be dragging the attention of the target market 6-12 year olds .Secondly the fonts used are quite rounded and look like bubble writing .The website is easy to navigate through , as a click of a button can transport you into games for example .The games listed such as keepy uppy appeal to those who are sports fans , especially to boys whom love the age old game of football . The competitions that the BBC hosts seem to be appropriate for their audience as well , such as the design of an emblem . This makes children want to get involved within the show to prove their worth .They can also create their own user name and password without having to supply personal details , this shows the extent to which the BBC take privacy of young children seriously. The virtual port is where the children can easily talk about the show and ask any questions that they may have .The second website is Drake and Josh , which can be accessed by clicking at the bottom of the scroll bar that goes across . Although the show no longer is broadcasted , there are still some episodes that can be seen online , or at special times of the year for example Christmas .The website seems to appeal more towards young girls that boys , however the protagonists are males therefore it could appeal to young boys as well .The colour of the website is yellow and orange which may not appeal to everyone’s tastes . Nickelodeon do have competitions that are regular , one which included meeting the cast of the programme itself . The third typeface seems to be facebook for tom and jerry and this seems to be the best way of interacting , alothough they do have their own website as well . The website seems to appeal to a large target market from all socio economic backgrounds . They seem to cater for everyone , by having past episodes , links to other websites etc.However they do not have a user name and log in which the other two websites do , which may seem to be a disadvantage . However there are extra things such as direct shopping online which the other two websites lack , this may be becasue of the ages targetted towards are not normally aloud to buy items online .