Guardian Media Group facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Industry | Media |
| Founded | 1907 (Manchester Guardian) 1993 (Guardian Media Group plc) |
| Founder | C. P. Scott |
| Headquarters | London, England, UK |
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Key people
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Anna Bateson (CEO) Charles Gurassa (chair) |
| Products | Newspapers, websites |
| Revenue |  £264.4 million (2022-23) |
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Operating income
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 £-21.3 million (2022-23) |
| Owner | Scott Trust Limited |
| Divisions | Guardian News & Media Top Right Group (formerly Emap) GMG Property Services Group |
Guardian Media Group plc (GMG) is a big media company based in Britain. It owns important news sources like The Guardian newspaper. It used to own The Observer too. A special group called Scott Trust Limited completely owns GMG. This group makes sure The Guardian can always report the news freely and has enough money to do so.
The company's yearly report for 2022-23 showed that the Scott Trust Endowment Fund was worth £1.24 billion. This fund helps support the company.
Contents
History
How It All Started
The company began in 1907. It was first called Manchester Guardian Ltd. This happened when C.P. Scott bought The Manchester Guardian newspaper. This newspaper had been around since 1821.
Later, in 1924, the company bought the Manchester Evening News. Its name changed to Manchester Guardian and Evening News Ltd. After some time, it became Guardian and Manchester Evening News Ltd. This was to show the morning paper's new name. The company got its current name, Guardian Media Group plc, in 1993.
In 1991, GMG was part of a group that wanted to start a new breakfast TV show. This group included companies like London Weekend Television and The Walt Disney Company. Their new show was called GMTV.
Big Changes and Sales
Guardian Monthly was a magazine published by GMG for readers worldwide. It started in November 2006. The magazine shared articles from The Guardian and The Observer with an international audience. It had interviews, stories about world issues, and articles on travel, books, and more.
In July 2007, GMG decided to stop publishing Guardian Monthly. The publisher explained that even though the magazine did well, it was not the right time to continue with a global magazine.
In March 2007, GMG sold almost half of its share in Trader Media Group. This deal valued Trader Media Group at £1.35 billion. In December 2007, GMG and a partner bought a business part of Emap for about £1 billion.
In February 2010, GMG sold its regional newspaper division. This included 31 local and regional newspapers, like the Manchester Evening News. They sold them to Trinity Mirror for £44.8 million. This sale changed the connection between The Guardian and Manchester.
In June 2012, GMG sold its radio division, GMG Radio. This division ran stations like Real Radio and Smooth Radio. They sold it to Global Radio. In January 2014, GMG sold its remaining share in Trader Media Group.
New Leaders and Ideas
Carolyn McCall was the chief executive of Guardian Media Group from 2006 to June 2010. She then became the chief executive of EasyJet. Andrew Miller took over as chief executive from July 2010 to 2015. David Pemsel became the chief executive in 2015.
In October 2017, Guardian Media Group planned to start a new fund worth £42 million. This fund, called GMG Ventures LP, invests in new businesses. These businesses focus on creating the next generation of media technology. This helps GMG financially and supports its goals.
In January 2020, Annette Thomas became the new chief executive. She had worked as an editor for Nature and led other publishing companies. She replaced David Pemsel.
In May 2021, there were reports of disagreements between Guardian editor Katharine Viner and Annette Thomas. They had different ideas about money and the newspaper's future. In June 2021, it was announced that Annette Thomas would leave GMG.
In August 2022, Anna Bateson was chosen as the new chief executive. In September 2024, The Guardian announced it was planning to sell The Observer to a news website called Tortoise Media. Journalists at Guardian Media Group were not happy about this sale. They voted against it and said they had no confidence in the newspaper's owners. The sale of The Observer happened on April 22, 2025.
How the Group Works
Supporting Journalism
GMG's main business is Guardian News & Media Limited. This part of the company publishes theguardian.com and The Guardian newspaper. Guardian News & Media started as Guardian Newspapers Limited in 1967. It got its current name in 2006.
The group also has other investments. These investments help support its journalism. They include:
- Ascential: a company that provides digital information and organizes events for businesses.
- An investment fund managed by outside experts.
Guardian Media Group's main goal is to support its owner, Scott Trust Limited. This trust makes sure The Guardian newspaper can always be financially strong and editorially independent.
In 2013, GMG sold its property services group. This allowed them to focus more on their main business, Guardian News and Media. In 2014, The Guardian started a membership program. This program aimed to avoid charging people to read its website. It wanted to keep its content free for everyone. By 2018, this approach was very successful. More than 1 million people had subscribed or donated. The paper aimed to make enough money to cover its costs by April 2019, which it achieved in May 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Guardian Media Group para niños
