Grupo PRISA
PRISA is a communication group of transnational capitals based in Spain. Until 2009, its main shareholders were members of the Polanco family, who held interests in communication. However, when PRISA’s debt started to grow, several funds (Amber Capital, Oviedo Holdings, GHO Networks) and banks (Santander and HSBC) became shareholders. Telefónica Spain also holds stock.
Its main companies include newspaper El País from Spain, Diario As, Cadena Ser and publishing house Editorial Santillana (its educational segment).
It is the main radio network in Latin America, with music only and spoken-word stations in Colombia (Caracol), Mexico (W Radio), Ecuador, Chile, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic. In Argentina, it started to operate in 2004, when it purchased Radio Continental AM 590 and FM 105.5 from Telefónica Spain. The FM radio station became its international music station: Los 40. It also owns educational publishing houses Santillana and Kapelusz.
In 2015, mirroring its operations in Chile, it decided to merge its stations in Argentina with those belonging to Grupo Albavisión. As a result of this merger, it owns 55% of the stock of a trust made up of five radio stations (Radio Continental, FM Los 40, FM RQP, FM Mucha Radio and FM Aspen).
In 2017 Grupo PRISA recorded losses amounting to USD 125 million globally.
Mother Company
Promotora de Informaciones S.A.
Business Form
Private
Legal Form
Joint stock corporation
Business Sectors
Concert production
Individual Owner
He is the owner of Amber Capital, majority shareholder of Grupo PRISA. He manages a 1.8 billion investment portfolio in several places in the world, with invesment funds in England, United States and Italy. He has invested in several industries in Spain.
Other Radio Outlets
Radio Continental AM 590 (Buenos Aires)
FM Los 40 105.5 (Buenos Aires)
FM Aspen 102.3 (Buenos Aires)
FM RQP 104.3 (Buenos Aires)
FM Mucha Radio 97.1 (Buenos Aires)
FM Continental 94.1 (Mar del Plata)
FM Continental 100.1 (Tucumán)
FM Continental 102.5 (Santa Fe)
FM Continental 100.1 (Rosario)
FM Continental 92.3 (Córdoba)
FM Continental 97.3 (Corrientes)
FM Continental 103.5 (Salta)
Other Online Outlets
www.los40.com.ar
www.continental.com.ar
Business
Publishing house
Santillana
Kapelusz
Richmond
Loqueleo
Print media (Spain, Mexico and Brazil)
El País
Print media (Spain)
Diario AS
Print media (Spain)
El Huffington Post
Radio station (Spain)
Cadena Ser
Los 40 classic
Cadena Dial
Radiolé
Radio station (Spain, Chile, Paraguay, Mexico, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala)
Los40
Radio station (Chile)
ADN Radio
FM Concierto
FM Corazón
FM Dos
FM Futuro
FM Pudahuel
FM Rock and Pop
FM Imagina
Radio Activa
UnoRadio
Radio (Colombia)
Radio Caracol
Radio station (Colombia)
W Radio
FM Bésame
FM Tropicana
FM La Vallenata
FM Q’Hubo
FM Radioacktiva
FM Oxígeno
Radio station (Mexico)
Kebuena
FM KeBuena
W Radio
Radio station (Panama)
FM Panamá
FM Bésame
W Radio Concert promotion (Spain)
Print media (Colombia, Mexico and Chile)
Diario AS
General Information
Founding Year
1972
Affiliated Interests Founder
Founder of publishing house Editorial Santillana, he did business during the school reform championed by Franco’s regime, when Basic General Teaching was established using his publishing house’s books. He launched newspaper El País in 1976 and he purchased Cadena Ser in 1985.
Employees
Missing data
Financial Information
Revenue (Financial Data/ Optional)
Missing data
Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
€686,000 (only in Argentina)
Advertising (in % of total funding)
Missing data
Management
Executive Board
President of the board. Manager of Santillana before moving to PRISA Radio Argentina
Vice President of the board. Managing Director of Grupo PRISA’s global board. He previously worked in Movistar (Telefónica)
Permanent member of the board
Alternate member of the board. Operations Manager for Santillana Argentina, as part of Grupo PRISA’s structure
Other Influential People
Owns 15% of the group. As a member of the Polanco family, he owns investment fund Rucandio Inversiones, with interests in oil and hospitality companies, as well as in other funds.
Owns 5% of the group. Born in Mexico, he holds interests in business aviation and urban transportation. President of Grupo Toluca.
Further Information
Desembarco en la Argentina del que mucho se habla y poco se sabe (2005), visitado el 14 de febrero de 2019
Sources
Becerra, Martín y Mastrini, Guillermo (2017). Medios en guerra: balance, crítica y desguace de las políticas de comunicación 2003-2016. Biblos, Buenos Aires.
Becerra, Martín (2015). De la concentración a la convergencia: Políticas de medios en Argentina y América Latina. Buenos Aires, Paidós.
Zunino, Edi (2009). Patria o medios: La loca guerra de los Kirchner por el control de la realidad. Sudamericana, Buenos Aires.
