London is one of the world’s most visited cities, with nearly 20 million travellers making their way to the UK’s capital every single year. Yet, apart from its multitude of attractions for tourists, London is also widely recognised as a global information hub, with thousands of news outlets, digital media companies and broadcast networks making the metropolis their home.
How it all began
Historically speaking, the capital’s roots as an international information centre began to grow in the early eighteenth century. With a proliferation of local printing presses making use of the country’s liberal publication laws, the many coffee houses of early Georgian London were awash with pamphlets, newspapers and journals, reporting on a variety of subjects ranging from local news and political gossip to colonial trade.
London’s considerable influence on global commerce grew throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which meant that its financial institutions were of interest to people living in cities across Europe and further afield. For this reason, news coming out of London had international relevance and financiers and politicians from across the globe paid keen attention to developments in Britain.
London and traditional media
Fleet Street, a centre of publishing since the 1500s, reached its zenith in the twentieth century, when numerous British newspapers, publishing houses and telecommunications agencies settled on the street, furnishing the country and the world with breaking news, investigative journalism and literature of all genres.
Today, most major news outlets have left the famous thoroughfare, but the City of London retains its status as the world’s most important financial centre. This has attracted numerous publications and broadcasters from all over the world to open their offices in London, with CNN, Reuters and the New York Times all boasting London addresses.
Digital media in London
While London hosts much of the world’s traditional media. Many innovative digital media companies and social networks choose the capital as their home, benefitting from the cultural, political, and scientific trends sweeping the city. With its world-renowned universities and its reputation as a multi-cultural and diverse location, London attracts the brightest minds from all over the world.
Major digital media businesses like Google and Facebook have opened offices in London to take advantage of the melting pot of international talent in the capital, as well as its business-friendly reputation. Thus, London can truly be described as an information hub, housing both some of the world’s most influential traditional media, as well as digital media companies big and small.
London as an ideal location for PR
With over 200,000 Londoners working in media, television and journalism, the conditions for a fertile and close-knit network of people working in the industry are unique. PR companies can benefit from their close connection and proximity with news outlets and individual journalists to create relationships with influential media.
These relationships can elevate you and your company’s profile in a more organic and personal way, making your PR strategy as impactful as possible.
If you are looking for a London-based PR agency with key expertise in a variety of sectors, get in touch.
