In the last 12 months "The Olive Press" newspaper has gone from strength to ….. weakness. Have they employed Samson's hairdresser, by any chance?
Time was "The OP" was arguably the best of the English-language freesheets circulating in Southern Spain. "SUR in English" was in a period of circumspection and change following the retirement of founder and editor Liz Parry, BEM; The "EuroWeekly News" continued as, a-hem, "The EWN", showing little journalistic class and embracing the vile and abhorrent Leapy Lea as featured columnist.
[The Olive Press] [Diario Sur] [Facebook]
The local paid-for English papers all went under.
Background
So, how did "The Olive Press" plunge from its pinnacle of having regional editions all over the place including Mallorca and Gibraltar, from launching a German language edition and publishing fortnightly, to the "new improved version"?
From January 2026, "The OP" has a fresh clean design, uses better quality newsprint, has gone national and will only be published monthly.
No sign of the German version in the new grand plan.
[Issuu]
To this keen observer of the news scene, both paid-for and free-of-charge, in paper format or online, it looks like the re-arranging of the deck-chairs on the RMS Titanic as she headed for the iceberg that was to bring her maiden voyage to a sudden and fatal conclusion.
It gives me little pleasure to write this, as I worked for "The OP" in its early days (2008-2009) and it retains a place in my heart and my personal history. I also like the owner, Jon Clarke.
But I wonder if he is now out-of-his-depth?
He sheds staff as frequently as my cats shed fur in the summer.
His journalists are mostly young and inexperienced and quickly move on to pastures newer and greener. His managers and top journalists haven't stayed long either, moving on to bigger and better things. I'm thinking of Ysabelle Bostyn, Andrew Pierce, Karl Smallman, Paul Whitelock and a number of others.
He also lost key backroom staff when he suddenly moved operations from Arriate near Ronda to the Costa del Sol.
So, am I being harsh?
I welcome the re-design - it's cleaner and sharper. But moving to being a monthly means it's no longer a newspaper, instead it's become a monthly magazine.
How do you keep on top of the news when you only come out once a month? The new "improved" OP will miss three weeks of news every single edition.
Advance notice of the changes The new "portada" The new Olive Press "monthly magazine"
[Above photos by Paul Whitelock]
And, by going national, it will lose one of its former strengths, ie being in touch with and part of the local community.
I hope I'm wrong, but I think I'm probably not!
SUR in English and The EWN must be rubbing their hands with glee.
© Pablo de Ronda
Pictures:
Diario Sur, Facebook, Issuu, Paul Whitelock, The Olive Press, Trip Advisor
Thanks:
Jon Clarke, Luke Stewart, Paul Whitelock, Wikipedia
Tags:
Andrew Pierce, Arriate, Costa del Sol, Diario Sur, "EWN", "EuroWeekly News", Facebook, German language edition, Gibraltar, Issuu, Jon Clarke, Karl Smallman, Leapy Lea, Liz Parry, Luke Stewart, Mallorca, Paul Whitelock, Ronda, RMS Titanic, "SUR in English", The Olive Press, Trip Advisor, Wikipedia, Ysabelle Bostyn