Metadata
WORK ID: YFA 2882 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| THIRD CENTURY: THE STORY OF YORKSHIRE POST NEWSPAPERS | 1970 | 1970-01-01 |
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Details
Original Format: 16mm Colour: Colour Sound: Sound Duration: 25 mins Credits: Produced by Yorkshire Television in conjunction with the Publicity Department Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd. Subject: Industry |
| Summary This film was made by Yorkshire Television as a promotion on behalf of the Yorkshire Post. The commentary gives a history of the newspaper, and an outline of the various editions and coverage of the newspaper group. It also shows in detail the move into new premises in 1970 and the new machinery and processes that were introduced at that time. |
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Description
This film was made by Yorkshire Television as a promotion on behalf of the Yorkshire Post. The commentary gives a history of the newspaper, and an outline of the various editions and coverage of the newspaper group. It also shows in detail the move into new premises in 1970 and the new machinery and processes that were introduced at that time.
The film begins with two men walking to a small aircraft about to take off, one carrying cameras.
Title - Third Century: The story of Yorkshire Post...
This film was made by Yorkshire Television as a promotion on behalf of the Yorkshire Post. The commentary gives a history of the newspaper, and an outline of the various editions and coverage of the newspaper group. It also shows in detail the move into new premises in 1970 and the new machinery and processes that were introduced at that time.
The film begins with two men walking to a small aircraft about to take off, one carrying cameras.
Title - Third Century: The story of Yorkshire Post Newspapers
The light airplane flies over Yorkshire, filming the countryside and cityscapes. The film then switches to the Yorkshire Post Literary Luncheon, with a guest speaker. A commentary outlines the history of the newspaper. The paper was started out as the Leeds Intelligencer by Rupert Wright, from a small shop in Briggate - showing the front page of the 1st edition from 2nd July 1754. In 1866 Yorkshire Conservative Newspaper Co was formed, becoming the Yorkshire Post and going daily - showing the 1st edition, again on 2nd July. Later the Yorkshire evening post was launched.
The film then looks in general at the industry of Yorkshire, showing a mill loom and processes related to steel. A shunter couples up a wagon using a shunting pole. And Miners are shown leaving their shifts, with a short interview with a manager. Then onto the docks where timber is being unloaded, emphasising the first-hand knowledge of the reporters.
The film moves to the Albion Street offices before closing in 1970. A line of secretaries are audio typing, and sub-editors are at work in the editing office. A young woman takes copy from one place in the building to another. The commentary states that building is now too cramped for a modern day paper. The film shows some of the operations of printing, including the type setting machine. A woman comes through the machine room with a tea trolley.
It then moves on to show the demolition on the site of the new building, beginning in 1967; and then the beginning of construction of the new building in September 1968. Examples are given to show the different kinds of news they cover, such as historic buildings, cricket at Headingley and football, possibly Bradford. Again the print works are shown in operation. This is followed by work on construction of the new site, including the delivery of the steel beams. Journalists are shown reporting in other parts of the country. Then the papers are shown being loaded onto the vans.
The next scene explains how the Yorkshire Post does more than just focus on news. For instance, it is on the committee for the Flowers for Leeds Competition. The winners are presented with the cup.
In the summer of 1969 the new building is complete, with the arrival of the new printing presses, which are shown being tested. The transfer took place over a single weekend in September 1970, without missing a single edition. An example of on-the-spot reporting is shown with an interview with a police officer about a shooting of a warehouseman and policeman, with a large police search in Pudsey. The film then shows the new large editing hall, marketing room and the reception space. Then on to the classified advertising room, with the 40 tele ad. receptionists. There are teleprinting machines bringing news from around the world, and this is typed and sent by conveyor belts. The copy is sent to the production floor. Some of the old Linotype machines are still at work, but this is changing to computerised typesetting; which is explained and shown in operation. There are also automatic type casters, although the lines of type are still made by hand. A facsimile of the page from paper Mache is shown being made and transferred to make a plate cast. As the new plate casts come out the old ones go back to be re-melted for further use. The Fototronic 1200 is seen at work. Once the page is complete it is photographed and these are made into plates. The finished paper is proof read. The commentary provides statistics on the numbers of papers that are printed and on the materials used. The papers are counted automatically and made into batches. These are automatically stacked and tied. They are loaded onto the vans. These are then shown being distributed across Yorkshire. The film ends with the words "We've come a long way."
Produced by Yorkshire Television in conjunction with the Publicity Department Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd.
Context
Produced by Yorkshire Television and the Yorkshire Post Publicity Department, this film is part of the Armley Mills collection, donated by the Industrial museum in Leeds. Unsurprisingly like most films in this collection, this film focuses on industry within Yorkshire. Whereas other films of this collection are about heavy industries such as coal and iron, Third Century looks at the newspaper industry. As such the film shows various activities relating to the Yorkshire Post. Yorkshire...
