Do you ever watch any of the international news channels or get your news from the Internet?

Which news channels do you trust?

Is the increase in non-professional journalism a good thing?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of newspapers, TV and Internet news?

 

IN BRITAIN: THE MEDIA

Warming-up questions

Do you read newspapers?

Where do you usually buy newspapers and magazines?

What are your favourite TV programmes?

 

THE NATIONAL PRESS

British people like reading newspapers. They read more newspapers than in any other European country.

There are two types of newspaper in Britain: tabloid and broadsheet. Tabloids (The Daily Mirror, The Sun) have lots of stories about famous people; the photos are large; the headlines are big and there is not much text. Tabloids sell many more copies than broadsheets. Broadsheets (The Times, The Guardian) have long articles with lots of information; some pages report international news; the photos and the headlines are smaller than in the tabloids. A broadsheet newspaper is double the size of a tabloid newspaper. It is more difficult to hold. The differences between the tabloids and the broadsheets are breaking down. Broadsheets now have a tabloid section, and now have stories about famous people.

Sunday newspapers are a part of the British way of life. These newspapers only appear on Sundays and are more popular than the daily newspapers. They concentrate on general issues and famous people. Some people spend all day reading Sunday newspaper.

MAGAZINES

There are thousands of weekly and monthly magazines in Britain. They can be divided into four main categories: specialist magazines, general magazines, women’s magazines and teenage magazines. Young people below the age of 18 do not buy newspapers, but they do buy magazines. Many more girls than boys buy magazines. Their main interests seem to be boys, pop music, clothes and makeup. Smash Hits is a music magazine which both girls and boys buy. Just Seventeen is one of the most popular girl’s magazines. Shout is popular with young teenage girls.

WHAT’S ON ‘THE BOX»?

Over 99 per cent of British homes have a TV and the average person watches “the box” 26 hours a week. There are four (non-satellite) TV channels in Britain: BBC1, BBC2, I TV and Channel 4. BBC1 and BBC2, the two state channels, do not show adverts. ITV and Channel 4, the two independent channels, do show adverts.

BBC1 and ITV tend to broadcast popular programmes: sports programmes, recent films, the news, game shows, children’s programmes and soaps. BBC2 and Channel 4 show programmes which usually attract much smaller audiences: TV plays, classical concerts, foreign films and programmes for minority groups. Only eight per cent of British homes subscribe to satellite or cable TV.

LET’S WATCH A VIDEO

About 70 per cent of UK households now have a video recorder. People mostly use them to record TV programmes which they then watch at a more convenient time.

Teenagers aged between 14 and 16 like getting together with friends to watch a video. They often choose films with an 18 rating. These videos ore unsuitable for people below the age of 18 because they are violent, but many teenagers watch them anyway.

RADIO WAVES

The BBC broadcasts on five national and 32 local radio stations. Each of the BBC radio stations specialises in a particular type of programme: Radio 1 specialises in rock music; Radio 2 in popular music and light entertainment; Radio 3 in classical music; Radio 4 in current affairs and drama; Radio 5 in current affairs and sport.

Most people listen to the radio in the morning. They like background music while getting ready to go to school or driving to work.

 

Comprehension check

How many types of newspapers are there in Britain?

What’s the difference between the tabloids and the broadsheets?

What are the categories of magazines in Britain?