Is it worth 40p? (TV Choice)

Member Name: snow_white_forev

Product:	TV Choice
Date:	13/09/09 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simple layout

Disadvantages: Lacks any depth

For years I never bothered with a TV guide, except at Christmas when buying the Radio Times was as much of an established tradition as decorating the tree. Instead I'd just use the Sky TV Guide to flick through and see what was on, that was until I moved in with my boyfriend who every week buys a TV guide as regular as clockwork. Now I fail to see how I lived without one, and during term time at uni I've adopted his habit of buying one every week. TV Choice magazine is one we both often opt for given its cheap price tag of only 40p.

The magazine, published by Bauer Publishing, is A4 in size and hits the shelves every Tuesday. On average the magazine is about 60-70 pages, though this includes those pages devoted entirely to advertising, and runs from Saturday to Friday. I buy the South and South West regional version but the magazine covers all regions due to slight programming differences.

The cover of the magazine is bold, both in its choice of colour and text, usually with a large picture of some soap character, accompanied by an eye-catching slogan about that weeks soap highlight. Along both the top and bottom of the magazine cover are small pictures and slogans of the weeks other tv highlights. They are also obviously very proud of their price for it is entirely impossible to miss it; in the top left corner it states in large black print that it is 'ONLY 40p' on a bold orange background and then price then appears even larger just off centre of the cover, again on a stand-out orange background.


The first few pages of the magazine are always devoted to small features on the weeks chows. The majority of the features are based on those shows shown on terrestrial but there is usually one page dedicated to that weeks 'Digital TV Choice.' These articles are usually on what one would class 'popular' tv as opposed to the weeks obscure and unique show, for example they usually comment on shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and The Bill.

This section of the magazine has no interest whatsoever for my partner, as he purely buys it jusy to check what's on tv, but for me the features section of any tv listings is my favourite section. In my opinion the features in TV Choice aren't quite up to the standard of their competitors as they are usually brief and poorly written. They usually include the main information about the programme such as what will happen and maybe the odd quote from one of the main actors but in my opinion it would hugely benefit from more critical analysis. The reviews, when they include opinion, are entirely complimentary, a stark contrast to the more in depth and critical approach of the Radio Times. However, I have come to expect this in the cheaper listings so TV Choice are not alone in their brief and complimentary approach.

On a more positive note the layout of the features section makes it easy when flicking through to focus on one particular article. Each is featured in its own pastel coloured box with a slightly darker border, making it stand out on the usually crowded page; ideal if you want to focus on just that section.


Following the features on the weeks dramas and documentaries is the soap section, another personal favourite, that is usually 3 pages in length. The soaps featured include: Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, Home and Away, Neighbours and Doctors. I'm not an avid soap fanatic but I do dip in and out of Eastenders and Corrie and I'm one of those people who loves to read spoilers and know what will happen before it does. I haven't watched Neighbours properly since it moved to Channel 5 but thanks to tv mags I still feel like I know exactly what's going on. In TV Choice there is usually a large detailed spoiler on Eastenders, Corrie and Emmerdale which reveals the weeks main events, whilst the others are usually given about a small paragraph of text. These articles are usually quite informative and contain quite a bit of soap gossip but for just an extra 7p their closest competitor, What's On TV, also offers a full 'Soap Diary' of what happens each day per soap, on top of the in depth soap features. Another regular feature of this section is the soap updates which allow you to catch up on your favourite shows if you've missed them, due to holiday for example.

Just before the tv listings is the regular 'Film Choice' section that is usually about 4 pages in length. It offers a brief paragraph on the films to be shown per day and gives all a rating out of 5 stars. The information here is good but again, like the features section, the focus is largely on terrestrial tv.


Now we've reached the main section of the mag; the tv listings. Each day has six pages of listings with the first double page spread concentrating on BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five, which to its credit is very well done. Each channel appears in a separate column that everyday is on the same coloured background, this is a very effective method as it's simple and quick to read at a glance. Along the left is that days Choice, which selects about two highlights. Each day's listings runs from 6am to 6pm, with the title of each programme in bold lettering and the majority of programmes are followed by a brief explanation.

The films are very easy to pick out as they are presented in a box with a bold 'FILM' printed before its title, and similarly new series are presented with a small bold 'NEW.' It also provides all other additional info, making it clearly visible what episode of a series is being shown and whether the programme is subtitled, for example. I cannot fault these pages and in my opinion they are clear and provide just the right amount of information on each show.

The following pages are dedicated to the most frequently watched digital channels, which are split into colour coded sections reflecting their genre. The first double spread page dedicated to satellite, listing 22 entertainment channels, which are coloured in pink and 9 factual and lifestyle channels, coloured in orange. These are much less detailed than the terrestrial pages and largely just list what will be shown with little programme information. The layout of this section is the same each week so TV Choice regulars can easy find the channel they are looking for. The second two satellite pages follow a similar layout and feature 6 children's tv channels (red), 6 sport channels (green) and 14 Movie channels in blue.

The colour coding of these pages is definitely a bonus and I believe they have chosen the right channels to list but I am in the opinion that What's On TV have again done this better than TV Choice. This is because since leaving home I have lost the luxury of Sky+ and instead watch the cheaper Freeview and whilst TV Choice clearly state which channels are on Freeview, with a bold logo clearly visible, they have spread the channels out over the 4 digital pages, where as What's On TV have opted to group all Freeview channels together, making it easily the best magazine for Freeview viewers.


Following the tv listings are a few pages dedicated to competitions and puzzles. Including a regular £1000 prize crossword, a £25 'Name that show' puzzle, a sudoku puzzle 'just for fun' and a big feature competition, which this week is a chance to win a shopping trip to New York. I have never entered these but one can do so by phone, text or fax, at a price of 25p, or by post.

The final page of the magazine provides an idea of what next weeks features will be, weekly horoscopes and readers letters. The readers letters are usually a fun read and I often smile as I read the strong opinions written and each week the star letter will receive £10.


In conclusion TV Choice is an average television based magazine, which for its cheap 40p price tag provides a fun little read. It may not be as in depth as the tradition Radio Times but even with its in-depth features I cannot justify spending £1.10 on a tv listings. For mainly terrestrial tv watchers who purely only care about what is on then this is defiantly for you. However, in my opinion, at just 7p more expensive 'What's On TV' is the one to buy ifor those most interested in soaps and for Freeview viewers.


Thank you for reading

Summary: In my opinion it is worth 40p but no more