Introduction
In the analysis, you will learn about characteristics of evening news in the Czech Republic. The evening news are from TV Nova, Ceska televize and CCN Prima News channels. The article is about informational contents of each channel evening news and what kind of viewers each channel is suitable the most. It was looked into what’s the ratio of Covid pieces of news vs the rest of pieces of news. The difference between a commercial and a state channel and their targets is explained. Read more and find out which channel’s evening news suits you the most and how to assess the contents of the evening news critically.
Sensation-eager TV Nova
The Nova evening news are characteristic of giving information in a short format without a proper informational background. There is usually told what viewers should think at the beginning of a report. These statements aren’t supported with quality information in a reasonable amount.
Reports are frequently based on two parties which like to criticize each other strongly. Instead of presenting harmony a conflict is presented.
The contents of each report is focused on sensations, juicy pieces of news and curiosities. The contents evoke strong emotions as: anger, fear and surprise. The overall feeling is that you don’t come to know much but your emotions go up and down constantly.
The order of reports doesn’t make sense. Each news section (domestic news, world, the government etc.) are not equally represented.
17 % of the reports are related to the Covid.
It is ideal for viewers who like watching thrillers.
Honest ČT1 and 24
Reports give an impression of being unbiased. Each presenter confronts the invited to the broadcast in a healthy journalistic way. They could press the invited a little bit harder every now and then. Reports don’t try to give an audience a clear opinion what they should think. Reports statements are supported with factual information which makes sense. Reports are more complex and pass more relevant information.
Reports are not chosen based on sensations and curiosities but based on an informational value for the audience.
Each reports section (domestic, world, the government etc.) are equally represented. The order of reports make sense. Reports as showbiz, raising prices and other are at the end of the broadcast.
It is truly a good information source which provides balanced news which really inform the audience.
16 % of the reports were related to the Covid.
This channel is suitable for viewers who really want to find out something. After watching it, you won’t be leaving emotionally sucked as after watching the Nova evening news.
Bizarre CCN Prima News
The evening news on CCN Prima News is a mixture of everything together. The New Year’s Eve with Mr Babis and Covid are presented in the first report. It is one-of-its-kind masterpiece of this bad-ass stuff you can watch.
Reports are less targeted at people’s emotions and are less striking than TV Nova reports. I blame less experience with broadcasting in comparison with Nova.
Each piece of news compose of fragments of information. Sometimes the same information is repeated again and again.
Money and raising prices is mentioned almost in each report. It may indicated that the target group of CCN Prima News is the poorer and viewers with lower education.
30 % of the news were related to the Covid. It is considerably higher in comparison with Nova and Ceska televize.
It is ideal for people who don’t care what’s going on and want to enjoy their evening watching high-quality-garbage news and don’t want to feel emotionally sucked as after watching TV Nova evening news.
Commercialization and trivialization of news service
News service has never been profit-making. It is supposed to provide information service to viewers. Ceska televize still adhere to it. On the other hand, emotions sell. When you look at a TV Nova annual report 2020, you will find out they earned the most profit out of the three. The commercialization causes being oriented on what the audience like the most: fuss and commotion. It has a bad influence on the quality of news service.
The target of a commercial TV channel is not to inform people in an objective way, but to raise ratings and make ad space more expensive. TV channels don’t hesitate to use any available means as sensations, curiosities and trivialization (simplifying) of the news to reach the target.
Appendix and note
The analysis was carried out as a study exercise. The study exercise originates from: “Dan Rather on Journalism & Finding the Truth in the News” which is available at www.udemy.com. I asked Asociace televizních organizací (Further only Ato) for viewer ratings. They gave it to me for free for a study purpose.
A paragraph which includes a conclusion related to the viewer ratings is missing. After finding out it would make a good article I wrote to the Ato and asked them for a permission to publish the part of the article which included their ratings.
They asked me to send the whole article to them. After they had read it they wrote me that they didn’t agree with publishing it. They said the reasons are that they gave it to me for the study purpose only.
After that I make an appeal to the moral point of view that the viewers should know about the characteristics of what they watch and thus create their world-view. I haven’t received any reply until the time of the article publication.
It is a private institution. There is written I can pay for the viewer ratings on their website. I asked them to make an offer to me. I haven’t received any reply until the time of the article publication.
The evening news used for the article:
- TV Nova: Televizní noviny at 19:30, 21. 12. 2021, length: 34 minutes.
- CT 1 a CT24: Události at 19:00, 21. 12. 2021, length: 54 minutes.
- CCN Prima News: Hlavní zprávy v 18:55, length: 42 minutes.
