TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MOMBASA

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE

PUBLIC RELATIONS
GROUP WORK

GROUP 4
MEMBERS
1. STEPHEN OTIENO BCOM/164J/2016
2. OLIVER BARASA BCOM/155J/2016
3. CHARITY APOLO BCOM/167J/2016
4. BRIAN OMONDI BCOM/171J/2016
5. BRIAN OMITI BCOM/176J/2016
6. CHEPKIRUI WINNY BCOM/047J/2015
7. EMMACULATE NGETICH BCOM/051J/2015
8. SALHE AHMED BCOM/108J/2016
9. VICTOR OTIENO BCOM/178J/2016
10. ETEMESI JAMES BCOM/160J/2016
Explain FIVE characteristics, FIVE merits and FIVE demerits of each of the following
media.

1. Newspapers
A newspaper is a publication printed on paper and issued regularly, usually daily or weekly. It
gives information and opinions about current events and news and usually include political
events, crime, business, sports and opinions.
Examples of newspapers in Kenya are Daily Nation, Standard and The Star.
Characteristics of newspapers
i. Audience
Newspapers are published for a general audience irrespective of their age, academic
qualifications, lifestyle or geographical locations.
ii. Purpose and use
Newspapers are used for informing readers of current events happening locally or regionally in
the fields of politics, sports, business etc.
iii. Frequency of publication
Most newspapers are published daily with some published weekly to convey information to their
readers.
iv. Content and language
The newspaper content language is non-technical and easy to understand. Most Kenyan
newspapers are written in English and Kiswahili and do contain extensive advertising.
v. Layout and presentation
Newspapers are typically printed in black and white, though they often also include some color
photographs and illustrations.

Merits of Newspapers
i. Wide coverage
Newspapers serve local, regional and national markets. They reach people of all age groups and
all income levels, both in cities and rural areas.
ii. Quick response
Newspapers carry current news which are read by people to find out various developments that
take place daily. They have a sense of urgency and therefore receive an immediate public
response as its information reaches the public while they are in a fresh and receptive mood.
iii. Regular and frequent
Newspapers convey information daily or weekly hence all the latest news are covered to give
information about the latest trends going on around the world.
iv. Flexibility
Advertisements can be inserted or changed practically overnight. This is an advantage to retail
advertisers who often make last minute changes in their newspaper advertisements to take
advantage of the newly arrived products.
v. It is economical
Newspaper advertising in the view of the extent of coverage in terms of circulation has one of
the lowest costs per reader.

Demerits of newspapers
i. May contain false information
Sometimes in some newspapers the news which are shown are false, twisted or even distorted.
This leads to misinformation of the readers.
ii. Newspapers have shortest lifespan
An estimated time of 15 to 20 minutes is taken by the reader to read the newspaper after which
no one bothers to refer back to the newspaper which becomes stale. Hence to make the
impression of an advertisement lasting, the advertiser has to repeat his advertisements.
iii. Lacks quality reproduction
The paper in which newspapers are printed are of low quality compared to magazines making
their advertisements less appealing to the reader.
iv. Limited readership
As illiterate people cannot read the newspapers, the reach of the advertisement is only confined
to the educated people.
v. Element of uncertainty
As many readers rush through their newspapers hurriedly, they may fail to see the
advertisements totally.
 2. Magazines
A magazine is a publication, usually a periodical one, printed or electronically published at
regular intervals. Magazines are usually issued weekly or monthly and contain articles, stories,
photographs and advertisements.
Examples of Kenyan magazines are Coastweek, SDE and The East African.

Characteristics of magazines
i. Purpose and use
Main aim is to inform readers of a current issue, entertain them, introduce them to a subject and
give them an analysis and opinions on various issues.
ii. Audience
Magazines are generally issued to the general public.
iii. Authors
The authors of magazine articles include freelance writers, staff writers, journalists and may also
include articles often unsigned.
iv. Content and language
May be biased towards a particular point of view, uses simple language, has colorful covers and
is usually written in form of a story with less depth.
v. Graphics
Magazines use a lot of illustrations and photographs. They also have lots of advertising.

Merits of magazines
i. Longer life
Magazines have longer lives compared with newspapers thereby providing enough time for the
prospects to ponder over an advert.
ii. Diversity
Magazines are written in different ways to cover lifestyle, politics, health etc. People with
specific interests therefore buy magazines that serve their interests.
iii. Better quality
The paper and image quality are generally good in magazines hence good for product oriented
advertisements
 iv. Large focus on advertisements
More attention is paid to advertisement because of high reader involvement.
v. Affluent readers
Magazines generally attract educated readers and professionals who will take good time to read
the information.

Demerits
i. Costly
Magazines are expensive compared to newspapers.
ii. Limited readership
Less population read magazines compared to newspapers.
iii. Restricted frequency
Magazines are usually issued weekly or monthly hence readers have to wait longer to be
informed.
iv. Limited flexibility
The formats of advertisements placed on newspapers can only be changed to a certain extent.
v. Can be biased
Magazine articles are sometimes based on the writer’s opinions which can be biased.

References
1. Roy Paul (1978), Articles and Features, New York, Houghton Mifflin co.
2. Dick, Jill (2004) Writing for Magazines, New Delhi, Unistar Books.
3. McKay, Jenny (2000), The Magazine Handbook, London, Routledge.