''Press Gazette'', formerly known as ''UK Press Gazette'' (UKPG), is a British media trade magazine dedicated to journalism and the press. First published in 1965, it had a circulation of about 2,500, before becoming online-only in 2013. Published with the motto ''The Future of Media'', it contains news from the worlds of newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and online, dealing with launches, closures, moves, legislation and technological advances affecting journalists. Commercially, it is funded by

subscriptions The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century, and ...

and by publication of

recruitment Recruitment is the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the processes involved in choosing individua ...

and

classified advertising Classified advertising is a form of advertising, particularly common in newspapers, online and other periodicals, which may be sold or distributed free of charge. Classified advertisements are much cheaper than larger display advertisements used ...

, as well as occasional

display advertising Digital display advertising is online graphic advertising through banners, text, images, video, and audio. The main purpose of digital display advertising is to post company ads on third-party websites. A display ad is usually interactive (i.e. ...

. Since 2010 it has been owned by Progressive Media International, which also owns the magazines ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'' and ''

Spear's ''Spear's'' (formerly known as ''Spear's WMS'' or ''Spear's Wealth Management Survey''), founded in 2006 by William Cash, is a bimonthly British magazine for high-net-worth individuals and those in the financial service industries. It has been c ...

''.

History

''Press Gazette'' was launched in November 1965 by

Colin Valdar Colin Valdar (18 December 1918 – 11 January 1996) was a British newspaper editor. Valdar studied at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, then in Hampstead. He worked as a freelance journalist from 1935 to 39, then served with the Royal Engin ...

, his wife Jill, and his brother Stewart. Upon the Valdars' retirement in 1983 the magazine was sold to Timothy Benn, who sold it in 1990 to the Canadian publishing company

Maclean Hunter Maclean-Hunter (M-H) was a Canadian communications company, which had diversified holdings in radio, television, magazines, newspapers and cable television distribution. History The company began in 1887, when brothers John Bayne Maclean and Hug ...

. The magazine was sold again in 1994, this time to

EMAP Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Rich ...

. Three years later the magazine was sold again, along with ''MediaWeek'' and 12 other titles, to Quantum Business Media for £14.1 million.

High-profile owners and closure

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

's son-in-law Matthew Freud became the new owner of ''Press Gazette'' in May 2005, entering into partnership with former ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its Masthead (British publishing), masthead was simpl ...

'' editor

Piers Morgan Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; né O'Meara; born 30 March 1965) is a British broadcaster, journalist, writer, and television personality. He began his Fleet Street career in 1988 at ''The Sun (United Kingdom), The Sun''. In 1994, aged 29, he was ...

to raise around £600,000 to buy the title. The purchase was part of the break-up of Quantum Business Media by its owners, the venture-capital group

ABN Amro Capital ABN or abn may refer to: Companies * ABN AMRO Group, a Dutch bank group * ABN AMRO, sometimes referred to as "ABN" in shorthand, is a Dutch state-owned bank * Algemene Bank Nederland, a now-defunct Dutch bank Radio, news and television organizat ...

. On 19 October 2006, Freud announced that the magazine was for sale, citing as a reason indifference in the newspaper industry to the

British Press Awards The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. History Established in 1962 by '' The People'' and '' World's Press News'', the first award ceremony for the then-named ...

. The company owned by Freud and Morgan, Press Gazette Limited, subsequently entered administrative receivership. Initially, the receivers were unable to find another buyer for the magazine, and on 24 November 2006 it closed.

Acquisition and relaunch

After the publication missed one issue, Wilmington Group plc announced on 5 December 2006 that it had acquired the title. Wilmington Media editorial director Tony Loynes, a former ''Press Gazette'' editor, led the take-over. He named news editor Dominic Ponsford as editor, and the magazine moved from

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was n ...

to Wilmington Media's

Old Street Old Street is a street in inner north-east Central London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, via St Luke's and Old Street Roundabout, to the crossroads where it meets Shoreditch High ...

headquarters. Both the magazine and its website PressGazette.co.uk underwent a redesign in May 2007, including a new masthead and body font. The magazine switched from weekly to monthly publication in August 2008. On 6 April 2009, Wilmington Group announced the May 2009 issue would be the last, but the magazine was purchased on 22 April 2009 by Mike Danson of the Progressive Media Group, shortly after he attained full control of the ''

'', in April 2009. The Wilmington Group retained the British Press Awards. ''Press Gazette'' went to a quarterly publication in June 2012. At the beginning of 2013, it ended print publication; keeping a weekly digital edition.

Magazine Design and Journalism Awards

Since about 1998, the ''Press Gazette'' award the ''Magazine Design and Journalism Awards'' in multiple categories. One source said "They are considered the only awards which celebrate design and journalism across all magazine sectors – consumer, B2B and customer." Awards were presented in the following categories: *Magazine Design Awards **Young Designer of the Year **Best Designed Feature Spread **Best New Design/Redesign **Best Designed Front Cover **Best Use of Typography **Best Use of Illustration **Best Use of Photography **Magazine Designer of the Year **Best Designed Magazine of the Year *Magazine Journalism Awards **Exclusive of the Year **Feature Writer of the Year **Interviewer of the Year **Columnist of the Year **News Reporter of the Year **Business Reporter of the Year **Production Team of the Year **Reviewer of the Year **Digital Journalist of the Year **Editor of the Year

References

External links

''Press Gazette'' websiteThe British Press Awards websitePiers Morgan's Official Website
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', 9 December 2004
Piers Morgan turns proprietor with purchase of ''Press Gazette''
''

'', 28 May 2005
And the ''Press Gazette'' title goes to ... Piers Morgan
''

'', 10 June 2005
''Press Gazette'' honours journalists with Hall of Fame exhibition
Brand Republic, 22 November 2005

''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'', 24 January 2006
Single sponsor for Press Awards
''