Press subsidy policies in Spain in the context of financial crisis (2008–2012): An analysis of the Catalan case

Abstract

While direct national press subsidies were abolished in the late 1980s, they continue to be granted in seven of Spain’s 17 regional autonomous communities. Two features of these subsidy schemes are their highly discretionary nature and their particular concern for the language component, the latter of which, in some cases, is linked to processes of nation building. Catalonia was the first regional autonomous community to introduce press subsidies. It has also spent the highest amounts on such subsidies. But, in the current context of financial crisis, it has applied more radical cutbacks to them than any other region in Spain. This article focuses on the description and analysis of subsidies that have been granted in Catalonia since the 1980s. It pays particular attention to the changes brought about by a politically progressive shift in the Government of Catalonia in 2003 and the implications of the financial crisis that became apparent in 2011, by that time in the context of a conservative government. All of these issues are considered after describing and explaining the national and regional subsidy circumstances.