British Media

INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH MEDIA


Types Of Media:

I-The Press
II-TV Broadcasting
III- Radio

Assim AL MOUSSAOUI Presentation In British Life & Institutions Course

Semester 3 Group 1

1-18-2007
UNIVERSITY OF SIDI MOHAMED IBN ABDELLAH
Faculty Of Literature And Human Sciences,
Dhar El mehrez.Fes

THE PRESS

1-Brief History Of British Newspapers
1-a.Origins
1-b.Nineteenth Century
2-Types Of Newspapers:
2-a.The Sun
2-b.The Guardian
3-Press Complaints Commission (PCC):
3-a.PCC Code Of Practice
3-b.Public Interest

4. The Campaign For Press and Broadcasting Freedom




1-Brief History Of British Newspapers

1-a. Origins
Regular newspaper publication dates from the mid 17th century.
During the Civil War regular news-sheets appeared, followed by newsbooks carrying general information along with propaganda. Following the Restoration there arose a number of publications, including the London Gazette (first published on November 16, 1665 as the Oxford Gazette), the first official journal of record and the newspaper of the Crown. Publication was controlled under the Licensing Act of 1662, but the Act's lapses from 1679-1685 and from 1695 onwards encouraged a number of new titles. There were twelve London newspapers and 24 provincial papers by the 1720s (the Daily Courant was the first London newspaper). By the early 19th century there were 52 London papers and over 100 other titles.
1-b. Nineteenth Century
There was a massive growth in overall circulation as major events and improved communications developed the public's need for information. The Daily Universal Register began life in 1785 and was later to become known as The Times from 1788. This was the most significant newspaper of the first half of the 19th century, but from around 1860 there were a number of more strongly competitive titles, each differentiated by its political biases and interests.

2-Types Of Newspapers:

Newspapers in UK differ by its plurality and diversity. Including the regional and the national newspapers, nearly 1536 newspaper today exist in Britain of which 1300 are daily and weekly published. Besides, almost 1835 magazines stretch over Britain.
Newspapers are traditionally categorized into two types in the United Kingdom. Broadsheets which are larger in size and are seen as being more intellectual and upmarket (like Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, Financial Times, Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent, Independent on Sunday, The Times, Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Mail, Metro) ; and tabloids which are smaller in size and seen as being more downmarket than broadsheets,
containing more stories about celebrities or gossip and scandals (like Daily Star, The People, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Sport, The Sun ) . However, some broadsheet papers, such as The Times and The Independent have recently switched to a smaller size, preferring to call themselves compact rather than being stigmatised by the tabloid label.
2-a.The Sun
The Sun is a tabloid daily newspaper published in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland with the highest circulation of any daily English-language newspaper in the world, standing at 3,107,412 copies daily in the first half of 2006, (USA Today, the best-selling US newspaper at 2,270,000 ). The daily readership is just over 7,800,000.
The Sun relies on stories about the entertainment industry, gossip concerning the British monarchy, and sports, as well as news and politics for its content, with many items revolving around celebrities.
In addition to writers covering celebrities-about-town and the latest soap opera storylines, the paper is always on the lookout for celebrities in trouble or scandal.
Its serious news stories frequently focus on themes of immigration, security scandals, domestic abuse and paedophiles. The Page 3 pin-up girl is invariably a girl between the ages of 18-28, posing topless.
The current editor is Rebekah Wade, the first female editor in the paper's history.
Politically, The Sun newspaper normally attacks politicians who show themselves to support policies deemed undesirable by The Sun, either from the UK or Europe. It routinely refers to foreign leaders in unflattering terms — such as dubbing President Jacques Chirac of France "le Worm" or When France declared itself against the Iraq war the editorial said "The French President is an unscrupulous, conniving, preening, lying, cheating hypocrite". George Galloway (the British MP) is quite frequently referred to in denigrating language and accused of befriending Saddam Hussein and his sons.
2-b.The Guardian
The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. It is published Monday to Saturday. It has been awarded the National Newspaper of the Year in 1999 and 2006 by the British Press Awards, as well as being co-winner of the World's Best-designed Newspaper as awarded by the Society for News Design (2006). The Guardian Unlimited website won the Best Newspaper category two years running in the 2005 and 2006 Webby Awards, beating (in 2005) the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and Variety. It has been the winner for six years in a row of the British Newspaper Awards for Best Electronic Daily Newspaper

3-Press Complaints Commission (PCC)

