- The Daily Sport
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Daily Sport Type Daily newspaper Format Tabloid Owner David Sullivan (1991–2011)
Grant Miller (2011–present)Founder David Sullivan Publisher Daily Sport Ltd. Founded 1991 Political alignment None, (focuses on yellow journalism) Headquarters London, United Kingdom[citation needed] Circulation 84,000 Official website Official site Daily Sport is a tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom by Daily Sport Ltd., which specialised in celebrity news and softcore pornographic stories and images. The daily paper was launched in 1991 by David Sullivan, following on from its former Sunday sister title, Sunday Sport(first published in 1986).[1] It ceased publication and entered administration on April 1, 2011.[2] Following the purchase on 7 June by telecom, travel and internet entrepreneur Grant Miller the new online Daily Sport [1] re-launched on 17 August 2011 with sport coverage plus classified advertising for the first time in its 20 year history and plans are now advanced for a print re-launch.
Contents
Focus and content
The Sport did not focus on political news or world events, although in 2008 Lembit Opik (the former Liberal Democrat MP) began a regular weekly political column.[3] Instead, its news coverage indulged more in yellow journalism, with an emphasis on celebrities, bad behaviour and toilet humour.
The Daily and Sunday Sport were also known for their ridiculous headlines that referred to fabricated stories, such as "World War Two Bomber Found on Moon". Later editorial practice meant an end to such stories and an increased focus on celebrity news and sexual revelations.
Daily Sport often published fake nude pictures of celebrities and also paparazzi 'upskirt' and 'downblouse' or nipple slip pictures. The fake nude pictures were published with the appropriate disclaimers and captions, although the front cover image was often accompanied by a titillating caption. In 2008 The Sport was criticised by the Press Complaints Commission for glamourising suicide by publishing a "Top yourself tourism list".[4]
A large portion of advertising was for adult goods and services, such as phone-sex chat lines and internet chat and cam sites. A feature of the paper was the classified advertisements, which in reality were a series of short advertisements for massage parlours and escort services across the country. In recent years the classified adverts had also become a place for swingers to advertise, as the swinging scene has grown.
The Sport claimed to have launched the careers of numerous models, among them Linsey Dawn McKenzie, who began posing topless for the newspaper in 1994, and Cherry Dee who began posing topless for them in 2003 when they were both 16 (the legal age for such activity in the UK at the time). Among recent popular Sport models were Kelly Bell, Hannah Claydon and Lauren Pope; however, very few Sport models would also appear in the other tabloids which the paper regarded as its rivals.
The Daily Sport and Sunday Sport were sold by David Sullivan to Sport Media Group in 2007. The papers were relaunched in April 2008 under the editorial leadership of Barry McIlheney and James Brown, the founder of loaded. In October 2008, Pam McVitie was appointed the first female editor of the Daily Sport.[5][6] In 2009 SMG had to be bailed out by David Sullivan and Gold Group International, after having been put up for sale by its owners.[7][8]
Circulation
Circulation levels in 2009 were 84,000[9] and rising, but they then fell sharply after the company got into financial difficulties.[10]
References
- ^ "R.I.P. Daily and Sunday Sport". BBC. 2011-04-04. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12958143. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
- ^ Daily Sport ceases publication and calls in administrators. Press Gazette. Retrieved on 2011-04-03.
- ^ Lembit to become Daily Sport political columnist. Libdemvoice.org (2008-12-11). Retrieved on 2011-04-03.
- ^ PCC censures Daily Sport for glamorising suicide | Media | guardian.co.uk. Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-04-03.
- ^ Daily Sport appoints first female editor | Media | guardian.co.uk. Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-04-03.
- ^ Daily Sport revamp targets 'the boys' The Guardian 26 February 2008
- ^ Sport Media Group seeks buyer | Media | guardian.co.uk. Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-04-03.
- ^ Former owner David Sullivan agrees loan deal with Daily Sport publisher | Media | guardian.co.uk. Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-04-03.
- ^ McNally, Paul. (2009-06-10) Daily Sport sees 'encouraging' circulation growth. Press Gazette. Retrieved on 2011-04-03.
- ^ Daily Sport withdrawn from ABC sales audit as circulation plummets | Media | guardian.co.uk. Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-04-03.
External links
Categories:- National newspapers published in the United Kingdom
- Publications established in 1991
- 1991 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Defunct newspapers of the United Kingdom
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