''ABC'' () is a Spanish national daily newspaper. It is the second largest general-interest newspaper in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, number one in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
, and the oldest newspaper still operating in Madrid. Along with ''
El Mundo'' and ''
El País'', it is one of Spain’s three
newspapers of record
A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and include some of the o ...
.
History and profile
''ABC'' was first published in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
on 1 January 1903
by
Torcuato Luca de Tena y Álvarez-Ossorio.
The founding publishing house was Prensa Española, which was led by the founder of the paper, Luca de Tena.
[ The paper started as a ]weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news or current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly newspaper is published once every two weeks. Weekly n ...
, turning daily in June 1905. In 1928 ABC had two editions, one for Madrid and the other for Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
.[ The latter was named ''ABC de Sevilla''.][
On 20 July 1936, shortly after the ]Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
began, ''ABC'' in Madrid was seized by the republican government, which changed the paper's politics to support the Republicans. The same year '' Blanco y Negro'', a magazine, became its supplement. The ''ABC'' printed in Seville was supportive of the Nationalists
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
. In 1939 ''ABC'' in Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
was given back to its original owners by Francisco Franco.[ During this period the paper was one of two major dailies in the country together with '' La Vanguardia Española''.][
In the 1990s the publisher of ''ABC'' was Editorial Española.][ The paper later moved from its historic landmark offices in Madrid by '' Paseo de la Castellana'', which is now a shopping mall. The paper is part of ]Grupo Vocento
Vocento, S.A., also known as Grupo Vocento, is a Spanish mass media group. Its flagship daily newspaper is the conservative and monarchist ''ABC'', also publishing '' El Correo''. Vocento was created in 2001 upon the merger of Grupo Correo with ...
, which also owns ''El Correo Español
''El Correo'' (; ) is a leading daily newspaper in Bilbao and the Basque Country of northern Spain. It is among best-selling general interest newspapers in Spain.
History and profile
The brothers Ybarra y de la Revilla – Fernando, Gabriel and ...
'', ''El Diario Vasco
''El Diario Vasco'' (English: ''The Basque Daily'') is a Spanish morning daily newspaper based in San Sebastián, Basque Country.
History and profile
''El Diario Vasco'' was founded in 1934 by the Sociedad Vascongada de Publicaciones, led by co ...
'', '' La Verdad'' and ''Las Provincias
''Las Provincias'' is a Spanish language regional newspaper published in Valencia, Spain. Founded in 1886 it is one of the oldest publications in the country.
History and profile
''Las Provincias'' was first published in Valencia in January 188 ...
'', among others.
In the late 1970s and 1980s ''ABC'' had close connections with first Popular Alliance and later Popular Party.
''ABC'' publishes in compact
Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to:
* Interstate compact
* Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines
* Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...
-sized stapled sheets, noticeably smaller than the loose tabloid format favoured by most Spanish dailies, including '' El País'' and '' El Mundo''. Its cover distinctively features a full-size picture.
Editorial stance
''ABC'' is known for generally supporting conservative political views and defending the Spanish monarchy
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
. The paper has also a right-wing stance. Its director since 1983, Luis María Ansón
Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
, left the paper in 1997 to found another daily, '' La Razón'', which initially catered to even more conservative readers.
Historically, it was noted in its heavy use of photography, and the front page is typically a large photo taking up to one third of the area. Recently, it has been recognized for its coverage of Spanish culture and arts.[
]
Archives
On 25 September 2009, ''ABC'' made its complete archives, dating back to 1903, available online, giving modern readers a chance to see contemporaneous news about the Spanish Civil War or Francisco Franco's death.
Circulation and readership
In February 1970 ''ABC'' had a circulation of 212,536 copies. It was 178,979 copies in February 1975,[ 171,382 copies in 1976, 145,162 copies in 1977 and 126,952 copies in 1978.][ The circulation of the paper was 135,380 copies in February 1980.][
The 1993 circulation of ''ABC'' was 334,317 copies, making it the second best selling newspaper in Spain.][ In 1994 it was again the second best selling newspaper in the country with a circulation of 321,571 copies.] In the period of 1995–1996 the paper had a circulation of 321,573 copies, making again it the second best-selling paper in the country.
The circulation of ''ABC'' was 292,000 copies in 2001 and 262,874 copies in 2002.[ The paper had a circulation of 263,000 copies in 2003, being the fourth best-selling newspaper in the country. Based on the findings of the European Business Readership Survey ''ABC'' had 5,685 readers per issue in 2006.] Between June 2006 and July 2007 the daily had a circulation of 230,422 copies.[ The 2008 circulation of the paper was 228,258 copies. It was 243,154 copies between July 2010 and June 2011.Figures covering July 2010 to June 2011 in Spain]
, Oficina de Justificación de la Difusión. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
References
Further reading
* Merrill, John C. and Harold A. Fisher. ''The world's great dailies: profiles of fifty newspapers'' (1980) pp 33–36
External links
ABC.es
– official online version of ''ABC''
The ''ABC''
– Article in English discussing ''ABC''
*
{{Authority control
1903 establishments in Spain
Conservatism in Spain
Daily newspapers published in Spain
Grupo Vocento
Mass media in Seville
Newspapers published in Madrid
Publications established in 1903
Spanish-language newspapers
Spanish-language websites