• How will local media deal with the challenge of the Internet?
• How important is regional news to the nations of the UK?
• What does the future hold for newspapers, regional television and local radio news?

Most adults in the UK read a local newspaper; regional news bulletins are among the most-watched on television; and local radio has a loyal following. This is hardly surprising as, for most people, the everyday activities of life take place within familiar local territory.

Even though the majority of political and economic decisions affecting daily life are taken far away and are shaped by global processes, their impact is experienced locally. Local media are vital if there is to be an effective arena for informed debate about these issues. But despite being both popular and politically important, local media are often overlooked on media-related courses and in discussions of the role of the media in contemporary society.

Understanding the Local Media addresses this gap by explaining how regional newspapers and broadcast news are owned, regulated and organized; how these factors produce the outputs we see and hear; what we know of audiences attitude to them; and discusses local media as places of work.

Meryl Aldridge brings issues alive by the extensive use of real examples and offers a fascinating insight into this media sector for students and teachers on academic and professional media courses. It also provides stimulating reading for anyone interested in UK media today.