Grupo Clarín
Grupo Clarín is the largest communications conglomerate of Argentina. It publishes the broadest circulation newspaper (Clarín) and the most visited online news portal (Clarin.com), apart from the two most popular and traditional regional newspapers (La Voz del Interior from Córdoba and Los Andes from Mendoza, and their respective websites). It owns chart-leading AM and FM radio stations (Radio Mitre and FM 100), and a series of repeaters. It is also the second largest open TV network in Argentina (its headend is TV channel El Trece, in Buenos Aires) and it owns several cable TV channels, including TN, one of the most popular news channels. Moreover, in partnership with Argentina’s National State, it owns the only newsprint factory in the country (Papel Prensa). In addition, it is the controlling shareholder of Argentina’s main cable TV operator (Cablevisión) and one of the two most important telecoms operators (Telecom). It also publishes magazines, takes part in film productions, holds interests in magazine and newspaper distribution, among other sectors (such as trade fairs). Grupo Clarín has a dominant position in almost every sector it takes part in.
Grupo Clarín plays a key role in Argentina's political and cultural life, and its position is a matter of interest to all political and economic players. In recent years, it has practiced what one of the newspaper’s politics editor described as “war journalism” against Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s administrations (2007–2015). Then, with Mauricio Macri in office, the group received considerable support.
The recent merger between cable operator Cablevisión and one of the largest telecoms operators, Telecom, which was backed by Macri’s administration, allowed Grupo Clarín’s to have the highest media concentration – measured in terms of markets covered – in the history of media and telecoms in Latin America.
Mother Company
Grupo Clarín
Business Form
Private
Legal Form
Joint stock corporation
Business Sectors
Trade fairs; newsprint factory; nixed and mobile internet access; fixed and mobile telephony; copyrighted content use; film production; printing press; publishing house; bookstore network; logistics and transportation; tourism; videogames
Individual Owner
Magnetto started to work in newspaper Clarín in 1972, together with his friends (and today Grupo Clarín’s shareholders) Lucio Pagliaro and José Aranda, who studied accounting at Universidad Nacional de La Plata with him. Magnetto’s career in the administrative area of Clarín was sponsored by the frondicismo (a pro-development political current to which the newspaper’s founder, Roberto Noble, belonged to; when Noble died, Magnetto took over the company’s management, whose formal director was Ernestina Herrera, Noble’s wife).
His rise in Clarín was already visible in 1977, when he played a key role in the talks that resulted in the partnership between Clarín, La Nacion, La Razón and Argentina’s National State to purchase Papel Prensa during the military dictatorship. The historical purchase took place immediately after Liliana Papaleo, widow of Papel Prensa’s former owner David Graiver, had been dispossessed of her stock in the newsprint factory.
In 1980 Ernestina Herrera removed the old pro-development members of Clarín, and Magnetto’s role became more prominent. A shareholder and a senior executive, he led the newspaper’s transformation into a multimedia group and the subsequent group’s endeavor in the telecoms sector. Today, the group is the leader of a conglomerate that ranks among the main economic holdings in Argentina.
Son and heir of half of Ernestina Herrera de Noble’s stock; she was married to Clarín’s founder, Roberto Noble.
Daughter and heiress of half of Ernestina Herrera de Noble’s stock. Ernestina Herrera de Noble was married to Clarín’s founder, Roberto Noble.
Other Print Outlets
Clarín (203,411 issues)
Newspaper Olé (15,614 issues)
Newspaper La Voz del Interior (30,783 issues)
Newspaper Los Andes (15,762 issues)
Revista Ñ (9,866 issues)
Magazine Genios (14,696 issues)
Magazine Jardín de Genios (18,766 issues)
Magazine Pymes (7,501 issues)
Magazine Elle (20,329 issues)
Other TV Outlets
Canal 13 (Buenos Aires)
Canal 12 (Córdoba)
Canal 7 (Bahía Blanca)
Canal 6 (Bariloche)
Programming repeaters (such as Canal 3 from Rosario)
TN
Canal Rural
Volver
Metro
Magazine
Quiero Música
TyCSports
Canal (á)
Other Radio Outlets
Radio Mitre (Buenos Aires)
Radio Mitre (Córdoba)
FM 100 (Buenos Aires)
FM 94.1 (Mendoza)
FM 99.5 (Tucumán)
FM 96.3 (Bahía Blanca)
FM 92.1 (Bariloche)
FM 99.3 (Santa Fe)
Other Online Outlets
http://www.clarin.com
http://www.TN.com.ar
http://ar.cienradios.com
http://radiomitre.com.ar
http://lavoz.com.ar
http://losandes.com.ar
http://viapais.com.ar (Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario, Neuquén, Río Cuarto and San Nicolás)
http://www.ciudad.com.ar
http://www.cucinare.tv
Media Business
Paid content TV (operator)
Cablevisión
Audiovisual production company
PolKa
Film production company
Patagonik
Newsprint manufacturer
Papel Prensa
Publishing house
Tinta Fresca
Sports broadcasting rights
Inversora de Eventos
TRISA
TSC
Digital content
Compañía de Medios Digitales (CMD)
Business
Telecoms
Telecom
Nextel
Internet access (broadband)
Cablevisión
Telecom
Printing press
Impripost Tecnologías
Bookstore (network)
Cúspide
Classified ads
deautos
Argenprop
Empleos Clarín
Online electrical appliance retail
Electropuntonet
Loyalty card
Electropuntonet
Videogame development / QB9
Business management
Gestión Compartida
Trade fairs
Ferias y Exposiciones Argentinas S.A.
