About the Rio Grande Guardian

Rio Grande Guardian Staff

Editor:

Steve Taylor
956-605-9380
staylor@riograndeguardian.com

Assistant Editor and Sales:

Nadezhda Garza
956-605-932
ngarza@riograndeguardian.com

Business Reporter:

Joey Gomez
956-929-0726
jgomez@riograndeguardian.com

General Assignments and Mexico Reporter:

Bill Rovira
956-451-4289
brovira@riograndeguardian.com

El Guardián en Español:

Lucy Vega
956-784-4264
lvega@riograndeguardian.com

Advertising and Marketing Strategies Are Changing in this Digital Age

Delivery of news, information and entertainment is changing fast. Today, consumers are increasingly using digital delivery platforms, such the Internet, e-mail, Facebook and Twitter.

The power of the Internet is also affecting advertising and marketing strategies. Internet marketing is now an essential part of the equation for major corporations and small businesses looking to build their brand and sales.

The Rio Grande Guardian is the future way of getting news and information and we are ready for the explosive growth occurring in South Texas and the border region.

About the Rio Grande Guardian:

The Rio Grande Guardian was the first online newspaper to launch in the Rio Grande Valley, starting out in July, 2005. It will celebrate its 5th birthday in July 2010.

It is still the market leader, setting the pace and breaking news often before traditional media outlets.

The Rio Grande Guardian has an excellent reputation for accurate and thorough news reporting, with a specialty for border business, legislative, political, healthcare, environment, and education issues. It is read by key decision-makers in Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C.

The demographic profile of the Rio Grande Guardian’s readership is coveted by advertisers. We are talking about high end, upwardly mobile, decision makers. Computer and Internet savvy, these are discerning readers and viewers that want a thorough analysis of the news.

Approximately, 75 percent of the Rio Grande Guardian’s readers are based in the Rio Grande Valley, one of the fastest growing regions in the country. It is home to about three million people and has a large Hispanic population.

The Guardian averages 750,000 page views per month. When it breaks the big stories it can get millions of “hits” per month.

The Guardian’s stories have been picked up by the New York Times, Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News, Austin American-Statesman, CNN, MSNBC, ABC World News Tonight, the Glenn Beck Show, and Good Morning America. It is recognized as a strong, independent, voice for the border region.

We invite you to market your goods and services through the Guardian because we offer excellent value for money and a large and growing target audience.

Mission Statement:

The objectives of the Guardian is to empower border residents with news and information central to their lives and to inform people across America, Mexico and the world about this fast growing and dynamic region.

Target Audience:

The Guardian’s target audience is Internet-savvy readers who need to have the latest border news and information delivered digitally as it happens. The I-paper specializes in coverage of border business, legislative, politics, heath care, education, environment and veterans’ issues. Its target audience is therefore those living in the Rio Grande Valley that care about these issues, plus tens of thousands of readers from outside the Valley who want to know what is happening in one of the fastest growing and dynamic regions in the country.

Editorial Line:

The Guardian has maintained a fierce independence in its editorial line. Its mission statement is to report fairly and accurately on the news that really matters in the Rio Grande Valley and the South Texas border region. It focuses on regional issues and reports in an in-depth and professional manner.

Affiliations:

The Guardian is a member of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, the McAllen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce. It has partnered in the past with the Equal Voice for America’s Families network and Yo Cuento 2010 in order to get a complete and accurate Census count.

The Guardian’s Future:

The Guardian is already the pacesetter in so many areas. As more and more people get their news and information through digital platforms, the Guardian will play an even more pivotal role in reporting on this fast-growing region. 

Marketing:

Personal Recommendation
Frequent mentions on KURV Radio and KVEO-TV’s Ron Whitlock Reports show
Facebook
Twitter
E-mail alerts
Blogs
Trade shows and Conventions
Legislative Media Clippings Service at the state Capitol in Austin

Testimonials:

“Since my arrival in the Valley, the Rio Grande Guardian has always been a professional and prompt source of information on the issues that concern our border communities, as well as on other topics of binational relevance. It is definitely a very useful tool for all of us who need to keep updated for the conduction of our daily lives.”

- Erasmo R. Martinez, Mexican Consulate, McAllen, Texas.

“The Rio Grande Guardian’s reporting on issues impacting the border at the local, state and national levels is a great asset to me as a legislator and to my constituents. The reporters are experienced, knowledgeable and they invest the time to convey what is happening in Austin and in Washington for Rio Grande Valley readers. I trust the Guardian to present the facts fairly, accurately and conclusively and I consider the Guardian a very important resource for our community.”

- Texas State Representative Veronica Gonzales, D-McAllen.

“Issues emerge quickly and my days go by very fast so I have to rely on the Guardian to keep me up to date on current issues affecting our region.”

- Mayor Richard Cortez of McAllen, Texas.

“The Rio Grande Guardian has demonstrated a real interest and concern about the issues that impact immigrants and other low-income families of South Texas. Their coverage of important news stories, both local and national, keeps us up to date with developments that could affect our work. No other news source does a better job than the Guardian. We are lucky to have them cover the Valley.”

- Juanita Valdez-Cox, director of La Unión del Pueblo Entero. San Juan, Texas.

And in Spanish:
 
“El Rio Grande Guardián ha demostrado un interés verdadero y preocupación sincera acerca de los problemas que afectan a los inmigrantes y otras familias de bajos ingresos en el sur de Texas. Su cobertura de noticias importantes, tanto locales como nacionales, nos mantiene informados de los eventos que podrían afectar a nuestro trabajo.  Ninguna otra fuente de noticias hace mejor trabajo que El Guardián.  Somos afortunados que ellos están reportando las noticias del Valle.”

- Juanita Valdez-Cox, director of La Unión del Pueblo Entero. San Juan, Texas.

Navigating the Web site:

A word of explanation about navigating the site. Double click on the headlines for the whole story. The Guardian News section is reserved for our experienced team of writers. This section is updated throughout the day, as border news breaks. The News In Brief section primarily covers news briefs impacting the border. The Border News Clips section is for the top border stories of the day. Clicking on to these stories will take you to the respective media outlet's Web site.

The Guardian welcomes your feedback. Please e-mail info@riograndeguardian.com