Magazines and newspapers – both local and national – are self-regulated by the Press Complaints Commission, whose main role is to deal with complaints from the public about editorial content.
The Press Complaints Commission is an independent organisation set up in 1991 to ensure that British newspapers and magazines follow the letter and spirit of an ethical Code of Practice dealing with issues such as inaccuracy, privacy, misrepresentation and harassment. The Commission resolves complaints about possible breaches of the Code and gives general guidance to editors on related ethical issues. If editors choose to ignore such recommendations, and publish information considered as 'classified', they may be liable to prosecution under the Official Secrets Act *.
3-a. PCC Code Of Practice
Some of the main ideas of code of practice for the press, introduced in December 1997 after the death of Princess Diana, include:
@ Whenever it is recognised that a significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distorted report has been published, it should be corrected promptly and with due prominence
@ An apology must be published whenever appropriate.
@ Journalists and photographers must neither obtain nor seek to obtain information or pictures through intimidation, harassment or persistent pursuit.
@ They must not photograph individuals in private places without their consent.
@ Everyone is entitled to respect for his or her private and family life, home, health and correspondence. A publication will be expected to justify intrusions into any individual's private life without consent.
3-b. Public Interest
There may be exceptions to the clauses of Code Of Practice where they can be demonstrated to be in the public interest.
The public interest includes, but is not confined to:
@ Protecting public health and safety.
@ Preventing the public from being misled by an action or statement of an individual or an organisation.
@ There is a public interest in freedom of expression itself.
@ Whenever the public interest is invoked, the PCC will require editors to demonstrate fully how the public interest was served.

4. The Campaign For Press and Broadcasting Freedom (CPBF)

The CPBF was established in 1979. It is the leading independent organisation
dealing with questions of freedom, diversity and accountability in the UK media. It has consistently developed policies designed to encourage a more
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* : Any newspaper or any broadcasting station can be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act, if it publishes or disseminates information classified as 'official', which is thought to endanger national security. The Act was originally issued in 1911, and reformed in 1989.

pluralistic media in the UK and to promote accountability, diversity and plurality in mass communications. In addition, it is regarded as a pressure-group aiming to raise public awareness of these issues by publishing leaflets on media freedom, broadcasting monopolies, freedom of expression, censorship, and media and democracy.

TV Broadcasting

1-BBC Network
2-The Office Of Communications (Ofcom)
3-Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC)
4-News Sources
5-Digital Switchover
6-About the BBC :History
6-a.Management
6-a.1.BBC Trust
6-a.2.The Executive Board
6-b.TV Licence Fee
6-c.Puplic Opinion & TV Licence Fee

The UK now has the widest number of channels in Europe with 416 channels aimed specifically at UK viewers. They vary from home shopping channels to music channels, documentary channels, adult channels and to children's channels. The next largest market is France then Italy.
The public service television broadcasters in UK are:
· The BBC, a public corporation, funded mainly by the television licence fee*
· Channel 4, a public corporation self-funded by advertising revenues in England.
· S4C, a public corporation broadcasting for the fourth channel in Wales and funded by grant-in-aid from the Government and advertising revenue .
· ITV(Independent TV), Five, and Teletext, commercial television companies, funded by advertising revenues.

1-BBC Network

The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) broadcasts eight public service television channels in the UK. BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC, CBeebies, BBC News 24 and BBC Parliament. They are all available on every digital platform (cable, satellite and terrestrial (Free view)) free to air.
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* : TV licence fee is a fee that every British citizen must pay; apart from the taxes. Dedicated to fund only the BBC network.

These eight television channels, like the BBC's radio services, carry no advertising or sponsorship, a non-profit making organisation. They are publicly funded through the mandatory television licence. In November 2006 this cost around £11 per month per household although it is free to the elderly (pensioners).
Outside the UK, the BBC also broadcasts a growing number of commercial television services. BBC World (partially funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office), BBC Food and BBC Prime are available in many places around the world while channels like BBC America and BBC Japan are targeted at consumers in those particular countries. No BBC-branded commercial channels are distributed in the UK although BBC World can be received from
the Hotbird satellite. The advertising revenues are the main sources to fund those channels.
The other four public commercial television networks (channel 4 (s4c), ITV, Five, Teletext) have an obligation to provide some programming which is deemed to be "Public Service". Each one of these channels is available on every digital platform.

2-Office Of Communications

The Office of Communications (Ofcom) is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services. Ofcom also reviews the media ownership rules at least every three years and makes recommendations to the British government
on necessary reforms. In other words, the responsibility for licensing, regulating and monitoring public service broadcasters lies with the Ofcom.

3-Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC)

The 1996 Broadcasting Act established the Broadcasting Standards Commission. Its role is similar to that of the Press Complaints Commission, in that it functions as a forum for public concerns relating to the portrayal of sex and violence and matters of taste and decency in television and radio programmes, as well as unjust and unfair treatment and unwarranted infringement of privacy by broadcasters.
The BSC is to draw up, publish and, from time to time, review codes giving guidance on: principles and practices relating to the avoidance of unjust and unfair treatment in programmes and unwarranted infringement of privacy, in or in connection with, the obtaining of material included in such programmes; and practices to be followed in connection with the portrayal of violence and sexual conduct in programmes and standards of taste and decency for programmes generally.
The BSC will adjudicate on broadcasting complaints (no matter was it about a public or private TV channel), made by anyone: The Act divides complaints into two categories: standards complaints and fairness complaints. Standards complaints concern the portrayal of violence or sexual conduct in programmes or failures on the part of programmes to attain standards of taste and decency. Fairness complaints concern unjust and unfair treatment in programmes or unwarranted infringement of privacy in connection with the obtaining of material included in programmes.

