The Manchester Evening News (MEN) was founded in 1868 by Mitchell Henry as part of his campaign for election as an MP. Soon afterwards the paper was sold to Peter Allen and his brother-in-law John Edward Taylor, son of the founder of the Manchester Guardian.
From 1879 the Evening News shared the same offices as the Guardian in Manchester’s Cross Street. In 1924 it was purchased by John Scott, bringing the two titles under common ownership.
The MEN was a highly profitable enterprise, and brought significant financial benefits to the Manchester Guardian. Its purchase marked the beginning of the company as a diversified organisation as opposed to a single newspaper. In 1972 that organisation was given the name Guardian and Manchester Evening News plc (GMEN), which became Guardian Media Group plc (GMG) in 1993 to reflect the increasing breadth of its assets.
The diversification that began with the acquisition of the MEN continued throughout the 20th century. In 1961 the company bought Manchester’s other evening paper, the Chronicle, which merged with the MEN two years later.
In 1974 GMEN acquired the Rochdale Advertiser series of newspapers, followed by the Stockport Advertiser series in 1977, a majority stake in the Surrey Advertiser series in 1979, the Accrington Observer in 1990 and Thames Valley Newspapers (owners of the Reading Evening Post) in 1994.
The company took a minority stake in Anglia Television in the late Sixties and bought 10% of Great Manchester Independent Radio Ltd in 1973. The company’s involvement with broadcast media developed over the years with the purchase of a minority and then controlling interest in the TV production company that became Endemol, a further expansion into radio businesses and a partnership in the newly formed GMTV. Its stakes in GMTV and GMG Endemol were sold in 2000. The Group retains an interest in television through Channel M, its city TV station for Manchester.
The successful application for the Yorkshire Regional Radio Licence in 2001 marked the beginning of a serious push into commercial radio. It was followed the year after by the launch of Real Radio in Scotland and Yorkshire and the purchase of Jazz FM, which was renamed Smooth in 2005. Following the purchase of Century FM and Saga Radio in 2006, GMG’s radio division became the third largest commercial radio group in the UK.
In 1982 the company bought a controlling stake in NorthWest Automart (later NorthWest Autotrader), and by 1989 it controlled or had an interest in nine Auto Trader magazines. This collection of highly profitable businesses developed into today’s Trader Media Group, of which GMG became the sole owner in 2003. Autotrader.co.uk, which launched in 1996, is Europe’s largest automotive classified site. In 2007 GMG sold a minority stake in Trader Media Group to Apax Partners.
Financially Auto Trader was the most significant addition to the company, as its profits have been of immense benefit to the Group over the years. But equally significant was the purchase of the Observer in 1993, the first time another national newspaper had joined the Guardian in the portfolio.
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