El Correo facts for kids
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner(s) | Grupo Vocento |
| Publisher | Bilbao Editorial |
| Founded | 1 May 1910 (as El Pueblo Vasco) |
| Political alignment | Spanish unionism Liberal conservatism |
| Language | Spanish |
| Headquarters | Calle Pintor Losada 7, Bilbao, Spain |
El Correo (which means "The Courier" in Spanish) is a very important daily newspaper from Bilbao, a city in northern Spain. It is one of the most popular newspapers in the Basque Country and across Spain.
Contents
The Story of El Correo
How El Correo Started
El Correo began its journey on May 1, 1910. It was first called El Pueblo Vasco ("The Basque People"). Three brothers, Fernando, Gabriel, and Emilio Ybarra y de la Revilla, started it. Juan de la Cruz was the first editor.
The newspaper supported the Conservative Party in Vizcaya. It also had views that were supportive of the Catholic Church and the King, Alfonso XIII. It believed in a free press and supported the Basque region's desire for more local control.
Challenges and Changes During Conflict
In 1936, just before the Spanish Civil War began, the government of the Second Spanish Republic closed El Pueblo Vasco. It reopened almost a year later, in July 1937, after Bilbao was no longer under siege.
At that time, another newspaper, El Correo Español, also started publishing. This paper was linked to a political group called Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las JONS. It used the printing presses of another newspaper, Euzkadi, which had been taken over.
Joining Forces and Growing Bigger
In 1938, the government ordered El Pueblo Vasco and El Correo Español to combine. They became El Correo Español-El Pueblo Vasco. Even though El Pueblo Vasco S.A. owned it, the Falange group had control.
Over the next 15 years, El Correo bought other newspapers. These included El Noticiero Bilbaíno in 1939 and El Diario Vasco in 1945. After buying El Diario Vasco, the company changed its name to Bilbao Editorial S.A.
Modernizing and Becoming Number One
In 1965, El Correo moved to its current offices. It also changed to a smaller, easier-to-read tabloid size and added more pages.
By 1976, El Correo became the best-selling newspaper in northern Spain. It sold more copies than its main competitor, La Gaceta del Norte, for the first time.
El Correo and La Vuelta Bicycle Race
From 1955 to 1978, El Correo helped organize La Vuelta, a famous yearly bicycle race around Spain. However, a group called ETA caused problems for the race in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Because of these issues, the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation stopped the race from going through the Basque Country. In 1979, El Correo announced it would no longer organize the race. La Vuelta did not return to the Basque Country until 2011.
Expanding Reach and Influence
New Editions and Locations
In the 1980s, El Correo started to grow beyond Bilbao. It began publishing in other areas and bought El Diario Montañés, a newspaper in Santander.
Today, El Correo publishes nine different local editions. Five of these are in the Vizcaya province, where Bilbao is located. There is also one edition for each of the provinces of Álava, Guipúzcoa, Burgos (in the city of Miranda de Ebro), and La Rioja. In April 2014, El Correo even started to be published in the United Arab Emirates.
Part of a Bigger Family
El Correo, El Diario Vasco, and El Diario Montañés are now all owned by Grupo Vocento. This is a large company that owns many communication businesses across Spain. It also owns other well-known newspapers like ABC in Madrid.
The main editor of El Correo is Juan Carlos Martínez Gauna. Bilbao Editorial is still the publisher.
Special Features and Awards
The newspaper is published in a tabloid format, which is compact and easy to handle. A popular daily comic strip called Don Celes is a well-known symbol of the newspaper.
In 2012, El Correo won the "Newspaper of the Year" award in the regional newspapers category from the European Newspapers Congress. This shows how highly regarded it is.
Newspaper Sales Over Time
The number of copies El Correo sold has changed over the years.
- In 1993, about 134,000 copies were sold.
- This went up slightly to 138,000 copies in 1994.
- By 2002, sales were around 130,042 copies.
- In 2003, it dropped to 128,000 copies.
- By 2006, the circulation was 112,588 copies.
- In 2008, it increased again to 118,107 copies.
Notable Journalists
- Sara Estévez
See also
In Spanish: El Correo para niños
