COMMUNICATION & SOCIETY COMUNICACIÓN Y SOCIEDAD © 2013 Communication&Society/Comunicación y Sociedad ISSN 0214-0039 E ISSN 2174-0895 www.unav.es/fcom/comunicacionysociedad/en/ www.comunicacionysociedad.com COMMUNICATION&SOCIETY/ COMUNICACIÓN Y SOCIEDAD Vol. XXVI • N.4 • 2013 • pp. 195-215 How to cite this article: OLABE SÁNCHEZ, F., “The sports journalists up against the communication model of football clubs in Spain: the case of Real Madrid CF in the 2011-2012 season”, Communication&Society/Comunicación y Sociedad, Vol. 26, n. 4, 2013, pp. 195-215. The sports journalists up against the communication model of football clubs in Spain: the case of Real Madrid CF in the 2011-2012 season Los periodistas deportivos frente al modelo de comunicación de los clubes de fútbol en España: el caso del Real Madrid CF en la temporada 2011-2012 FERNANDO OLABE SÁNCHEZ
[email protected] Fernando Olabe Sánchez. Professor of Specialised Journalism. Universidad Miguel Hernández of Elche. Faculty of Law and Social Sciences. 03202 Elche (Spain). Submitted: October 1, 2012 Approved: June 3, 2013 ABSTRACT: Football clubs are benchmark sports organisations for public opinion and society that have become official sources for the media. Communications management at the Communications departments of football clubs is crucial for sports journalists, as it determines both the quantity and the relevancy of the information produced, which is required and demanded by the media. This paper analyses the sports journalists’ perception of the Real Madrid CF communication model during the 2011-2012 season and their positioning within the information ecosystem that has been developed by this organisation to keep in contact with its strategic target audience.