The British Press And Broadcasting Since 1945 (Making Contemporary Britain) - Softcover

SEYMOUR–URE

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0631164448 ISBN 13: 9780631164449

Publisher: Wiley–Blackwell, 1991

Synopsis

This is the first concise history of the press and broadcasting in Britain after the Second World War, from a time when the phrase 'mass media' was barely used to the Maxwell and Murdoch era of international media conglomerates. Supported by detailed tables, the book traces changes in what was available and what people used - the size and ownership of the national and provincial press; the growth of television and the impact of ITV; the decline and revival of radio; the continuities and differences in what people read, looked at, listened to and liked. Seymour-Ure's analysis also explores the often queasy relations between media and government. Television increasingly elbowed into politics, while politicians worked harder at news management. Governments became more active in media policy - on press mergers, new TV channels, and traditional questions of freedom of information. Such developments gave extra point to the issue of media accountability. How did the new baronies justify themselves to the public? Which was the greater threat by the start of the 1990s: abuse of power by the media or abuse of media by the government?.

About this title

Review:

"... this is a quite remarkably useful book. Something of a tour de force." Polticial Studies

"The whole book is written with authority and detachment ....a model of comprehensiveness, conciseness and clarity." Parliamentary Affairs

"... a welcome additional resource for students from a range of subject areas." Sociology

From the Back Cover:

This second edition of Colin Seymour–Ure′s history of the press and broadcasting in post–war Britain offers a concise and fully up–to–date overview of the development of the media and its central role in British society.

The book covers the period from a time when the phrase "mass media" was barely used, to the era of international media conglomerates and global communications. Supported by detailed tables, the analysis traces changes in what was available and what people used – the size and ownership of the national and provincial press; the growth of television and the impact of ITV; the decline and revival of radio; the continuities and differences in what people read, looked at, listened to and liked. This updated edition also covers recent developments such as the proliferation of satellite use, upheavel at the BBC, and the reform of ITV in the 1990 Broadcasting Act. Such developments place more weight than ever on the relations between media and politics. Seymour–Ure′s analysis focuses on the key question of accountability – the accountability of politicians through media to the public, and the accountability of media themselves.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley–Blackwell
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0631164448
• ISBN 13: 9780631164449
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 270