26.3 million telephone lines were in use in the early 1990s, giving Britain one of the world's largest telecommunications systems. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), both public bodies, are licensed to provide television and radio broadcasting services. Founded in 1922 and working under a royal charter, in the early 1990s the BBC operated 2 television channels as well as 5 national networks and 33 local radio stations. It is financed mainly through the sale of annual licenses for television receivers. The BBC also provides foreign radio broadcasts in many languages. The IBA, which oversees the operation of independent television and radio, was created by Parliament in 1954 (until 1972 it was known as the Independent Television Authority). In the early 1990s, independent television was provided on a regional basis by 16 commercial program companies; satellite broadcasting services have also been introduced. Four television channels are currently broadcast and a fifth is planned. Local radio stations are run by some 90 commercial firms, centered mostly in the larger cities. Commercial advertising on both independent radio and television pays for the services. There are no commericals on BBC radio or television broadcasts. In the early 1990s an estimated 65.8 million radios and 25 million television sets were in use. Some 101 daily newspapers and more than 2000 weekly newspapers are published in Great Britain. Fourteen London newspapers circulate nationwide, and five of them have daily circulations of more than 1 million. Among the most respected British daily newspapers are the Times, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, and the Financial Times, all published in London. Noted weeklies include New Scientist, New Statesman and Society, the Spectator, and the Times Literary Supplement. Great Britain also has many well-known book publishers. Tabloid newspapers, characterized by sensationalized stories and large quantities of photographs and graphics, are both popular and influential in Great Britain. Labor The total British labor force in the early 1990s numbered about 28 million, of whom about 7.6 million were members of 68 unions affiliated with the Trades Union Congress. Collective bargaining is generally conducted on a national and industrywide basis. The standard workweek ranges between 35 and 40 hours, varying with each industry. In the postwar era, succeeding governments sought to implement a policy of full employment, and unemployment generally averaged between 1 percent and 2 percent of the total workforce. In the mid-1960s, however, Great Britain was forced to abandon this policy to a degree because of a persistent payments deficit and inflationary pressures. Економіка Великобританія в першу чергу індустріальна та комерційна країна. Головні галузі промисловості, такі як транспорт, повідомлення, сталь, нафту, видобуток вугілля, газ та електрику, які стали націо...
