Background information Unit 3

The distinction between newspapers and magazines is not that clear-cut. Newspapers
tend to be published daily or weekly, concentrate on news and be printed on cheaper
paper (called newsprint), while magazines are often published monthly or bi-monthly,
have a much wider range of focuses, and are printed on more expensive or glossy
paper. But there are magazines which look like newspapers and newspapers which
look like magazines (most famously The Economist newspaper, which looks similar to
and competes with magazines such as Newsweek and Time).

The language of coverlines, i.e. the magazine equivalent of front-page headlines, and
slogans, i.e. a short phrase which sums up the purpose or image of the brand, like the
language of headlines in Unit 1, is used to illustrate language devices used throughout
the worlds of media and marketing to grab people’s attention and make messages
more memorable.

The section on coverlines mentions two important language techniques, rhyming, for
example fun – sun, and alliteration, for example fashion finds. A related technique
is assonance, which is the repetition of the same or similar vowel or consonant

sounds within words, for example Cheap and easy treats; Festival essentials; Fresher
fashions. Other features of the coverlines on the magazines on page 30 of the
Student’s book include: verbs in the imperative (Get your posture right); comparative
and superlative adjectives (Proof that 4X4s can be greener, too; Full details of the
safest Volvo ever); cultural references, for example Get money for nothing and your
tech for free – a reference to a song by Dire Straits; exaggerated statements, for
example Cars that’ll change the way you buy; Festival essentials; and exclamation
marks, for example Free!

The editorial team of a magazine can be very small, consisting of an editor and a few
in-house and freelance journalists, or in larger magazines it may consist of several
section editors, for example fashion editor, features editor, each of whom manages
his/her own team, and an editor-in-chief.

Magazines and newspapers make use of photo libraries for stock photos, i.e. those
they do not commission themselves. These are typically sortable online collections of
photos, which may be royalty-free or rights-managed. Note that royalty-free photos
are not free to use (unlike photos in the public domain), but rather a publisher pays a
one-off fee to buy the right to use an image many times (for example, in 1,000 copies
of a magazine and 50 billboards). No one can buy an exclusive right to use royaltyfree
photos. If a publisher wants exclusive rights, they have to use rights-managed
photos, which tend to be more expensive, but which allow larger print runs. Very
often, a low-resolution copy of the photo is available to look at, but the high-resolution
image must be bought.

Copy is the general name for the written content of a publication such as a magazine,
brochure, etc., and contrasts with artwork, graphics, etc. In magazines and
newspapers, the term is especially used to refer to body copy, i.e. the main text of an
article, excluding headlines, photo captions, etc. (which are written by copy editors or
sub-editors).
A shoot is an event staged in order to take photos. It comes from the verb to shoot
(= take) photos.
A glossy magazine is one printed on high-quality paper, and which aims to create a
sophisticated image.