With the Assembly on Easter break and the Chancellor’s debate and Tony Blair’s arrival on the Campaign trail covered by other bloggers my attention was caught by this story from BBC Wales.
A plaque was unveiled in Merthyr Tydfil last Friday to honour William Ewart Berry and his brother Gomer Berry, the two men worked their way up from reporters on the local paper the Merthyr Express to owners of well known newspaper titles including the Financial Times, the Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph.
The brothers also ended up owning the Western Mail, South Wales Echo and the Merthyr Express and both brothers were also made Viscounts.
According to BBC Wales ‘(Merthyr Tydfil Heritage) Trust secretary Adrian Doolan said the brothers' father was a successful estate agent and auctioneer who eventually became mayor of the town.
"The second son, William Ewart Berry, became a reporter on the Merthyr Express, and by the age of 21 moved to London," he said.
"He was joined by his younger brother, Gomer Berry, and they started publishing magazines, mainly about advertising and boxing.
"The two brothers in London borrowed some money off Seymour Berry to start their publishing and eventually they bought a number of newspapers."
"Seymour Berry, had gone into business and became a famous Welsh industrialist with interest in collieries, iron and steel.
They became great rivals to Lord Rothermere, who vied to own the biggest empire of papers across the UK.
The Berry brothers owned Allied Newspapers and Amalgamated Press, running national newspapers as well as a network of regional and local papers.
It’s certainly surprising and fascinating to learn that two Welsh journalists from the Valleys owned and edited major UK newspaper titles in the last century, it makes you wonder if there is a 21st Century equivalent of the Berry Brothers out there who might invest in the Welsh media today.Any source
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