This second edition of Colin Seymour-Ure's history of the press and broadcasting in post-war Britain offers a concise and fully up-to-date overview of the development of the media and its central role in British society.

The book covers the period from a time when the phrase 'mass media' was barely used, to the era of international media conglomerates and global communications. Supported by detailed tables, the analysis traces changes in what was available and what people used - the size and ownership of the national and provincial press; the growth of television and the impact of ITV; the decline and revival of radio; the continuities and differences in what people read; looked at, listened to and liked.

This edition also examines recent developments such as the proliferation of satellite use, upheaval at the BBC, and the reform of ITV in the 1990 Broadcasting Act. Such developments place more weight than ever on the relations between media and politics. Seymour-Ure's analysis focuses on the key question of accountability - the accountability of politicians through media to the public, and the accountability of media themselves.