Associated Newspapers - Unrivalled Excellence

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Under the proprietorship of the fourth Viscount Rothermere, Associated Newspapers is the oldest national newspaper company in the UK to still remain in the hands of the founding family. The foundations of the business were laid in 1894 when Alfred Harmsworth, subsequently Lord Northcliffe, obtained his first newspaper, the Evening News.

Just two years later, on 4 May 1896, Alfred Harmsworth launched The Daily Mail, since when it has been the flagship of the Company. The paper was designed to have a wide appeal and soon became unrivalled in its field. It spearheaded Alfred's revolutionary approach to newspapers, earning him the reputation as "The Father of Modern Journalism".

Associated Newspapers is a subsidiary of the Daily Mail & General Trust plc, which was established in 1905. The company's interest in newspapers has varied considerably over the last 100 years, reflecting the changes in the economics of the industry and in society as a whole over the course of the century.

The foundations of the business were laid in 1894 when Alfred Harmsworth, subsequently Lord Northcliffe, obtained his first newspaper, the Evening News.

Many of the major national titles were started or acquired by the Group: founded by Lord Northcliffe and produced by women, the Daily Mirror started life as a newspaper for women in 1903 and stayed in the Group until 1947 when it was sold to Cecil King.

In the same year the Weekly Dispatch was acquired from the Newnes family: this later became the long lived Sunday Dispatch.

1904 saw the first edition of the Overseas Mail, which in 1905 became the Continental Daily Mail. This was also the year when the Observer joined the group. In 1908 The Times was added to the portfolio and remained with Associated Newspapers until the death of Lord Northcliffe in 1922 when it was sold to John Jacob Astor.

The second Viscount Rothermere added the Sunday Pictorial, The Star, The News Chronicle and the Daily Sketch, none of which are still published. The Illustrated Mail, a weekly paper, was the result of a transformation made out of the Sunday Daily Mail. This latter title had been launched in 1899 following the success of the Daily Mail, but was closed after only six issues due to overwhelming objections from religious groups.

The Mail on Sunday, sister to the Daily Mail, was added to the stable by the third Viscount Rothermere in 1982 and in 1987 he took over complete ownership of the Evening Standard, London's only evening newspaper - the Evening News having closed in 1980.

In spring 1999 Metro was launched as a free tabloid newspaper aimed at morning commuters. Distributed initially in London, Metro quickly rolled out around the UK. 1.36 million copies are now distributed every weekday across 16 cities including Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Leeds. In 2005 an edition was launched in Dublin.

Metro is a mix of national and international news wrapped around local entertainment and information – listings, travel and weather. It has no political spin and includes concise stories that can be read in the 26 minute ‘Metro Moment’. Readership now stands at just under three million.

Associated Northcliffe Digital (AND) is the new media publishing division of Associated Newspapers Limited. Today AND boasts some of the UK's most successful Internet properties including jobsite.co.uk, findaproperty.co.uk and personal finance site thisismoney.com.

Drawing on the newsgathering capabilities of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and Metro, Associated Northcliffe Digital has its own highly experienced, dedicated editorial teams for each of its market-leading sites.

Additionally, it has assembled an impressive commercial team delivering some of the most innovative and successful online advertising models available on the UK web.