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PA Media

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PA Media is a large multimedia news agency. It functions as a central source for news and information. The agency is part of PA Media Group Limited. This is a private company with 26 different shareholders. Most of these shareholders are publishers of regional or national newspapers. Some of the largest shareholders include Informa, News UK, and the Daily Mail and General Trust.

The company operates through many different specialized businesses. One major branch is PA Images, which handles photography. This arm manages a massive collection of visual history. There are over 20 million photographs available online. Additionally, they hold 10 million photos in physical archives. These archives contain images dating back 150 years. In February 2020, the company expanded its reach into international markets. They did this by acquiring Alamy, a global stock photo agency. Alamy holds more than 400 million images as of July 2025.

PA Media Group also manages several other technical subsidiaries. Globelynx was founded in 2001 to support television news. It provides remotely monitored camera systems for corporate clients. These systems help connect clients with TV news broadcasters globally. StreamAMG is another subsidiary that focuses on video streaming. The group also owns Sticky, a digital copywriting and content strategy agency. Another business, TNR, acts as a specialist communications consultancy. Finally, they own RADAR, which was founded in 2017.

The history of the agency began in 1868. A group of provincial newspaper proprietors founded the organization. They wanted to create a more reliable news service. At that time, telegraph companies held a monopoly on information. The founders sought to provide a more accurate alternative. In January 1870, the agency moved to new headquarters at 7 Wine Office Court. This location was situated off Fleet Street.

As the company grew, it moved to different locations. In the 1930s, the agency moved to 85 Fleet Street. Arthur Cranfield served as the first Editor-in-Chief starting in 1926. In 1995, the company moved to Vauxhall Bridge Road. This move helped the agency expand its various divisions. They grew particularly fast in sports and new media. In 2000, they launched the Ananova news website. This website was later sold to the company Orange.

The company has undergone several name changes over the years. In 2005, the organization changed its name to PA Group. In December 2013, they sold MeteoGroup to General Atlantic. MeteoGroup was the largest private sector weather company in Europe. In 2015, they sold their finance publications divisions. These divisions included SatelliteFinance and TelecomFinance. In September 2018, the name changed again. The news agency became PA Media. The umbrella company became PA Media Group Limited. This change happened during a move to new digital media offices.

Education is also a major part of their business model. PA Training is the largest media and journalism training company in Europe. This division was formed in 2006. It was created when the Press Association bought a training centre in Newcastle upon Tyne. This centre belonged to Trinity Mirror. The company also owned the Editorial Centre from Westminster Press. They merged these two businesses to create PA Training. One specific NCTJ course in Newcastle has existed since 1969.

Today, the agency continues to manage a large workforce. The editorial employees are represented by the National Union of Journalists. A committee forced the company to recognize this union in June 2024. As of May, the bargaining unit includes 274 workers. Jack Lefley serves as the current editor-in-chief. He was appointed in 2024 and began his role in 2025. The agency remains a central part of the United Kingdom's media landscape.

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