Professional Publishers Association; PPA

PPA represents the interests of magazine and professional media publishers in the UK. The association's membership consists of almost 400 publishing companies, who together publish more than 2,260 consumer, business and professional magazines. They also produce a large range of directories and websites, in addition to organising conferences, exhibitions and awards. A number of the larger companies also have TV and radio brands linked to their publishing interests.

It was incorporated in 1913 as The Society of Weekly Newspaper and Periodical Proprietors under Lord Riddell as its first Chairman. The Joint Advertising Committee was formed in conjunction with the Newspaper Society in 1926 to administer an advertising agency recognition scheme. The office at 6 Bouverie Street was destroyed, with all its records, in the Blitz of 1941 and the organisation re-located to Kingsway with the Newspaper Society splitting away to premises elsewhere.
Under the presidency of Lord Southwood, the association consisted of two councils at this time:

1. The Council of the Periodical and Weekly Newspaper Press
2. Trade and Technical Press Council.

There were also several committees: Finance Committee, Circulation Managers' Committee, Joint Advertising Committee and Advertisement Committee.
The Periodical Trade Press (PTP), Weekly Newspaper Proprietors Association (WNPA) and Newspaper Society Joint Advertising Committee effectively disbanded after irreconcilable differences led to approval of a separate PTP and WNPA scheme on 27 October 1942. The Periodical Proprietors Association became the Periodical Publishers Association on 29 August 1967.

See: www.ppa.co.uk

Archive Content

Date range: 1942-present

Scope/formats

PPA's own extensive archive includes: articles of association; bank/cash books and ledgers; board papers; AGM, EGM and committee minutes; annual reports; membership files; training courses; correspondence; historical handbooks and pamphlets; newsletters; press cuttings; photographs of Presidents, dinner programmes and press cuttings.

The collection includes other general published material such as Royal Commission on the Press, IBA, BSI (Metrication), CICI, ITN, and EEC reports, international surveys and ABC circulation reviews.

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