4-British News Agencies

London is a major global communications hub, and many news and pictures agencies, working for both the press and broadcasting, are located there. It is the global headquarters of Reuters, and the base for a number of other international agencies, including AFX (Agence France/Extel Financial), the fourth largest global financial news agency. There are also :
° British Media Online : directory of British news and media websites.
° Ananova : UK based news portal.
°The Press Association (PA): the UK's national news agency.
°BBC News
°BBC World.
°ITN

5-Digital Switchover

Starting in 2008 and ending in 2012, TV services in the UK will go completely digital, TV region by TV region. This process is called digital switchover. The UK’s old television broadcast signal (known as “analogue”) is being switched off and replaced with a “digital” signal. Any TV set or video recorder that’s not converted to digital when the switchover takes place will no longer receive TV programmes.UK is the second country in the world,after Japan, that generalized the use of digital service.

6-About the BBC: History

The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is one of the largest broadcasting corporations in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of more than £4 billion.
Founded in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company Ltd, it was subsequently incorporated and made a state-owned but independent corporation in 1927. The corporation produces programmes and information services, broadcasting on television, radio, and the Internet. The stated mission of the BBC is "to inform, educate and entertain", and the motto of the BBC is Nation Shall Speak Peace Unto Nation.
The BBC is a quasi-autonomous Public Corporation operating as a public service broadcaster. The Corporation is currently run by a board of governors appointed by the Queen on the advice of government ministers; however, the BBC is, per its charter, to be "free from both political and commercial influence and answers only to its viewers and listeners".

6-a.Management
BBC is managed through two main bodies :

6-a.1.BBC Trust
The arrival of the BBC Trust, took place according to the new review of the BBC Charter *, marks a revolution in the way the BBC is governed. The BBC Trust, replacing the Governors Board, will ensure greater transparency of how the BBC does its business and for the first time, the public will have a say in setting the strategic direction of the BBC.
The BBC Trust consists of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and ten members, or "Trustees". Their backgrounds and experience is wide, ranging from broadcasting, regulation, competition, business, the public sector and engagement with the public, to programme-making and journalism. They are appointed by the Queen on advice from ministers.Its main role is is to work on behalf of licence fee payers(the public), ensuring the BBC provides high quality output and good value for all UK citizens, and it protects the independence of the BBC. To achieve this, the Trustees must keep in close contact with licence fee payers – being aware of and understanding their expectations of the BBC. They do this via research, direct engagement with the public and through the work of the BBC Audience Councils. BBC Trustees are supported in their work by the Trust Unit.

6-a.2.The Executive Board
The BBC Executive Board, made up of 16 members, is formally constituted under article 7 of the Royal Charter and is responsible for delivering the BBC’s services in line with the priorities set by the BBC Trust. The latter has the role of assessing the performance of the Executive Board as set out in the Royal Charter and Agreement.
6-b.TV Licence Fee
In the United Kingdom, television licence fees are set annually by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (a Cabinet Minister) and governed by the The Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations Statutory Instruments. The BBC is authorised by the Communications Act 2003 to collect the licence fees and pay them into the Government's Consolidated Fund. The BBC is then

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* BBC charter is reviewed every ten years . The 1996 Charter and Agreement expired on 31 December 2006.

paid from the Consolidated Fund via the DCMS's (Dept For Culture, Media And Sport) funding allocation from the Appropriation Act annually, with an additional amount from the Department of Work and Pensions to fund subsidised licences for those aged over 75s.

6-c.Puplic Opinion & TV Licence Fee
The television licence Fee is often the subject of controversy in Britain.
In 2005 the government conducted extensive research into public opinion of the licensing system. Criticisms concerning the UK TV licence include cost, value for money, whether or not the BBC should be publicly funded, and licence collection methods.ons. However, some critics claim it is a violation of the freedom to receive information without interference. In addition, some critics regard it unfair that a single-person household has to pay the same amount for a TV licence as a multi-person household. Finally, mobile phones or the Internet, has led to questions over whether a licence fee based on television ownership can continue to be justified when televisions are no longer the sole means for the BBC to distribute its content.

P.S: In Britain, TV services can be either paid for or free to view.


RADIO

I-History & The Present
II- Latest Changes

I-History

Radio Broadcasting in the UK began in 1920 with Marconi's experimental station 2MT located in Writtle, Essex. Two years later, the BBC radio services began, in 1922, with the British Broadcasting Company, Ltd., which was licensed under pressure to provide a radio service for the British public. It was licensed by the British Government through its General Post Office which had original control of the airwaves because they had been interpreted under law as an extension of the Post Office services. Today radio broadcasting still makes up a large part of the corporation's output and this is still reflected in the title of the BBC's listings magazine called Radio Times.Nowadays, nearly 779 radio stations operate in UK of which 10 are BBC national radios.

II- Latest Changes
The Radiocommunications Agency ceased to exist on 29 December 2003 and its duties were assumed by Ofcom, the Office of Communications. Ofcom is the new communications sector regulator and has wide-ranging responsibilities. Ofcom inherits the duties of the five existing regulators it replaces: the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC), the Independent Television Commission (ITC), Oftel, the Radio Authority and the Radiocommunications Agency.