This page provides some basic information about common types of media used in the UK.
Watching television is one of the most popular past-times of UK residents and has been for many years. The UK is also a world leader in producing excellent television programs. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and other television production companies in the UK have been making ground-breaking, top quality and highly entertaining dramas, comedies, documentaries, soap operas, news programs, game shows, reality shows, children’s TV shows and live event broadcasts for several decades.
However, not all television programs broadcast in the UK are produced by UK companies. Many American and a few Australian television shows are also broadcast by various channels. And many channels broadcast films from all over the world.
Important notice: Residents of any property in the UK that has a television set are legally required to have a valid TV license or face prosecution and a large fine. The current cost of a TV license is about ￡140 per year and covers the whole household, even if one household has many television sets. The license fee goes towards funding the BBC which relies on public funding rather than advertising revenues. TV licenses can be paid for in various ways, for more information, see www.tvlicensing.co.uk.
Note that television sets in communal areas of a hall of residence will probably be covered by a TV license. However, this license will not cover television sets in student’s rooms. Therefore, students living in halls, with their own television sets will need their own TV license.
Television broadcasts in the UK are transmitted and received by the following methods;
Over the air, analogue television broadcasting was the standard method used in the UK since television was first developed in the 1930s and 40s. It still operates in the UK today, but is due to be superseded by digital television broadcasting, with all analogue television broadcasting to be ceased by 2012. Analogue television signals are broadcast over the air and received via rooftop aerials, which are connected via cable directly to a television set (or via a video player). Viewers who receive this type of television broadcast have a very limited number of channels available, although the channels that are provided, including BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 and Channel 4, are all free to receive and have been broadcasting for many years, so they are well established and generally offer a very good selection of high quality programming.
Digital television in the UK is currently broadcast over the air alongside analogue broadcasts. To receive digital television over air-waves, viewers need to have a rooftop aerial connected to either a “digital television”, with a built in digital receiver, or a “Freeview” receiver box, connected to a standard analogue television set. This service offers viewers all the same channels as are available via analogue broadcast, plus many more additional channels, all of which are free to receive.
Properties that are in a region of the UK serviced by underground cable have the option of receiving “cable TV”. Viewers will need a special receiver box, which is provided by their cable TV provider, which connects to a television set. Cable TV offers a huge range of channels that are usually grouped together in packages, with each package having a certain number of channels, including special movie and sports channels, for a set monthly fee. The more channels a viewer desires, the more expensive the package will be. Note that some cable TV providers require customers to sign a minimum 12 month contract and most also offer telephone and broadband internet services, all through the same underground cable. These services are typically bundled together in service packages, with varied monthly fees.
An alternative to cable TV is satellite TV, which typically offers broadly the same channels, depending on the service provider, which are also offered as packages for a set monthly fee. Satellite TV is received via an external satellite dish that connects to a special receiver box and then to a television set. The satellite dish and receiver box are provided by the satellite TV provider. Note that some satellite TV providers require customers to sign a minimum 12 month contract.
Similar to television broadcasts in the UK, radio is also broadcast in both analogue and digital formats. Standard radio receivers will pick up analogue radio signals but digital radio signals can only be picked up by newer Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) radios. Digital radio offers a wider selection of radio station broadcasts than analogue radio, although most of the well known, popular radio stations broadcast on both mediums.
The BBC has several radio stations that broadcast nationwide as well as many regional stations, all offering a wide variety of news and music. In addition many private radio stations operate in the UK, most of which broadcast on a regional level. Most BBC and private radio stations specialise in playing a certain genre of music, from classical to hip-hop, from jazz to rock ‘n roll, there are radio stations available to suit all tastes. For a list of radio stations broadcasting in the UK, see www.radiofeeds.co.uk, where users can also follow links to listen to live broadcasts on-line via their computer, from anywhere in the world.
The internet, being the global network phenomenon that it is, is little different when used in the UK or anywhere else in the world. Web pages from UK websites may load modestly faster when accessed from a computer within the UK, but the biggest influence on download speeds will be the user’s type of internet connection, rather than their global location.
For information on the various methods of getting online while in the UK, see the “E-mail and internet” section on the Communication page of this website.
The UK has a number of national newspapers, most of which are published daily, others only on Sundays. UK national newspapers are commonly grouped into two categories, “tabloids” and “broadsheets”.
Tabloid newspapers are aimed at the UK’s working-class population. They cover all aspects of national and international news, but often with only brief articles on important issues. They will typically give as much coverage to the latest celebrity scandals as they give to covering the national economy or the war in Iraq. Reading a tabloid newspaper can be a very efficient way to catch up on the latest news and events but will do little to broaden the mind of the reader. Popular UK tabloids include; The Sun, The Daily Star, The Mirror, Daily Mail, The Daily Express and The News of the World.
The name “Broadsheets” comes from the fact that these papers are typically printed on much larger paper than tabloids, although some broadsheets now use the smaller, more standard sized paper. Broadsheets are more serious newspapers. They tend to employ the best journalists that write in-depth articles on national and international political, business, sport and lifestyle issues and current events. One broadsheet newspaper could take several hours to read through, such are the length and depth of many of the articles they contain. Popular UK broadsheets include; The Times, The Guardian, The Observer, Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Financial Times (primarily business and economics news) and The Sunday Times (Sundays only).
There are also some daily newspapers that are only distributed regionally and cover national and international as well as regional news. Some of these newspapers are free of charge, others are not.
In addition, many cities, towns and areas within the UK are also served by free regional newspapers that tend to concentrate mostly on local news and events. Many of these regional newspapers are distributed free of charge throughout the local area, commonly delivered direct to resident’s doorsteps every week.
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