Universidad Autónoma De Nuevo León

Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica

British culture
LMV V4

MASS MEDIA AND ARTS IN THE UK

Name: Luis Gerardo Escobedo Ramos
Student id:1906150
Educational program: IMTC
Teacher: GUILLERMO ROBERTO ROSSANO PEREZ
Date: 09/05/2022
Place: San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León.
Mass Media:
There are several different types of mass media in the United Kingdom: television, radio,
newspapers, magazines and websites. The country also has a strong music industry.

Regional media is covered by local radio, television and print

newspapers. Reach plc (formerly Trinity Mirror) operates 240
local and regional newspapers. The Secretary of State for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has overall responsibility over
media ownership and broadcasting.

In the UK there are no official government newspapers. The

government does not exercise any official control over the newspaper industry and most
of the English newspapers are very proud of their individual styles.

UK newspapers are generally grouped into three, rather historical, groups – mass market
tabloids, or red-tops, middle-market tabloids, and quality broadsheets.

Quality newspapers are serious, national, daily newspapers, appealing mainly to the
upper and middle classes. They are usually published in a broadsheet format*. They are
“Financial Times”, “The Times”, “The Guardian”, “The Daily Telegraph”. “The Daily
Telegraph” contains reports on national and international news, gives a full covering of
sports and other topics. “Financial Times” is read mainly
by professional and business people as it contains a
comprehensive coverage of industry, commerce and
public affairs. “The Guardian” gives a wide coverage of
news events and reports on social issues, the arts,
education, etc. “The Times” is the most famous
newspaper. It represents the views of the establishment
and is well-known for its correspondence column.
The UK has a large magazine industry with hundreds of magazines serving almost every
interest – from accountancy, agriculture and technology to sports and lifestyle.

Consumer magazines make up the bulk of the titles for sale in newsagents. They may be
general titles that aim to entertain and inform (such as Loaded, Elle, Radio Times) or
consumer specialist titles aimed at a specific interest or hobby (Car, Total Film,
Gardeners' World). There are about 2,800 UK consumer magazines. These can also be
classified by readership into women’s (Cosmopolitan, Vogue, OK!, Tatler), men’s (FHM,
Loaded, Nuts), teen (Mizz Magazine, Sugar) and children’s magazines. An important type
of consumer magazines is current affairs magazines, which provide analysis of current
political, economical and cultural events and trends (The
Spectator, The Economist, The New Statesman, The Private
Eye). The Spectator was established in 1828 and claims to
be the oldest continuously-published magazine in the English
language.

Business magazines, which may also be called trade or B2B

(business to business) magazines are for people at work.
Examples include Campaign for the advertising industry, General Practitioner, one of
several free weekly titles for doctors, and Press Gazette for journalists. There are about
5,100 such titles in the UK. While some business magazines are sold in newsagents or
bought on subscription, the main distribution channel is controlled circulation, whereby
copies are sent free to qualifying individuals and the publisher makes its money through
selling advertising.

Broadcasting in the United Kingdom is controlled by the British Broadcasting Corporation

(BBC) and the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA). The IBA is responsible for
looking after regional independent TV companies and those they have bought from other
regions.
Analogue terrestrial television in the United Kingdom is made up of two public
broadcasting companies, the BBC and Channel 4 and
two commercial television companies, ITV and Five.
There are five major free-to-air analogue channels: BBC
One, BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Five. Analogue
terrestrial transmissions are currently being switched off
and giving way to digital terrestrial, cable and satellite
television. Although a great number of other channels are now available via these new
technologies, the five above-mentioned channels remain the most popular.

BBC One – the Corporation’s primary network, broadcasting mainstream comedy, drama,
documentaries, films, sport, and children’s programmes. BBC One is also the home of
the BBC’s main 30-minutes news bulletins, currently shown at 13.00, 18.00, and 22.00
on weekdays (shorter early- and late-evening bulletins are broadcast on Saturdays and
Sundays).

BBC Two – home to more specialist programming, including comedy, documentaries,

dramas and minority interest programmes, as well as imported programmes from other
countries, particularly the United States.

