SL Õhtulehe esikaane sõnumite seos üksikmüügi tulemusega
Date
2009
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
Description
The main conclusion of this bachelor’s thesis is that the front page topic of a tabloid
newspaper undeniably affects its circulation.
Methodologically the paper is based on both empirical and theoretical materials. First an
overview is given of the market situation prior to the merger of the tabloid newspapers. Then
the merger process and subsequent developments are described. The size of the readership of
SLÕhtuleht is examined. Thereafter a summary of theoretical approaches follows.
Interviews were conducted with employees involved in the production process of the
newspaper, and the opinion of a design expert was included. Some British, Swedish and
Norwegian tabloid newspapers were involved via questionnaires in order to study their
experience relating to the composition of a front page.
Based on the interviews, the process by which front page topic of SLÕhtuleht is developed, as
well as the relationship between the front page topic and the headline, are examined. The
factors behind circulation are determined and the process of forecasting the circulation of a
newspaper is described. Also the reasons for a decrease in circulation are given.
Front page headlines potentially beneficial or harmful to retail sales were proposed in the
interviews. By juxtaposing the actual sales results with the topics proposed in the interviews,
differences between various front page stories and their relationships with the retail sales
became obvious. Reasons appeared why some front pages produce a better, some a worse
outcome.
In the course of an interview, the chief editor of SLÕhtuleht compared the front page of the
newspaper with a packet of corn flakes, which should tempt the reader to open it.
Theoreticians also asserted that this tabloid openly and boldly writes about things that interest
the readership, regardless of their topicality in society as a whole. The words of the chief
editor were confirmed by applying the theory to the front covers analysed and interviews conducted. More emotional and logical front pages resulted in better sales. They attracted the
attention of a larger audience and created a personal connection. In addition to this, the betterselling
front pages had distinctly clearer and better-defined sentence construction.
According to the respondents, SLÕhtuleht, through the Nordic tabloids, resembles British
tabloid newspapers. The radically dissimilar sizes of the audiences, however, create some
significant differences; the possibilities of an Estonian tabloid newspaper are more limited by
the size of the audience. According to Tiit Hennoste, the small size of Estonia does not enable
tabloid topics to be properly looked into, as in a small society people are connected to one
another.
However, the size of the readership of SLÕhtuleht demonstrates the need for such a tabloid
newspaper and its strong position in the Estonian journalistic landscape and society.
Keywords
H Social Sciences (General), bakalaureusetööd, ajakirjandus, trükiajakirjandus, ajaleht, meediakasutus, auditoorium (meedia), uudised, meediamajandus, meediatööstus, SL Õhtuleht (ajaleht)