Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport visits Bauer Media’s new UK headquarters, The Lantern

The visit was in celebration of World Press Freedom Day

Bauer Media was proud to welcome Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to its new UK headquarters, The Lantern yesterday, to see the new home for the UK’s No.1 magazine publisher and leading UK commercial radio business.

Hosted by Helen Morris, Co-CEO of Bauer’s UK Publishing business and Simon Myciunka, CEO of Bauer’s UK Audio business, the visit was an opportunity for the Secretary of State to see Bauer’s editorial and broadcasting teams in action as well as discuss the importance of maintaining a thriving publishing and audio sector in the UK.

As part of the visit, Lucy was greeted by Magic Radio Breakfast hosts, Ronan Keating and Harriet Scott who provided a tour of the building’s new state-of-the-art studios and shared some insight into what goes into producing a national weekday Breakfast show.

Lucy also met with some of Bauer Media’s award-winning news teams, who produce 60 bulletins an hour across Bauer’s network of radio stations, connecting with millions of people across the UK that other media struggle to reach. With the visit taking place in the same week as World Press Freedom Day, it was an opportunity to discuss the vital role that journalists play, as well as how they can collaborate with the government to tackle some of the issues the industry is facing, including the rise of fake news.

As part of the day,  the Secretary of State was able to see the hard work that goes into Bauer Media’s UK charity, Cash for Kids which has raised over £200m in the last 10 years for disadvantaged children, with a number of activities taking place in the building and across the rest of the UK for its annual Cash for Kids Day – including a 12-hour karaoke singalong organised by Magic Radio.

The Secretary of State was also able to gain some insight into how the covers for magazines including Grazia and Empire are designed, as well as meet with the teams behind Bauer Academy, the market leading training provider in the UK for Arts, Media and Publishing apprenticeships.

Referring to the visit, Lucy Frazer said ‘The media plays a vital role in safeguarding our democracy, so I was delighted to visit Bauer’s new state of the art HQ and see firsthand how its dedicated team is keeping millions of people across the country informed and entertained every week. With its trusted audio news output and wide-range of magazine genres, Bauer Media makes a vital contribution to media freedom.

‘I want to make sure media groups like Bauer continue to deliver for audiences long into the future. New rules in our Media Bill will ensure UK radio stations are available on all smart speakers, so listeners can easily tune in to their favourite British programming on their connected devices.

Helen Morris and Simon Myciunka said, ‘Our purpose at Bauer Media is to enrich everyday lives, by informing, entertaining and inspiring our audiences, and we really enjoyed giving Lucy and her team a little insight this week into how we make that happen. ‘

‘We remain committed to driving innovation, as well as fostering positive change within our communities and this visit underscores the importance of partnerships between government and industry in advancing the media landscape for the benefit of all.’

 

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For further press information, please contact:

Amelia O’Shea – Head of Communications, Bauer Media Audio UK
E: amelia.oshea@bauermedia.co.uk
M: 07531 949693

Cat Martin – Communications Director, Bauer Media Audio
E: cat.martin@bauermedia.co.uk
M: 07932 746 363

About Bauer Media UK:

Bauer Media UK reaches over 27 million UK consumers through a portfolio of world-class, multi-platform media and entertainment brands including heat, KISS, Grazia, Empire, Absolute Radio and the Hits Radio Portfolio. These brands offer commercial partners access to highly engaged audiences, with creative solutions underpinned by insight and instinct. Bauer Media UK is part of the Bauer Media Group, one of the world’s largest privately owned media businesses with media assets all over the globe.