BBC Three – the main digital television network operated by the Corporation, home to
mainly youth-oriented programming, particularly new comedy sketch shows and sitcoms.

BBC Four – niche programming for an intellectual audience, including specialist

documentaries, occasional “serious” dramas, live theatre, foreign language films and
television programmes and “prestige” archive television repeats.

CBBC Channel – for children aged six and above.

CBeebies – for children under six.

BBC News – a dedicated news channel.

+BBC Parliament – the Corporation’s dedicated politics channel, covering both the British
parliament and international politics.
There are many hundreds of radio stations in the United Kingdom, the most prominent of
which are the national stations operated by the BBC.

BBC Radio 1 broadcasts current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio
1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock or
interviews. It is aimed primarily at the 15–29 age group. The station has recorded many
live performances and studio sessions, it station also broadcasts some documentaries
and interviews. Short news summaries are provided roughly hourly on the half hour during
daytime hours with two 15-minute bulletins at 12:45pm and 5:45pm.

BBC Radio 2 is the UK's most listened to radio station, with a mix of music from the last
thirty years. The station now has adult listeners, mainly aged 25 and above, although in
recent years it has attracted more of younger listeners. Its daytime playlist features music
from the 1960s to various current chart hits, album and indie music. The station's appeal
is broad and deep, with accessible daytime programmes and specialist programmes of
particular types or eras of music.

BBC Radio 3 is a serious classical station, broadcasting high-quality concerts and

performances. At night, it transmits a wide range of jazz and world music. The station is
the world’s most significant commissioner of new music,[2] and its New Generation Artists
scheme promotes young musicians of all nationalities.There are regular productions of
both classic plays and newly commissioned drama.

BBC Radio 4 is a current affairs and speech station, with news, debate and radio drama.
Music and sport are the only fields that largely fall outside the station's remit. It broadcasts
the daily radio soap The Archers, as well as flagship news programme Today. Radio 4 is
the second most popular British domestic radio station, after Radio 2.

BBC Radio Five Livebroadcasts live news and sports commentary with phone-in debates
and studio guests. It is the principal radio station covering sport in the United Kingdom,
broadcasting virtually all major sports events staged in the UK or involving British
competitors.

BBC 6 Musicis one of the BBC's digital radio stations which transmits predominantly
alternative rock, punk, jazz, funk, hip hop with many live sessions.
BBC 1Xtrais a digital radio station in the United Kingdom from the BBC specialising in
new black music, sometimes referred to as urban music. Typical music includes largely
British and North American hip hop, grime, bassline, garage, dubstep, drum and bass,
UK funky, dancehall, soca, reggae, gospel music, bhangra and R&B.

BBC 7is a British digital radio station broadcasting comedy, drama, and children's
programming nationally 24 hours a day. It is the principal broadcasting outlet for the BBC's
archive of spoken-word entertainment, and was established primarily to enable the
contents of the BBC Sound Archive to be broadcast.

All of these radio stations can be listened to live via the Internet, some of the programmes
are available for listening or downloading from the archives, some are also published in
the form of podcasts (http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts).
music of England
The beginnings of art music in England can be traced to plainsong (plainchant). With
the aid of monks and troubadours traveling throughout Europe, musical forms of many
regions were freely intermingled and spread quickly. In the 16th and 17th centuries,
England produced many notable composers, among them John Dowland, Thomas
Morley, Thomas Tallis, and, perhaps greatest of all, William Byrd. The musical stature of
the Baroque composers Henry Purcell and George Frideric Handel remains
unquestioned. Music in England reached another peak in the late 19th century,
when comic opera attained near perfection in the work of William Gilbert and Arthur
Sullivan. Later significant composers include Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, William
Walton, and Benjamin Britten.

Opera is regularly performed by the Royal Opera at Covent Garden, London, by the
English National Opera, and by other companies. A world-renowned opera festival is
held annually at Glyndebourne, and music festivals of many other types thrive. England
also has a number of orchestras, chamber groups, choruses, and cathedral choirs. The
Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, popularly known as the “Proms” and sponsored
by the British Broadcasting Corporation, play nightly from July to September at
London’s Royal Albert Hall, forming the largest regular classical music festival in the
world.

