British Media

 The term “media” generally refers to the print industries (the press or newspapers and magazines) and broadcasting (cable and satellite television, radio and video). These systems overlap with each other and with books, films and the Internet. They cover homes, places of business and leisure activities and their influence is very powerful.      

The fi rst British newspapers appeared in the early eighteenth century, such as “The Times” (1785), “The Observer” (1791) and “The Sunday Times” (1822).

The circulation of the newspapers at that time was hindered by transportation and distribution problems, illiteracy and government licensing or censorship restrictions. The growth of literacy after 1870 provided the owners of the print media with an increased market. Newspapers and magazines, which had previously been limited by the middle and upper classes, were popularized. Over the last two hundred years, an expanded educational system, new print inventions and Britain’s small area have eliminated these difficulties.

At first the newspapers were used for news and information.  Later new types of print media used for entertainment appeared. The fi rst popular national papers were printed on Sundays, such as “The News of the World “(1843) and “The People” (1881). They were inexpensive and aimed at the expanding and increasingly literate working class. In 1896, “The Daily Mail” was produced, which was targeted at the lower-middle class. In 1903 it was added by “The Daily Mirror” for the working-class popular market. Both “The Mail” and “The Mirror” were soon selling more than a million copies a day.

 The early twentieth century was the era of mass-circulation papers. “The Morning Herald” (later “the Daily Express”) was created in 1900. The newspaper-ownership was concentrated in a few large publishing groups, such as Rupert Murdoch’s News International (which had and has large media holdings in Britain, Australia and the USA), causing fierce competition.                                                                           

National newspapers are those which are mostly published from London and are available in all parts of Britain on the same day, including Sundays. Many are delivered directly to homes from local newsagents by newsboys and girls. The good internal distribution systems enable national press to develop and Internet online copies now offer updated and immediate availability.

 The national press in Britain today consists of 10 daily morning papers and 9 Sunday papers. Most national newspapers have their bases and printing facilities in London, although now editions of some nationals are published in Europe and the USA. Most of them used to be located in Fleet Street in central London. But many of them have now left this street and moved to other parts of the capital because of very high property rents, competition and opposition from trade unions to the introduction of new printing technology.

New technology meant that newspapers could be printed directly through computers and that resulted in job reductions and cuts in labour. New technology and improved distribution methods have increased the profi ts of print industries. Although sales are declining they still have a considerable presence on the market. Britons still buy more papers than any other Europeans. Some 50 per cent of people over fi fteen years old read a national daily paper and 70 per cent read a national Sunday newspaper.        

National papers are usually termed ‘quality’ or ‘popular’ depending on their differences in content and format (broadsheet or tabloid). Others are called ‘mid-market’ (e. g. The Mail Express”). They are between these two extremes.

 The ‘qualities’ (such as “The Times”) are broadsheets (large-sheet). They report national and international news in depth and analyse current events and the arts in editorials and articles.

The populars (such as “The Sun”) are mostly tabloid (small-sheet). They deal with relatively few news stories and tend to be simpler in presenting materials. “Qualities’ are more expensive than populars but both carry up-market advertising that generates essential revenue.      

There is no legal state control or censorship of the British press, although it is subject to laws of publication and expression.  Papers may have a political bias and support a specifi c party, particularly at election times. For example, the largest selling national dailies “The Daily Mirror” and “The Daily Herald “(1911)have always supported the Labour Party. The press is dependent for its survival on circulation fi gures, on the advertising and on fi nancial help of its owners. A number of newspapers in the 20th century ceased publication because of reduced circulation, loss of advertising revenue or refusals of further fi nancial aid. Most national newspapers now have online Internet publication.

Some 1, 300 regional newspapers are published in towns and cities throughout Britain. They contain a mixture of local and national news and are supported by regional advertising. They may be daily morning or evening papers, Sundays or weekly. 75 per cent of local and regional newspapers also operate an Internet website.

 Britain’s ethnic communities also produce their own newspapers and magazines, which are increasing in numbers, are available nationally in the larger cities and are improving in quality. There is a wide range of publications for Jewish, Asian, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese and Arabic readers, published on a daily or (more commonly) periodic basis.