Британские средства массовой информации
план-конспект занятия по английскому языку (10 класс)

Newspapers in the UK

Media of the United kingdom consist of several different types of communications media: television, radio, newspapers, magazines and websites.

The United Kingdom has a diverse range of providers. The most prominent are the state-owned public service broadcaster the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation).

London dominates  the media sector in the United Kingdom: national newspapers, television and radio networks  are largely based there. Notable centers include Fleet Street and BBC Broadcasting House.

UK newspapers can be split into ‘quality’  newspapers, usually referred to as the broadsheets due to their large size, and sometimes known as "serious-minded", and less serious newspapers, generally known as tabloids, which tend to focus more on celebrity coverage and human interest stories rather than political reporting or overseas news. The tabloids are divided into the more sensationalist mass market titles, or "red tops", such as The Sun and The Mirror, and the middle-market papers, The Daily Express and The Daily Mail.

In the TV comedy series Yes Minister, fictional Prime Minister Jim Hacker explains to his staff the readership of the main newspapers:

Hacker: "Don't tell me about the press. I know exactly who reads the papers: The Daily Mirror  is read by people who think they run the country, The Guardian is read by people who think they ought to run the country, The Times is read by people who actually do run the country, The Dailt Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country, The Financial Times is read by people who own the country, The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country, and The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it is."

Sir Humphrey Appleby: "Prime Minister, what about the people who read The Sun?"

Bernard Woolley: "Sun readers don't care who runs the country, as long as she's got big ###."

“Freesheet” newspapers in urban centres

Metro (est. 1999) is owned by Daily Mail and General Trust  and is distributed for free.  Wide availability in the major cities makes it the UK's 4th highest circulation paper. The Metro enjoys high circulation among users of public transport, with newspapers placed on trains and buses and distributors operating near stations.

Local newspapers in England

Most towns and cities in the UK have at least one local newspaper, such as the Evening Post in Bristol and The Echo in Cardiff.  However, they are not known nationally for their journalism in the way that city-based newspapers in the USA are (e.g. The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe).

All the major UK newspapers currently have websites, some of which provide free access. The Times and The Sunday Times have a pay wall which requires payment on a per-day or per-month basis for non-subscribers. The Financial Times business daily also has limited access for non-subscribers.

Most-read newspapers in the UK (No. of readers - National Readership Survey)

This shows readership, not sales, and these figures represent total adult readers of newspapers

1. The Sun                (7,772,000) – Mass-market tabloid

2. The Daily Mail        (4,741,000) – Middle-market tabloid

3. The Daily Mirror        (3,087,000) – Middle-market tabloid

4. Metro                (3,287,000)

5. The Daily Tel.        (1,680,000)

6. Daily Star                (1,571,000)

7. The Times                (1,565,000)

8. Daily Express        (1,427,000)

9. The Guardian        (1,103,000)

10. The Independent        (532,000)

Answer the following questions.

      How many providers does the UK have?

      Where is its most prominent broadcaster based?

Why are there many national newspapers in the UK?

      What is the different between the broadsheet and tabloid newspaper format?

      Why do you think UK local newspapers are not so popular on the national level?

      What makes Metro the 4th highest circulation paper in the UK?

Translate the following sentences

В России имеется большое разнообразие медиа провайдеров.

Москва задает тон в медийном пространстве.

Многие крупные медиа сети располагаются в Москве.

В России есть серьезные информационные издания и желтая пресса.

Желтая пресса в основном освещает истории и скандалы  из жизни знаменитостей.

Серьезная пресса сосредоточена на политических и международных новостях.

Тираж серьезных изданий небольшой, поскольку читательская аудитория не превышает 2-3 миллионов человек.

Многие интернет издания в России бесплатны, но некоторые вводят оплату (подписку).