English folk music—exemplified by ballads, sea chanteys, children’s game songs, carols,
and street cries—has had a tremendous influence on the folk music, and even the
hymnody, of the United States, Canada, and other former colonies; periodic revivals,
especially in the late 1960s and mid-1990s, helped to keep English folk music before a
broad public. Drawing on the folk and classical traditions alike, anthems such as “God
Save the Queen”, “Jerusalem,” and “Land of Hope and Glory” are held in great affection.
However, 20th-century British popular music, especially rock music, had even more
visible impact on world culture. Beginning in the 1950s with skiffle groups, young
Britons began borrowing from American blues, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll to
create their own version of each. By the mid-1960s, English “beat” groups such as
the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and the Who had burst onto the world stage;
in the United States their sensational popularity was labeled the British Invasion.
Thereafter, rock and pop music remained among Britain’s main cultural exports,
marked by the international popularity of Led Zeppelin, Elton John, and Pink Floyd in
the 1970s and punk groups such as the Sex Pistols and the Clash later in the decade;
performers as various as the Police, the Smiths, Boy George, the Spice Girls, Oasis, Blur,
and Radiohead in the 1980s and ’90s; and the techno music of the turn of the century.
National Theatre, London

Situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, the National Theatre has a reputation for producing some of the

best theatre the UK has to offer. Housing the Olivier, Lyttelton and Cottesloe theatres under one roof, the varied

programme offers a myriad of classic drama and new plays by contemporary playwrights, alongside a wonderful

selection of bars and restaurants, exhibitions and a book shop. Since June 2009, the theatre has also begun a

programme of live-production broadcasts to local cinemas, as well as to those further afield. National Theatre

Live screens performances to over 1,000 venues in 35 countries, so those unable to make it to London have the

opportunity to experience the best of British performing arts wherever they are.

Royal National Theatre, South Bank, London, United Kingdom, +44 20 7452 3000

Courtesy of Royal Exchange Theatre

Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

The Royal Exchange Theatre has been hosting theatre productions since 1976 and is housed in one of Manchester’s

most-beautiful buildings in the heart of the city centre. The theatre itself sports a stage ‘in-the-round’ and can seat an

audience of up to 700, making it the largest theatre of its kind in Britain. Annually, the Royal Exchange gives an
average of 350 performances and puts on a programme that intertwines the classic performance arts, revivals and

contemporary writing. In addition, the adjoining studio also offers music concerts, readings and literary events that

engage both children and adults alike.

Royal Exchange Theatre, St Anns Square, Manchester, United Kingdom, +44 161 833 9833

Festival Theatre Edinburgh | Courtesy of Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Festival Theatre Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Situated in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, the Festival Theatre Edinburgh stands on the site of the old Empire

Theatre, dating back from 1830. The current location was opened in 1994 and today, the venue has one of the

largest performance areas in Scotland, and is one of the UK’s most reputable arts centres. Used primarily for ballet

and opera, as well as large-scale music events, it is also one of the major venues of the annual Edinburgh

International Festival. Interestingly, the theatre is said to be haunted by a dark stranger, the famous illusionist

Sigmund Neuberger, burnt to death at the Empire in a fire in 1911.

Festival Theatre Edinburgh, 13-29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, +44 131 529 6000
WMC | © Nelo Hotsuma/Flickr

Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

The Wales Millennium Centre is one of Wales’ top attractions, which stages a myriad of musicals, opera, ballet and

contemporary dance performances. The venue boasts a 1,900 seat theatre, as well as a studio theatre, a dance

house and orchestral hall. Since its opening, over 14 million visitors have graced the national arts centre – it comes

as no surprise that it is repeatedly considered as one of the best theatres built in the last few decades. Those visiting

Wales should pay a visit to a building that expresses the intrinsic ‘Welshness’ of the area; indeed, the building is

designed with local materials dominating the nation’s history – slate, metal, wood and glass.

Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Place, Cardiff Bay, United Kingdom, +44 29 2063 6464

The Old Vic, London

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Just outside Waterloo Station in London, the foundations of The Old Vic date back to 1818 when it was known as the

Royal Coburg Theatre. Over the centuries, the venue’s name has been changed repeatedly, and the building was

heavily damaged in the 1940 air raids. Since its new formation in 1976 under Laurence Olivier, the theatre has made

up the core of the National Theatre of Great Britain. Since 2003, Kevin Spacey was appointed as the artistic director,

and the company continues to awe audiences with its selection of classics and modern masterpieces.

Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow

The Citizen’s Theatre first opened as a performing arts center in 1878 and has been permanently established as a

theatre since 1945. As the second-oldest operational theatre in the UK, it has a fascinating history and remains one

of Scotland’s most important theatre venues. The building holds up to 500 visitors and has retained many of its
Victorian architectural features. It offers a distinguished range of contemporary plays, classic drama and new Scottish

writing. For those visiting Glasgow, the Citizen’s Theatre is an iconic attraction that is not to be missed.

The Citizen’s Theatre, 119 Gorbals Street, Glasgow, United Kingdom, +44 141 429 0022

RSC | © Elliot Brown/Flickr

Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon

The Royal Shakespeare Company is arguably one of the most-famous theatre companies in the world. The ensemble

connects audiences all over the world with the works of William Shakespeare, as well as with a wide-ranging

selection of contemporary playwrights and actors. The company is mostly located in Stratford-upon-Avon, the place

of Shakespeare’s birth, where performances are often accompanied by workshops and educational programmes.

Each year, the RSC attracts over one million visitors to the heart of the Midlands, but also tours – performing the best

of British theatre throughout the UK and across the world.

Royal Shakespeare Company, Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom, +44 844 800 1110

Theatre Royal | © Troy David Johnston/Flickr

Theatre Royal, Bath

At over 200 years old, the Theatre Royal in Bath is one of England’s most reputable theatres with a seating capacity

of over 900. The building itself dates from 1720 but the premises only became a theatre in 1805 and the venue

remains a wonderful example of Georgian architecture. Alongside an extensive programme performed by touring

troupes, the theatre also hosts several events each year, such as the Shakespeare Unplugged festival. As many

productions begin their season at the Theatre Royal before their stints in London, it is well worth a visit. Yet be

warned, the building itself is allegedly haunted by The Grey Lady, a former actress who watched productions from the

stalls, leaving behind a distinctive scent of jasmine.

Theatre Royal Bath, Saw Close, Bath, United Kingdom, +44 1225 448844
Crucible Theatre | © Rev Stan/Flickr

Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

The Crucible Theatre opened in 1971 and is situated in the Sheffield city centre. Since its beginnings, it has adapted

to be a renowned dance and musical performance stage, as well as a platform for classical and modern theatre. The

layout of this particular theatre makes it one of the most interesting in England – the audience sits on three sides and

each member is situated at most 20 metres from a performer. As a result, the 980-seater auditorium evokes an

intimate relationship between the spectator and the stage, providing a particularly memorable experience.

Interestingly, when it’s not hosting touring theatre productions, the theatre is a venue for the World Snooker

Championship.

Crucible Theatre, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, United Kingdom, +44 114 249 6000
The Globe | © Matthew Black/Flickr

The Globe, London

The Globe Theatre is perhaps one of England’s most famous theatres due to its close associations with the great

William Shakespeare. The original theatre was built in 1588 by his theatre company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, but

was tragically destroyed in a fire in 1613. Today, a modern reconstruction of the three-story open-air amphitheater

stands approximately 230 metres from the original site. Today, the theatre is built entirely of English Oak and the

attention to detail of the timber-framed building is incredibly striking. For lovers of Shakespeare, this is the place to go

to experience the dramatic talent of one of the nation’s most famous playwrights.

The Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London, United Kingdom, +44 20 7902 1400
 Bibliography:
Focus on Britain. – London: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1993. – 40 p.

Sheering S. Spotlight on Britain [2-d edition] / S Sheering, J. Seath, G. White. – Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1990. – 140 p.

www.timesonline.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

www.ft.com

www.telegraph.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/articles/the-10-best-theatres-in-the-united-
kingdom/

https://www.britannica.com/place/England/Music