The journalist Augusto Delkáder has passed away this Friday in Madrid at the age of 76, after suffering from several illnesses, as confirmed by his family to El País. A member of the founding team of the newspaper in 1976 and honorary president of Cadena SER, he was one of the prominent figures in Spanish journalism during the Transition and the following decades.
Born in Cádiz in 1950, Delkáder dedicated more than half a century to information and media management. His career was closely linked to Grupo Prisa, where he held various editorial and executive responsibilities, both in print media and radio.
His professional career was tied to some of the main events in the recent history of Spain, from the democratic Transition and the attempted coup d'état of February 23, 1981, to the expansion of major Spanish media groups in Latin America.
From Cádiz to the founding of El País
Delkáder began his journalistic career at the Diario de Cádiz, where he did his first internships. He studied Law and Information Sciences in Madrid and expanded his training in the United Kingdom and the United States. During the 1970s, he also worked at the now-defunct newspaper Informaciones, before joining the founding project of El País.
In 1976, he was part of the team that launched the newspaper directed by Juan Luis Cebrián, which was set to become one of the reference headlines during the Transition. His connection with the newspaper had a brief hiatus when he returned to his hometown to direct the Diario de Cádiz, a responsibility he took on at just 26 years old.
After that stage, he returned to El País, where Juan Luis Cebrián appointed him deputy director in 1979 and assistant director in 1982. From that position, he participated in the coverage of some of the most relevant political episodes of Spanish democracy.
Among them, the attempt of the coup d'état of 23F stood out. Delkáder was part of the team that worked during that night on the special edition of El País, published in defense of constitutional order while the outcome of the coup attempt was still unknown.
His time at the head of Cadena SER
In 1987 he jumped to radio after being appointed director of the News Services of Cadena SER, acquired a few years earlier by Prisa. The change opened a new professional stage in which he would end up performing some of the main executive responsibilities of the radio group.
A year later he took over the direction of the conventional chain and, in 1990, he began to supervise the different stations of the group. In December 1991 he was appointed general director of SER, from where he participated in its modernization and expansion.
His management coincided with the consolidation of SER as one of the main references of Spanish radio. During those years he worked closely with professionals like Iñaki Gabilondo, whose morning program became one of the most influential news spaces in the country.
Later he held the positions of CEO of SER and Unión Radio, in addition to taking on responsibilities in Prisa Radio. He also participated in the international expansion of the group's radio business, especially in Latin America, where Prisa developed an important presence through different stations.
More than five decades in the Prisa Group
Delkáder's career was not limited to the direction of newspapers and stations. Throughout his career he also served as director of the Media Unit of Prisa, president of Prisa Radio, and editorial coordinator of the group, among other responsibilities.
In June 2021, after more than 50 years of professional activity, he left his executive positions at Prisa and was appointed honorary president of Cadena SER, a recognition of his career and his contribution to the development of Spanish radio.
He was also linked to other institutions and companies. He was president of the Social Council of the University of Cádiz, trustee of the Foundation Three Cultures of the Mediterranean, and a member of the board of directors of Grupo Joly, publisher of Diario de Cádiz.
His career was recognized with different distinctions, including the appointment as Favorite Son of Cádiz, the Gold Medal of Andalucía, and the Federico Joly Award, which he received in 2019 for his contribution to journalism and the development of the media.