Peak Sales By British Press Last Year

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27679, 8 June 1955, Page 13

Peak Sales By British Press Last Year

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, June 2. In the second half of last year the combined daily sales of eight of Britain’s national newspapers reached 16,200,000 and the combined sales of 11 national Sunday newspapers was 30,400,000. These figures were quoted by Mr Cecil H. King, chairman and managing director of Daily Mirror Newspapers, Limited, at the annual meeting of shareholders, when he reviewed the position of the British press. Mr King said that since 1939, British newspapers had enjoyed an unprecedented expansion in sales—an expansion which reached its peak in the second half of 1950, when the same eight national daily newspapers had a combined sale of 17,800,000, and the 11 national Sunday newspapers had a combined sale of 30,700,000. Price increases in May, 1951, had pushed the sale back, but the recession had been followed by a slow recovery. “This year there had been the strike which stopped publication for 26 days, and subsequently newspapers have been able to have more pages because newsprint was accumulated during the stoppage,” said Mr King. “Although these factors have causeo’ some slight diminution of sales, their long-term effect cannot yet be judged But with the expansion of television and the continuance of larger newspapers, it would not be surprising if the tide receded again.

“Competition Will Intensify” “It is likely that in the months to come competition will intensify, and it is likely that the result of this competition will be to make the strong newspapers stronger and the weak ones weaker. i*

“Not all the long-established Sundav newspapers may survive. But some reduction in their numbers would do no harm. “There are also sime weak sisters among the dailies, 1?*.:1 a reduction of the number of London dailies below

the present figure would in my opinion be regrettable on all grounds. A vigorous and diversified press is a necessary part of a democratic State and if the number of national

daily newspapers were to fall, the survivors might well become too powerful to remain unmolested,” said Mr King. “Since 1920, the number of national morning papers has fallen by two, and the number of London evening papers by three. There have also b ’c j ! .-ny casualties among the provincial newspapers. “As I have said, not all the Sunday newspapers may survive, but any further reductions in the number of national daily newspapers should be resisted by all concerned. “The growth of television will certainly affect to some extent the character of the contents of newspapers. Though some newspapers do not yet seem aware of the fact, the advent of radio altered the character of newspapers from that of purveyors of news towards that of daily magazines. “The impact of television will be greater than that of radio and may well have an important influence on the newspaper of the future. Advertising Revenue Doubled “The two main sources of newspaper revenue are sales and advertising. Expenditure on display advertising regained its pre-war level in 1949, and has since doubled. Its distribution is rather different to the big development in national magazines, particularly the women's ones. “Before the war. magazine advertising was supplementary to newsRaper advertising, but this is no Icrager entirely so. “It is said in some quarters that the rise of the magazines has been due to the fact that newspapers have their newsprint rationed while magazine paper is uncontrolled. I “No doubt this has had some bear

ing on the situation, but experience in America suggested for a number of years that there was great scope for well-printed magazines for women. “With more newsprint becoming available, newspapers can accommodate more of the advertising offered to them, and this will tend* to hit the weaker magazines and the weaker newspapers. “Commercial television will operate in the same direction, and here again it is likely that the strong will become stronger and the weak weaker. “In the last year we have seen some feeble and quite misgvHed efforts to restrict the freedom of the press. “Someone wants to restrict the publication of wills, someone else wants newspapers to be prevented from inquiring about medical cases of general public interest. Others again want secrecy for the meetings of public authorities. “I suppose this is all harmless nonsense. “We are bound to have with us, until human nature changes, the idea that all sorts of matters of interest and importance should only be discussed in a narrow circle mostly of self-important, self-appointed busybodies. and that newspapers only exist to report the speeches of such people and their friends.” said Mr King. “However, we shall continue to give the news that interests and the news that ought to interest our readers, in spite of all efforts at suppression from whatever quarter they may come.”