Britain: An official handbook > 1977
(465)
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News Agencies
THE PRESS
These methods allow savings to be made with newspapers’ labour costs
and have so far been adopted mainly by the provincial press where composing
represents a very high proportion of total costs. Most national newspaper
publishers, however, are now preparing to introduce systems drawing on all
techniques available, and the Daily Mirror, the Financial Times, The Daily
Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times have announced plans.
There are three principal British news agencies: Reuters Ltd.; the Press
Association Ltd.; and the Exchange Telegraph Company Ltd.
Reuters Ltd. is a world news organisation. It has four shareholders—the
Newspaper Publishers Association, the Press Association, the Australian
Associated Press and the New Zealand Press Association, which are parties
to a trust agreement to safeguard the independence and integrity of the news
service. Founded in Aachen in 1850 and transferred to London in 1851,
Reuters now has about 1,100 correspondents in 183 countries and territories,
and links with 120 national or private news agencies, which give it access to
coverage by many thousands of local reporters. Som e 700,000 words of
general news, sports, and economic reports are received in London every day
and are retransmitted to 153 countries and territories over a global network
of leased teleprinter lines, satellite links and cable and radio circuits. These
news services are specially tailored to the needs of recipients in Britain and
overseas, and are distributed to information media, either direct or through
national news agencies. Reuters Economic Services, one of the world’s
largest financial and business news services, supplies information to business
houses throughout the world by means of computer-based video display
units, teleprinters and bulletins.
The Press Association Ltd., the British national news agency founded in
1868, is co-operatively owned by the principal newspapers of the United
Kingdom outside London, and of the Irish Republic. It provides newspapers,
the broadcasting organisations, Reuters (of which it is a major joint owner)
and other international agencies with a complete service of home news, includ¬
ing general and parliamentary news, legal reports, and all branches of financial,
commercial and sports news; and includes in its services to regional papers the
world news of Reuters and the Associated Press. News is teleprinted 24 hours
a day from head office in Fleet Street over a network of lines leased from the
Post Office—certain items being available in teletypesetting form. Through
its photographic department the Press Association serves London and
regional newspapers with a daily picture service from home and overseas;
these are wired to the regional press. Its Special Reporting Service supplies
reports of local or special interest to daily and weekly papers and periodicals.
All profits are used to develop the service.
The Exchange Telegraph Company Ltd. (Extel), an independent news
agency founded in 1872, is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Exchange Tele¬
graphy Company (Holdings) Ltd., a public company. It supplies financial
and sporting news to newspapers and broadcasting organisations. In con¬
junction with the Press Association Ltd., racing services are also supplied
by teleprinter and telephone to subscribers in London and the provinces from
offices in all important cities and towns.
The British press and broadcasting organisations are also served by Asso¬
ciated Press Ltd., and by United Press International, which are British
subsidiaries of United States news agencies.
A number of other British, Commonwealth and foreign agencies and news
services have offices in London, and there are minor agencies in other cities,
THE PRESS
These methods allow savings to be made with newspapers’ labour costs
and have so far been adopted mainly by the provincial press where composing
represents a very high proportion of total costs. Most national newspaper
publishers, however, are now preparing to introduce systems drawing on all
techniques available, and the Daily Mirror, the Financial Times, The Daily
Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times have announced plans.
There are three principal British news agencies: Reuters Ltd.; the Press
Association Ltd.; and the Exchange Telegraph Company Ltd.
Reuters Ltd. is a world news organisation. It has four shareholders—the
Newspaper Publishers Association, the Press Association, the Australian
Associated Press and the New Zealand Press Association, which are parties
to a trust agreement to safeguard the independence and integrity of the news
service. Founded in Aachen in 1850 and transferred to London in 1851,
Reuters now has about 1,100 correspondents in 183 countries and territories,
and links with 120 national or private news agencies, which give it access to
coverage by many thousands of local reporters. Som e 700,000 words of
general news, sports, and economic reports are received in London every day
and are retransmitted to 153 countries and territories over a global network
of leased teleprinter lines, satellite links and cable and radio circuits. These
news services are specially tailored to the needs of recipients in Britain and
overseas, and are distributed to information media, either direct or through
national news agencies. Reuters Economic Services, one of the world’s
largest financial and business news services, supplies information to business
houses throughout the world by means of computer-based video display
units, teleprinters and bulletins.
The Press Association Ltd., the British national news agency founded in
1868, is co-operatively owned by the principal newspapers of the United
Kingdom outside London, and of the Irish Republic. It provides newspapers,
the broadcasting organisations, Reuters (of which it is a major joint owner)
and other international agencies with a complete service of home news, includ¬
ing general and parliamentary news, legal reports, and all branches of financial,
commercial and sports news; and includes in its services to regional papers the
world news of Reuters and the Associated Press. News is teleprinted 24 hours
a day from head office in Fleet Street over a network of lines leased from the
Post Office—certain items being available in teletypesetting form. Through
its photographic department the Press Association serves London and
regional newspapers with a daily picture service from home and overseas;
these are wired to the regional press. Its Special Reporting Service supplies
reports of local or special interest to daily and weekly papers and periodicals.
All profits are used to develop the service.
The Exchange Telegraph Company Ltd. (Extel), an independent news
agency founded in 1872, is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Exchange Tele¬
graphy Company (Holdings) Ltd., a public company. It supplies financial
and sporting news to newspapers and broadcasting organisations. In con¬
junction with the Press Association Ltd., racing services are also supplied
by teleprinter and telephone to subscribers in London and the provinces from
offices in all important cities and towns.
The British press and broadcasting organisations are also served by Asso¬
ciated Press Ltd., and by United Press International, which are British
subsidiaries of United States news agencies.
A number of other British, Commonwealth and foreign agencies and news
services have offices in London, and there are minor agencies in other cities,
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| Britain and UK handbooks > Britain: An official handbook > 1977 > (465) |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/205420229 |
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| Description | 'Britain: An official handbook' was produced annually by the Central Office of Information from 1954-1998. There are 44 volumes available here to view. |
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| Shelfmark | GII.11 |
| Description | Three titles produced by the British Government from 1954-2005 describing 'how Britain worked'. They are: 'Britain: An official handbook' (1954-1998), 'Britain: The official yearbook of the United Kingdom' (1999-2001), and 'UK: The official yearbook of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland' (2002-2005). These 50 reports provide an overview of Britain's economic, social and cultural affairs, its environment, international relations, and the systems of government. They give an impartial summary of government policies and initiatives, and explain how public services are organised. |
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