Media in Spain: Newspapers, Television, Radio

spanish newspapersWhether you want to find out if your favorite football team came through with a big win or simply get in tune with what's been going on in the world, there's a wide range of media in Spain guaranteed to bring you up to date.

Spain Media - Newspapers

Walk by any newspaper kiosk in the street, and we guarantee that you'll be impressed by the sheer quantity and variety of newspapers. In addition to a handful of national newspapers, there is a multitude of regional papers that generally correspond to each of Spain's 17 autonomous communities. So basically, if you're in Galicia for example, you can opt for a national periodical like El Pais or for a Galician newspaper such as La Voz de Galicia. el paisHere's a list of the most popular national newspapers in Spain:

  • El Pais: Spain's largest and most-read newspaper, with a loosely liberal political affiliation.
  • El Mundo: Spain's second largest newspaper, with a loosely conservative political affiliation.
  • La Razón: Spain's third largest newspaper, with a decidedly conservative political affiliation.
  • ABC: Spain's fourth largest newspaper, with a decidedly conservative political affiliation.

Your third option - and certainly the most economical - is to pick up one of the slew of free newspapers. You can find people handing them out during the morning work rush around metro stops or in generally crowded pedestrian areas.

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Radio CopeSpain Media - Television

Up until the 1980's, there were only two television - TVE-1 (La Primera) and TVE-2 (La Dos)- channels in Spain, both of them being state-owned. Today, a few more channels have been thrown into the mix. Basic cable, at least throughout around 85% of Spain, includes six channels. In addition to the state-owned TV-1 (La Primera) and TV-2 (La Dos), there are four channels run by private companies: Antena 3, La Cuatro, Telecinco and La Sexta. Tune in for anything from historical documentaries to popular game shows, Spanish or imported American sitcoms and reality shows.

Spain Media - Radio

Here's just a quick run-down of some of Spain's most popular radio stations:
  • Cadena SER: The most listened to radio station in Spain. It's a national station reporting on a mix of news, sports, talk shows and culture .
  • Los 40 Principales: Music station playing the most popular current music.
  • M80: Music station playing popular music from the 70's, 80's and 90's.
  • Cadena COPE: Station dedicated principally to talk shows and politics.
  • Cadena 100: Popular music station.
  • Cadena Dial: Radio station that emits exclusively Spanish music.
  • Radio Nacional de España: This group consists of six radio stations: 1) General programs, music, news, etc., 2) Classical music, 3) Music and culture, 4) Autonomous station with programming in the Catalán language, 5) 24-hour news and 6) Radio exterior de España, a global station like BBC and Radio Vaticano.