British Civilisation

Lecture 10

The Media in Great Britain

The term media may include any communication system by which people are informed, educated or entertained. In Britain, it generally refers to the print industries (the press, that is, newspapers or magazines) and broadcasting (cable and satellite television, radio and terrestrial or earth-based television). These systems overlap with each other and with books, video, DVD, film, the Internet and mobile phones. The media have evolved from simple methods of production, distribution and communication to their present sophisticated technologies. Their growth and variety have greatly improved information dispersal, news availability and entertainment opportunities. They cover homes, places of business and leisure activities, and their presence and influence is an inevitable part of daily life. The print media began to develop in the 18th century. The national press today is, in effect, a London press because most national newspapers have their bases and printing facilities in the capital. Most of them used to be located in Fleet Street in central London, occasionally still referred to as the seat of British press. But all of them have now left the street and moved to other parts of the capital or outside London. The reasons for these moves included high property rents, fierce competition between papers and opposition from trade unions to the introduction of new printing technology. Newspapers and magazines have also had to cope with the expense of newsprint, declines in advertising revenue, rising production and labour costs and competition from other media outlets, such as the Internet. Most national papers are usually termed either “quality” or “popular”, depending on their differences in content. Others are called “mid-market” and fall between these two extremes. The qualities (such as The Times, The Guardian or The Independent) report national and international news