- ¡HOLA!
- Founded in 1944 by Eduardo Sánchez and Mercedes Junco, ¡HOLA! magazine continues to be designed entirely in Spain, under the management of their son, Eduardo Sánchez Junco, and is considered something of a sociological phenomenon.Though the magazine has changed in format and content over the years, the accuracy of the items covered has always been held in such high esteem by readers that they believe that if the news has not appeared in ¡HOLA! then it has not happened at all. Sales and readership figures for ¡HOLA! increase almost by the day. With a print run of 800,000 copies per week, the magazine is available in two different versions, one for the Spanishspeaking world, the other (HELLO!) for the English-speaking world, and is sold in 108 countries.One of the secrets of ¡HOLA!"s success lies in the fact that it always meets the expectations of its readers. The magazine has a standard structure, consisting of regular sections, such as "Panorama", with short news and curiosities; "Seven Days", which reports on news with minimal or no photographs; "Main Stories", covering a main story or event; "Society", containing major social events or news about celebrities; "Health and Beauty"; "Cookery"; and "Flora and Fauna", among others.The other main reason for the magazine's success is the fact that it is produced by a family firm whose aim is family entertainment. The magazine was created by the Sánchez-Junco family with a clear—although not publicly expressed— intention of highlighting family values. In this respect, the magazine is renowned for the excellence of its coverage of the Spanish Royal family and royal events. On a wider plane, ¡HOLA! always aims to present famous people in a favourable light, and tries to show their most positive aspects in all facets of life. The magazine's graphic design is another of its strengths. ¡HOLA! is said to be mainly a visual magazine, where photographs receive more prominence than the accompanying text. Indeed, the photographs are very carefully displayed, and are sometimes touched up for improved effect, by an inhouse team of photographers and editors. Photographs are occasionally bought from other agencies, but the news items accompanying them are always edited in ¡HOLA!"s inhouse editorial style. This style is in line with the journalistic tradition established by the international news agency, Agencia EFE, especially as regards the condensing of information and good photographic practice.¡HOLA! has been so successful since its launch that it has been copied in Latin America, encouraging other publishers to produce magazines similar in style and content. In Britain, OK! magazine is the one that has tried to imitate ¡HOLA!"s style most closely. However, ¡HOLA! stands out from any other magazine of its kind, holding the copyright of their brandname, ¡HOLA!, and the translation of this title into any other language.Further reading- Bernández, A. (1991) "The Mass Media", in A. Ramos Gascón (ed.) Spain Today: In Search of Modernity, Madrid: Cátedra (an essay on the role and importance of the mass media in Spain).- de Miguel, A. (1994) La Sociedad Española, 1993-94. Informe Sociológico de la Universidad Complutense, Madrid: Alianza Editorial (a sociological study of Spaniards in different facets of life, covering aspects such as reading habits and attitudes to the mass media).- Hooper, J. (1995) The New Spaniards, Harmondsworth: Penguin (chapter 21, on the press, has a section on magazines, pp. 300–2).GEMMA BELMONTE TALERO
Encyclopedia of contemporary Spanish culture. 2013.
