VIRTUAL: Prague Heritages

Abstract

The underground press was a feature of Western societies between 1965 and 1975 and several newspapers were published in London in this era, that are classified as ‘underground’ such as International Times, Oz and Friends (later Frendz). Less is known about the underground press in the English regions and their relationship with London. This paper represents an exploration of relationships between the centre and the regions. The paper also argues that the regional press was of a rather different nature, focusing on housing issues, (the replacement of the ‘Coronation Street’ type terraces with high rise) municipal corruption and local politics rather than the more ‘art/pop’ focused underground of the London papers. Co-operation was reflected in the movement of editors between regional papers and London titles, and in the coverage afford London in the regional papers and the regions in the London titles. In the later stages of the papers the causes of the underground press’s decline is explored whilst noting that a significant number of regional papers continued until the early 1980s. The ‘Free Press’ that appeared in the north-west and midlands of England represented a new kind of expose journalism that pitched itself against the longer standing conservative local papers that had been a feature of city life since at least the 1890s