The state of the UK Local Media – facts and figures
October 20, 2009 by Douglas Chalmers · Leave a Comment
In their discussion document Local and Regional Media in the UK Ofcom outline some interesting figures in terms of the state of the UK media. They tell us:
In Radio there are
- 80 commercial local radio operators, managing approx 300 services
- A growing number of community radio services – 200 have been licenced to date with over 150 already broadcasting
- Two radio groups own 40 percent of local radio stations
In Newspapers there are:
- 90 regional and local newspaper publishers
- 1300 titles
- Five newspaper groups control about 70% of local ownership
Local Television
- One company (ITV) holds all Channel 3 licences in England and Wales
Ofcom also tell us that in the UK:
- Regional TV news is watched at least once a day by four fifths of adults
- Half of all adults listen to local radio or read a free paper at least weekly
- Two fifths read a paid for local paper at least weekly
- One in five use local commercial news websites
What about the Internet?
- A third of adults with broadband say they use local websites at least weekly
- The internet is the main source of news for just 6 percent of people
