Politics and Media
In the 2010 General Election, Conservative Neil Carmichael became Member of Parliament for the Stroud constituency after Labour's David Drew lost his seat, who had held the seat since 1997. Stroud was a Marginal seat which the Conservatives had targeted in the 2010 Election, as was the neighbouring Gloucester (UK Parliament constituency) - Gloucestershire now has no Labour seats.
In 2008 Stroud Town Council comprised 11 Green Party councillors, with 5 independents, 1 Conservative and 1 Liberal Democrat.
In March 2008, a community radio station, Stroud FM, was launched in the town, broadcasting 24 hours a day on 107.9FM. The station, staffed by volunteers and funded by donations, focuses on local news and music, but also plays national and international music. Both BBC Radio Gloucestershire and Heart (Gloucester) have dedicated FM transmitters serving the town.
There are three local newspapers covering the town, the daily Gloucester Citizen and the Weekly Stroud Life published by Gloucestershire Media (part of the Northcliffe Group) and the Stroud News & Journal and is published by Newsquest Media (Southern) Limited, part of the American Gannett Company.
Stroud Life launched in 2008 is now the weekly market leader with a circulation of 15225 against 12,226 for the Stroud News and Journal. The Stroud News and Journal was formed by a merger in 1959 of the Stroud Journal (started in 1854 as a Liberal supporting Newspaper) and the Stroud News (started in 1867 and generally supported Conservative and Unionist interests).
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Famous quotes containing the words politics and/or media:
“Politics begin where the masses are, not where there are thousands, but where there are millions, that is where serious politics begin.”
—Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870–1924)
“The media network has its idols, but its principal idol is its own style which generates an aura of winning and leaves the rest in darkness. It recognises neither pity nor pitilessness.”
—John Berger (b. 1926)