The Magazine Industry Blog

Unit Overview - the essential info

OCR AS Media Exam G322: Key Media Concepts, Section B: Institutions and Audiences

Unit topic: A Media Industry
Our chosen industry: the Magazine Industry

Exam date:  ??? May 2015
Time: 2 hours
Essay 1: TV Drama (30 mins viewing + 45 mins writing) = 50 marks
Essay 2: Media Industry (45 mins) = 50 marks


Assessment Objectives:
AO1 – Explanation and analysis + terminology (30 marks)
AO2 – Use of examples (20 makes)


Case Study: Magazine Industry
Through specific case studies of successful magazines within the British magazine market, you should demonstrate understanding of institutional processes of production, distribution, marketing and exchange/exhibition at a local, national or international level as well as British audiences’ reception and consumption. This should be accompanied by study of the use of online magazine editions and the issues that they raise for the production, marketing and consumption of a magazine brand. There should also be some emphasis on your own experiences of being audiences for magazines.

You should be prepared to understand and discuss:
1. The process of production, distribution, marketing and exchange as they relate to the contemporary magazine industry;
2. The nature of audience consumption and the relationships between British audiences and institutions.

In addition, you should be familiar with:
3. The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;
4. The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing;
5. The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange;
6. The significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences;
7. The importance of technological convergence for institution and audiences;
8. The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions;
9. The ways in which the students’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.


Quality of Written Communication
The quality of written communication will be taken into account in the Media Studies exam so take care with your handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar. You should write in formal sentences and paragraphs and use appropriate terminology.