Collaborative Management and Organization of Digital Media in Spain. Case Study of El Salto, CTXT and La Marea

ABSTRACT

The communication sector and, especially, the media sector suffered severely from the consequences of the economic crisis that began in 2008, and is witnessing, once again, the complicated situation derived from the Covid-19 pandemic. Bad strategic decisions;the decrease in advertising investment;the excessive dependence on the financial sector, or the culture of total free of charge typical of the national idiosyncrasy are some of the causes of the emergency situation that drags written journalism in Spain. Through in-depth interviews, innovative actions related to the organization, financing and the product in the journalist sector of digital media in Spain are analysed. Specifically, the cases of El Salto, CTXT and La Marea are analysed. The results are presented divided into six study variables historical perspective;financing and participation;income diversification;organizational structure;brand equity, and competition. Although the analyzed examples differ in aspects such as legal personality, all of them coincide in appealing to a traditional, reflective, and with procedural guarantees, they bet on horizontal organizational structures and base their income model on the subscription. The main conclusions show the emergence of initiatives that, faithful to traditional journalistic values, seek to differentiate themselves through strategies and brands whose economic, financial and readership shares are inextricably linked to the concept of niche. © 2022, CEU Ediciones. All rights reserved.