File 1 - Board minutes 1967-1974

1 volume

Signed minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors of Guardian Newspapers Limited (GNL) from 21 November 1967 (first meeting) until 18 December 1974. Not indexed.
Meetings were held at 192 Grays Inn Road, London or 3 Cross Street, Manchester.

Present or attending the meetings are (in order of appearance): PW Gibbings; Alastair Hetherington; MGA Jack; HG Milner; GP Taylor; WH Thomas; JC Markwick; Stanley Porter; BLB Hutchings (Lovell, White & King); JJT Stephens (Lovell, White & King); FA Ravenscroft (Cooper Bros & Co); MA Anderson; JHM Kelvie; HC Thompson; JM Cole; RS Rix; NH Thompson; and HJ Abbiss.

The first meeting of the board of directors records the initial administration of the new company including: the incorporation of the company; appointment of directors and secretary; recording of the registered office of the company as 3 Cross Street, Manchester; recording of the company bank account to be opened; recording the common seal of the company (impressed into minutes); and the transfer of shares and the register of members.

Regular items discussed at the meetings include newspaper sales and promotions; advertisement sales; production (including Lancashire Colour Printers and newsprint supplies); the company's financial position and budget; editorial appointments; strategy and development.

Other items discussed include (with year of first recording):
Guardian Weekly (1967); Guardian Business Services (1967); impact of devaluation of pound sterling (1967); price increases (1968); acquisitions and shares; editorial strategy (spring 1968); investigation of colour printing (1968); content aimed at women (1968); new building at Deansgate, Manchester (1968); facsimile transmission (1968); Autumn Plans including staff and layout changes - supporting paper (July 1968); readership figures; facsimile production (1968); negotiations with NUJ/NPA (1968); young readers (1968); university exam results (1969); Film 'News Story' (1969); Saturday papers (1969); Guardian's 150th anniversary (1970); Northprint Ltd (1970); wholesalers dispute (1970); commercial radio (1971); European syndication (1971); group structure (1972); investigations into Guardian sharing The Observer's premises at Printing House Square, London (1972); Guardian Study Vacations (part of Guardian Business Services) (1972); typeface change (1973); Gemini News Service (1973); impact of Price Commission (1973); fuel supplies for distribution (1973); shortening working weeks (1973); London printing, contract with The Times (1973); Peter Preston's visit to USA to investigate new technology production (1974).

The minutes of two meetings with separate item numbering sequences are also filed in this volume:
29 December 1967: Extraordinary General Meeting of GNL, 3 Cross Street, Manchester, concerning the increasing of the capital of the company.
5 April 1973: Meeting of a sub-committee of GNL, 192 Grays Inn Road, London, concerning the proposal to purchase Gemini News Service.

Creator: Guardian Newspapers Limited

Chronological

Requests for access to past GNM Board papers have to be submitted in writing in advance to the Archivist, and references may be required