British In Costa Blanca Now Have Region-dedicated English Language Newspaper

Olive Press now has an edition focused on the Costa Blanca expat community

Popular expat newspaper The Olive Press now has a dedicated Costa Blanca-focused publication, the latest in its group of four to bring news, events and happenings to Spain’s huge but scattered expat community. For expats working or retiring overseas, having a local paper which keeps its readers up to date on everything from politics, events, opinion pieces and informational articles is essential, particularly for retirees who may find learning a new language trying, to say the least!.

Up until now, three versions of the award-winning newspaper covered Mallorca, Gibraltar and Andalusia respectively, with the new edition widely welcomed in the Costa Blanca region, especially by those who have better things to do in this popular location than spend valuable sunshine time searching online for local news and events! The launch of the new edition comes after five years of planning and research in order to create a newspaper for all expat English language readers in the region.

Costa Blanca expats will be treated to everything from dedicated local news items to features, columns, reviews and investigative journalism write-ups, all focused on the region and served up with breaking news which may affect the region. Its fortnightly issue will be of interest not only to expats but also to tourists visiting the area and those planning to work in Spain. The editor is asking readers to let the paper’s journalists know about any issue which should be covered, including news on the environment, politics and corruption or even on expats’ pets and neighbours! Most importantly, if readers notice anything untoward or an issue which needs attention, they’re urged to get in touch.

The essential advertising/editorial split will be held at 50 per cent, a rarity for expat media nowadays, making Olive Press’s prices slightly higher than those of their rivals but also giving room for more creative presentations of adverts intended to increase reader take-up. The most important task for Olive Press’s four regional editions is to keep expat readers informed about events which may affect their lives, warning them where necessary and reassuring them when there’s more positive news.

Since the June 2016 Brexit referendum, Olive Press’s coverage of Brexit issues as they arose has been of enormous help to the expat community in Spain, especially for those Brits who may well be worst affected. Unlike several other expat media chains in France and elsewhere in Europe, the paper hasn’t imposed a paywall, thus allowing UK expats on state pensions full access to everything as it happens, reassuring them when possible and spelling it out when bad news hits. For this and everything else on offer, the Olive Press deserves its fame as a journalistic enterprise which keeps its readers rather than its bank account in mind.