Publishing house (Mexico)
Ríos de Tinta
Online gaming (Uruguay)
Fynbar (CMD) (Uruguay)
TuVes (Paraguay)
General Information
Founding Year
1999
Affiliated Interests Founder
Ernestina Herrera was the wife and heir of Clarín’s founder and owner, Roberto Noble, who died in 1969.
Employees
5,948 (2017)
Financial Information
Revenue (Financial Data/ Optional)
Missing data
Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
Missing data
Advertising (in % of total funding)
Missing data
Management
Executive Board
President of the board
Vice President of the board
Permanent member of the board
Permanent member of the board
Permanent member of the board
Permanent member of the board
Permanent member of the board
Permanent member of the board
Permanent member of the board
Permanent member of the board
Several members of Grupo Clarín’s board of directors have been the conglomerate’s executives for a long time, and they have also served at a managerial level in Cablevisión Holdings (formally decoupled from Grupo Clarín in 2017). As a result, they have faced trials and public controversy on behalf of the group.
In addition, the backgrounds of the members of the group’s boards socially link Grupo Clarín to other economic, social and political top circles.
Jorge Rendo and Martín Etchevers have been part of Clarín’s institutional relations and management areas for at least two decades. In their capacity, they manage public relations with Argentina’s political, business and social elite. They both have been members of the board of some group’s subsidiary foundations and companies. Moreover, Etchevers is President of Argentina’s Association of Journalistic Entities (ADEPA).
Other prominent members of the board include Gonzalo Blaquier, CFO of Coca Cola Andina Argentina and nephew of Carlos Blaquier, owner of sugar mill Ledesma, who was legally accused for illegal repression during the last military dictatorship (he was prosecuted, but his case was dismissed due to lack of admissible evidence). The Blaquier family is one of the wealthiest in Argentina.
Horacio Quirós, who, apart from working for Grupo Clarín, has been President of the Industrial Relations Committee at the Argentinian-American Chamber.
Ignacio Driollet has close ties with the Catholic Church (he is part of the Business Leaders Christian Association).
Francisco Acevedo was senior executive of Grupo Bunge before joining Grupo Clarín’s management structure.
Supervisory Board
Member of the Surveillance Committee
Member of the Surveillance Committee
Member of the Surveillance Committee
Other Influential People
David Martínez, who presides over the Fintech fund, is a minority shareholder of Cablevisión Holdings and Telecom (40% of the stock). He has helped Grupo Clarín to expand to the telecoms sector.
Further Information
Meta Data
Newspaper circulation: average from Mondays to Sundays in October 2018. Source: Circulation Verification Institute
Magazine circulation: average in October 2018. Source: Circulation Verification Institute
Number of employees for 2017, the last consolidated year in the balance sheets released by the group as part of its corporate information 2017,grupoclarin.com/IR/files/ESTADOS-CONTABLES/2017/GCSA%2012%20-%202017%20-%20EEFF%20-%20AIF.PDF
Income, revenue and advertising information of 2017, the last consolidated year in the balance sheets released by the group as part of its corporate information http://grupoclarin.com/IR/files/ESTADOS-CONTABLES/2017/GCSA%2012%20-%202017%20-%20EEFF%20-%20AIF.PDF
In 2016 the group decided to demerge its cable and telecoms operations by creating a new company called Cablevisión Holding S.A. Shareholders of Grupo Clarín S.A. held the same stock in both companies.
