ABSTRACT
The media play an important role in Spanish society and, in one way or another, affect the daily lives of every Spanish citizen. Not only do they influence the way in which political decision-making takes place, but, increasingly, they relate to the way people live their lives in terms of raising social awareness, educating people about the world around them and providing both entertainment and opportunities for enhanced communication, locally, nationally and globally. Now more than ever, the media, in the extended sense of the term, are ubiquitous, and encompass a vast range of modes of communication, from print to digital media, from podcasts to high definition television. The main emphasis in this chapter is on the ‘traditional’ media of newspapers, radio and television, which are still the most dominant media in Spain today. The chapter opens with an examination of the close relationship that has existed and continues to exist between the media and the state.
