Press Association
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This article appears to be written like an advertisement. (November 2011) |
The Press Association (PA) is the United Kingdom and Ireland's national multimedia news agency, information provider and supplier of business-to-business media services.
PA is part of PA Group Limited, a private company with 27 shareholders, most of whom are national and regional newspaper publishers. The biggest shareholders are Associated Newspaper Holdings Limited, News International plc, Trinity Mirror plc and United Business Media plc. The group also comprises MeteoGroup, a full-service weather business; Globelynx, a broadcast camera provider; and TNR, a specialist communications consultancy.
PA is positioned at the centre of the media industry, delivering a continuous feed of multi-platform content via a national newswire, including text, images, video and data into newsrooms around the country. This ranges from international sports data and entertainment guides, to weather forecasting and archived images.
For instance, PA Images has more than 12 million photographs available online, and around 10 million in physical archives dating back 150 years.
PA has continually evolved to provide businesses, brands and public sector organisations with multi-media content. PA’s products and services span across sports data APIs, hosted live blogs, social media content, media training, page production services and TV listings.
PA’s customers are varied, consisting of non-media customers, business brands, commercial companies, Government and not-for-profit organisations.
History
The Press Association was founded in 1868 by a group of provincial newspaper proprietors to provide a London-based service of news-collecting and reporting from around the British Isles.
The news agency's founders sought to produce a more accurate and reliable alternative to the monopoly service of the telegraph companies. A committee appointed to make arrangements for the formation of the organisation said: "The Press Association is formed on the principle of co-operation and can never be worked for individual profit, or become exclusive in its character".
The Press Association launched the Ananova news website in 2000. Ananova was then sold to Orange.
A full history of the Press Association was written by Chris Moncrieff, CBE, the former Political Editor of the Press Association in 2001 called "Living on a Deadline."
PA Agency
The Press Association reports 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
PA’s service supplies news, sport, entertainment and images stories, delivered in multi-format for various print and digital platforms.
PA provides a stream of content on wires, delivers packages for use online, or designs and delivers ready-to-publish pages for use in print. This media content now includes video and interactive graphics.
• PA news reporters file stories every day, from breaking news to show business and human interest stories.
• In sport, PA reports on the major events around the world including tennis, golf, rugby, horseracing and key football tournaments.
• PA’s entertainment journalists gather celebrity coverage, star interviews and independent reviews.
• PA Images provide photographic content for the news, sport and entertainment genres from around the world. Images are multi-format and available for multiple platforms, e.g. tablet, smartphone.
MeteoGroup
MeteoGroup is a full-service weather business, owned by PA Group. It has a global customer base and operations throughout Europe, in Singapore and the USA.
Founded in 1986, MeteoGroup provides weather intelligence to businesses from the shipping industry and energy traders through to construction companies and the media. Meteorologists provide forecasts, support, monitoring and consultancy services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
MeteoGroup is also the developer of WeatherPro, a paid-for weather app.
TNR
TNR is the specialist communications consultancy of the Press Association. Offering creative PR services from a journalistic perspective, it provides the ability to commission PA videographers, photographers and trainers and benefit from the Press Association’s access to the UK media.
Globelynx
Globelynx was founded in 2001 and is part of PA Group. Globelynx connects, via its managed fibre optic network, a growing list of corporate clients to TV news broadcasters in the UK and worldwide. It provides TVready remotely monitored, broadcast-quality purpose built camera systems - all the elements and expertise necessary for an organisation to maximise its exposure on television, live and direct from the office.
Board of directors
- Murdoch MacLennan (Chairman, PA Group)
- Clive Marshall (Chief Executive, PA Group)
- Steven Brown (Finance Director, PA Group)
- Tony Watson (Managing Director, Press Association)
- Andrew Dowsett, Chief Technology Officer, PA Group)
- Jennie Campbell (Managing Director, MeteoGroup)
- Kevin Beatty (Chief Executive, A&N Media)
- Tom Mockridge (Chief Executive, News International)
- Alan Crosbie (Chairman, Thomas Crosbie Holdings Ltd and Examiner Publications (Cork))
- Adrian Jeakings (Chief Executive, Archant)
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