The History of the Provincial Press in England

Regional newspapers around the globe are fighting to survive in the face of challenges to their economic model, due to the constant influx of new technology. At the same time, while studies of the national press have created a continuous narrative on the newspaper, the history of the regional press has been subject to relatively little academic scrutiny, despite being a significant industry in terms of a readership, circulation and profit.

By focusing on provincial English newspapers, Matthews makes the case for the larger issue of the future of local newspapers worldwide. She argues that a comprehensive approach to the history of the regional press can result in a conceptualization of the industry in terms of the shift in emphasis between the key elements of state control, ownership, social influence and production techniques. They can be categorized into six distinct stages: the local newspaper as opportunistic creation; the characterization of the local newspaper as fourth estate; the impact of New Journalism; the growth of chain control, the shock of the free paper and new technology and finally, the current picture, the search for a new business model.

Introduction: Regional Newspaper History Defined by Continuity and Change
Chapter 1: The Printer's Paper - The Rise of the 'Commerce of Information'
Chapter 2: News for the Masses: Politics and the Industrialization of the Regional Newspaper Industry
Chapter 3: The Advent of the Local Watchdog
Chapter 4: Who Calls the Tune? The Rise of Chain Ownership
Chapter 5: Newspaper Wars Suspended: The Role of the Regional Press in World War II
Chapter 6: Big Business and the Changing Model of News Delivery
Chapter 7: The Vanishing Newspaper: Where Now for Local News?
Bibliography

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