Produced by Yorkshire Television and the Yorkshire Post Publicity Department, this film is part of the Armley Mills collection, donated by the Industrial museum in Leeds. Unsurprisingly like most films in this collection, this film focuses on industry within Yorkshire. Whereas other films of this collection are about heavy industries such as coal and iron, Third Century looks at the newspaper industry. As such the film shows various activities relating to the Yorkshire Post. Yorkshire Television has been a force in local filmmaking since its creation in 1968, in addition to its role as a commercial broadcaster, Yorkshire Television often created promotional features and documentaries such as this one, to highlight interesting events in the region. This film in particular shows the history and recent developments of the Yorkshire Post.
As a joint effort by Yorkshire Television and the Yorkshire Post, the film effectively documents the construction of the Yorkshire Post’s new building, as well as giving a brief history of the paper, interspersed with the day to day running of the offices. Typically a film of this type would be made to commemorate a certain event or landmark, and this one is no different. As the title would suggest the Yorkshire Post has been around, in some shape or form, for around 300 years. As the film shows, the Yorkshire Post is one of the oldest newspapers in the country, founded in 1754 by Johnston Press. Before it was the Yorkshire Post however, the paper was originally called the Leeds Intelligencer, or the Leeds Intelligencer before 1765. The Intelligencer would eventually become the Yorkshire Post in 1866, which coincided with the change from a weekly newspaper to a daily one. After the name change in 1866, the paper contained a statement outlining its political alignment, ‘the political principles of this journal are Conservative; while supporting every practical improvement, it will resist organic changes ... It will be at once conservative and progressive, a foe to democracy and revolution, but the firm friend of all constitutional reform.’ The paper has had an illustrious history, breaking momentous stories such as the 1936 abdication crisis, and at its peak sold more than 120,000 copies a day; yet some might say that the paper’s glory days are far behind it. Like many regional newspapers The Yorkshire Post has not been immune to the economic downturn of recent years, and with the dominance of online news outlets often available for free, regional newspapers are facing dire times. Declining sales and the loss of advertising revenue has led to the loss of thousands of jobs throughout the sector, perhaps most notably the axing of the paper’s editor in 2004 in favour of a ‘director’, presumably to help the paper adapt to the difficult market. The Paper and it’s publishers have somewhat succeeded in adapting to a predominantly internet focused market, with the Yorkshire Post having its own website, yet copies a day of the physical paper had dropped to 40,000 by 2012. Arguably the centrepiece of the film is the Yorkshire Post’s new building on Wellington Street. Officially opened in 1970 by Prince Charles, the building housed both the Yorkshire and Evening Posts for a little over 40 years, only recently getting demolished. In 1970 the building housed over 1,300 staff, whilst at the time of demolition held around 400. The grey concrete bunker-like building was a prime example of ‘60s ‘Brutalism’ architecture. These days Brutalism is almost synonymous with the ‘60s and the post war period in general, its concrete constructs often seen as simple, effective and cheap, even if seen by many as almost dystopian. The Yorkshire Post building was not the only example of Brutalism in Leeds however. Other notable examples include Leeds University’s Roger Stevens Building, Leeds International Pool and the offices of the Merrion Centre. Leeds is widely regarded as one of the best examples of Brutalism in the UK, yet clearly this does not mean they are immune to demolition. Many have lamented the loss of, what is in essence, Leeds’s architectural heritage, for example Christopher Beanland’s article in for The Guardian is effectively a love letter to Leeds’s relationship with Brutalism. Third Century has examples of not only the newspaper industry, but an array of other industries. As the narrator points out, Yorkshire has had a long history with industry, and played a key role in the industrial revolution, it should come as no surprise then that the film shows different aspects of industry in the region. Leeds especially was an industrial powerhouse. As Mick McCann notes,’ Leeds is a city built from textiles’, textiles which were invaluable to the industrial revolution. A major figure in the industrial revolution and the textile industry was Benjamin Gott, a Leeds born industrial magnate, whose Armley mill (which would eventually become the very museum which donated this film) was the largest in the world in 1805. Gott was a pioneer during the revolution, innovating new methods and techniques such as power looms and hydromechanics in general. Indeed Gott became a leading figure in both civic and industrial life, as Margaret Jacob notes ‘Gott’s expertise was sought out by imitators and rivals alike’. Evidently then Gott was an important figure not only for the industrial revolution but Leeds in general, even going on to be the city’s mayor in 1799. References The Yorkshire Post, The Leeds Intelligencer Christopher Beanland, Farewell to Leeds’ 60s Architecture Adam Newton, The Brutalist Architecture of Leeds Jayne Rodgers, Beautiful Brutalism Suzanne Graham, Discovering Leeds, 1750-1850 Mick McCann, Leeds, A City Built From Textiles Margaret C. Jacob, The First Knowledge Economy: Human Capital and the European Economy, 1750-1850, Cambridge University Press, 2014 Mark Sweney, Yorkshire Post publisher scraps editors’ posts on regional Newspapers Paul Linford, ABC figures: How the regional dailies performed |
