The Press

Most newspapers are dailies, printed every day. Some are weeklies, printed once a week. The national daily press is available all over the country. The regional press is only available in certain parts of the country. The local press is similar to the regional press but for a smaller geographical area.

Tabloids are newspapers with a smaller format than broadsheets. Originally broadsheets carry more economic and political reports and were more serious. Most UK newspapers today are tabloid or Berliner, slightly bigger than a tabloid. However, the term tabloid press is still used to refer to less serious newspapers which contain sensational stories, short articles or reports, and a lot of photographs. Some newspapers are not sold but given away free. These free sheets are funded entirely by the advertising they carry.

Magazines can be weekly, published every week; fortnight, published every two weeks; or monthly, published every month.

Ø Glossary magazines (also known as glossies) – printed on high quality paper, lots of photos and advert.

Ø Special interest – articles that appeal to a small group of people with similar interests.

Ø Current affairs and news – articles about what is happening in the world, offering analysis.

Ø Men’s magazines – articles that appeal to men.

Ø Women’s magazines – articles that appeal to women.

Ø Children’s magazines – articles that appeal to children.

Ø Home and garden – articles about home decorations and gardening.

Ø Customer magazine – Some supermarkets produce in-store magazines, often cookery magazines, designed to sell their products. Some department stores publish lifestyle magazines or fashion and beauty magazines. Most airlines produce in-flight magazines for their passengers. They contain articles about destinations and travel tips. Car manufacturers publish titles about their cars.

The advertising sales department of a newspaper or magazine sells advertising space or advertising positions in their publications. As part of the sales effort, ad salespeople work with the marketing team to prepare media packs, which contain information about:

§ The advertising rates or cost of advertising in the newspaper or magazine. The rate card shows the price of advertising and also gives technical data about the size, or format, of the ad. The copy deadline tells advertisers when they have to deliver the copy (the images and text for the ad) or the complete advert itself.

§ Circulation figures or distribution figures, showing the number of copies (single newspapers or magazine) sold per issue (the version of the newspaper or magazine published on a particular date). The readership figures, which show how many people read the publication, may be higher than the circulation figures because one copy may be read by more than one person.

§ The advertising policy of the publication, which gives general information on what can be advertised, which formats are available, and how to pay.

§ Details and dates about special features – articles about a particular subject, or review of fashion shows in women’s magazines.

Comprehension questions:

1. How often are newspapers printed?

2. What do you know about how magazines are printed?

3. How does advertising sales department sell advertising space in their publications?