Press Association

Press Association
FormerlyPA Media
TypePress agency
Founded1868; 158 years ago (1868) in United Kingdom
HeadquartersNorth Wharf Road
London, W2
United Kingdom
Number of locations
8 (2026)
ParentThe PA
Websitepressassociation.com

Press Association (formerly PA Media) is a multimedia news agency. It is part of The PA, a private company with 20 shareholders, most of whom are national and regional newspaper publishers. The biggest shareholders include the Daily Mail and General Trust, News UK, and Informa.

The PA has expertise in news, sport, content and communications. At the heart of the organisation is the Press Association, the national news agency for the UK and Ireland. The PA’s wider portfolio of businesses includes stock content library Alamy, sport data business Podium and PR and communications division Hydrogen.

The Press Association delivers breaking news, sports coverage, court reporting, photos, video and data journalism to audiences across print, digital and broadcast. In recent years, it has moved beyond the news agenda to launch puzzles, lifestyle, human interest, listings and entertainment content, metadata and media training.

History

Founded in 1868 by a group of provincial newspaper proprietors, the Press Association provides a London-based service of news-collecting and reporting from around the United Kingdom. The news agency's founders sought to produce a more accurate and reliable alternative to the monopoly service of the telegraph companies.

In January 1870 the agency moved from temporary offices into new headquarters at 7 Wine Office Court, off Fleet Street. The agency's first Editor-in-Chief was Arthur Cranfield, appointed in 1926. The PA then moved to 85 Fleet Street in the 1930s.

In 1995, PA moved from Fleet Street to Vauxhall Bridge Road, enabling the company to rapidly expand its output particularly in the sports and new media divisions.

The Press Association launched the Ananova news website in 2000. Ananova was then sold to Orange.

In 2005, the company changed its name to PA Group.

In December 2013, PA Group sold its weather business MeteoGroup, Europe's largest private sector weather company, to global growth investment firm General Atlantic.

In February 2015, PA announced the sale of its finance publications divisions, which included TelecomFinance and SatelliteFinance.

In September 2018 it was announced that the news agency was renamed from Press Association to PA Media, and the umbrella company from PA Group Limited to PA Media Group Limited. This coincided with a move from their Vauxhall Bridge Road offices to a new space that would accommodate the move toward digital media.

In 2020-2023, PA Media Group acquired several new businesses, including global content platform Alamy (2020), social media marketing agency Hydrogen (2022), and Asian racing specialist iRace Media (2023).

In 2024, PA Betting Services rebranded as sport data business, Podium.

The editor-in-chief of the news agency is Jack Lefley, who was appointed in 2024 and began the role in 2025. Emily Shelley was appointed CEO of The PA in 2024, becoming the first female to lead the group in its history.

In June 2024, the Central Arbitration Committee forced PA to recognize the National Union of Journalists as the official union representing PA's editorial employees. As of May, the bargaining unit was composed of 274 workers.

In 2026, PA Media reinstated its historic Press Association name, while the news agency’s parent company, PA Media Group, became The PA.

Other divisions and ventures

Press Association Academy

Press Association Academy, formerly PA Training and PA Media Academy, is Europe's biggest journalism and media training company. It was formed in 2006, when the Press Association acquired Trinity Mirror's training centre in Newcastle upon Tyne. The NCTJ course in Newcastle has been around since 1969.

The business already owned the former Westminster Press-owned Editorial Centre and merged the two businesses to become PA Training.

In 2026, Press Association Academy relocated to a new office in Stratford, London.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About The PA | Trusted news and media since 1868". thepa.com. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
  2. ↑ "Our services | Overview of The PA's five brands". thepa.com. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
  3. ↑ "What we do | Press Association". pressassociation.com. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
  4. ↑ Moncrieff, Chris (2001). Living on a Deadline: A History of the Press Association. Virgin Books. ISBN 978-1-85227-917-2. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  5. ↑ "Press Association leaves home of 24 years for 'dynamic' new HQ in Paddington". Press Gazette. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Press Association drops 150-year-old name to signify new era beyond legacy media". The Drum. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2026. PA was located in Fleet Street before it relocated to Vauxhall Bridge Road in 1995
  7. ↑ "PA sells weather business MeteoGroup for £160m". The Daily Telegraph. 16 December 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  8. ↑ "Press Assoc sells finance division". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. AAP. 6 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Mayhew, Freddy (18 July 2018). "Press Association agrees sale of London HQ as it searches for new home in capital to meet needs of 'modern digital media company'". Press Gazette. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  10. ↑ Tobitt, Charlotte (20 September 2018). "Press Association to rebrand as PA Media to coincide with move to new London headquarters next year". Press Gazette. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Our services | Overview of The PA's five brands". thepa.com. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "PA Betting Services rebrands to Podium". InPublishing. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  13. ↑ Maher, Bron (12 June 2024). "PA Media forced to recognise NUJ as official union for editorial staff". Press Gazette. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  14. ↑ Office, Press (13 October 2026). "PA goes back to the future with a rebrand built on trust | The PA". thepa.com. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  15. ↑ Sands, Peter (22 December 2015). "Sands Media Services: 20 years ago - the Editorial Centre was born". Sands Media Services. Retrieved 26 July 2024.