Spain’s newspaper El Pais announces price hike

MADRID – Spain’s top-selling newspaper, El Pais, said Monday it has increased the price of its Monday to Saturday editions by around 9 percent to EUR 1.20 amid the economic crisis and a drop in advertising revenue.

The left-leaning paper, owned by Spanish media giant Prisa, said in an announcement on its front page that the price of its Sunday edition would remain at EUR 2.20.

It said the hike "will allow us to guarantee the quality of news that our readers demand and undertake future projects in a context made difficult by the global economic crisis and the drop in advertising."

Also Monday, unions at the conservative newspaper ABC announced a three-day strike for early next month to protest a staff reduction plan that would affect 238 workers.

Spanish media have been hard hit by the economic crisis, suffering a sharp drop in advertising revenue. Some publications, like the free daily Metro, have been forced to close down while others have announced staff cuts.

Spanish journalists staged a demonstration in Madrid last month to protest soaring unemployment in the industry.

AFP / Expatica