Bulgar
In December 1990, Leonida and Rainer Sison published two weekly Filipino-language magazines mainly focused on entertainment and local showbusiness - Bulgar and Chism. Both targeted mass readership.
A year later, they ceased publishing Chism and decided to transform Bulgar (translation: reveal) into a more serious daily newspaper. In 1996, the tabloid gained “unprecedented popularity” over several rival tabloids with its sensational headlines and attention-grabbing entertainment scoops. In its heyday, Bulgar claimed to have reached 600,000 daily circulation.
Bulgar, now under Sison’s Publishing, Inc. has since been among the most-read Tagalog dailies in Mega Manila. It carries national news, crime stories, opinion columns, sports, and showbiz features.
Its front page, packed with headlines in red and black print, continues to be a magnet for readers, even as consumption of print media has dropped since the pandemic. To compensate, Bulgar also maintains an online presence, which posts articles in English and Filipino.
A testament to its continued popularity among the masses is the many politicians - mostly senators - who write a column for the paper.
The Sison family, minus Rainer who passed away in 2020, owns Sison’s Publishing House, Inc. Leonida has a 79% stake in the company, and sits as President and Chairman of the Board. She also writes a regular column (Boses) for the tabloid.
Her son, Maxim Ryan B Sison, with a 15% stake in the company, serves as publisher.
Based on Nielsen’s 2023 Q2 Consumer and Media View Report, Bulgar is among the top-ranked print media with a 1.11% readership share.
Audience Share
1.11%
Ownership Type
Private
Geographic Coverage
National
Content Type
Paid content
Media Companies / Groups
Sison’s Publishing House, Inc.
Ownership Structure
Bulgar is owned by Sison’s Publishing House, Inc., which is 100% owned by the Sison family
Voting Rights
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Individual Owner
General Information
Founding Year
1990
Affiliated Interests Founder
founded Bulgar in 1990 as a weekly entertainment magazine, along with CHISM. In 1991, CHISM ceased publication. Publisher Leonida B. Sison and her late husband Rainer, decided to focus on publishing Bulgar, which they transformed into a daily tabloid.
Affiliated Interests Ceo
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Affiliated Interests Editor-In-Chief
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Affiliated Interests other important people
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Contact
Bulgar Bldg. 538 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City 1100
Trunklines: 749-5664 to 65
Editorial: 749-5664 loc. 112, 114, 122,
712-2874 (Fax)
Bulgar Online: 995-3732
Financial Information
Revenue (in Mill. $)
401,735.68 US$ / 22,275,842 PhP
Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
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Advertising (in % of total funding)
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Market Share
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Further Information
Meta Data
Founding year based on date of incorporation as reflected in the Securities and Exchange Commission documents.
Audience share is based on Consumer & Media View survey for newspapers under Nielsen’s Philippine Media Landscape Report for Quarter 2 of 2023.
Currency conversion based on the PhP-USD exchange rate for 30 November 2023.
Sources
Media Landscape Report for Quarter 2, 2023, available upon purchase from Nielsen Company (US), LLC
