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This is the first Wednesday in seven Wednesdays and one Saturday on July 4 when The Latino Newsletter is not releasing episodes of American Colony. The last few months, especially the last two, have been intense, as the team sprinted and delivered on an excellent first season.
Over the next week or two, I will share more about the response to the podcast, but today is about the future of The Latino Newsletter and where it is going next.
We took a big swing with American Colony, and I am deeply proud that we did. Our initial numbers include more than a million views of our social videos, thousands of new followers, hundreds of comments, countless personal messages about the show’s arc, and more than 7,000 downloads of our audio episodes since July 4. We accomplished that with no major distribution or sponsorship package.
If you haven’t listened to American Colony yet, check it out on our feed.
And if you have, drop us a note and tell us what you think.
Producing eight episodes in English and eight in Spanish, plus accompanying social media videos, was no easy feat, and as we disband the stellar team that worked on it, we hope we can get the group together again for more work.
So we will continue to fundraise for a second season and also drop new video episodes in September and October. American Colony hasn’t ended. It’s on a slight pause and pivot.
And yes, starting sometime next week, we will be fundraising with new American Colony merch. Stay tuned for that.
The same pause is happening with our work from our San Juan team. We gave it a strong run for a year, but we cannot sustain the work right now. What is clear to me is that The Latino Newsletter must stay small and nimble.
We are not big enough to sustain the level of work we have been producing, although the work made news several times in Puerto Rico. We know we have something special, and while I am saddened that we can’t continue the same cadence out of Puerto Rico, the work the duo of Carlos Berríos Polanco and Susanne Ramírez de Arellano delivered had impact.
The Next Direction
It’s time for The Latino Newsletter’s next direction.
I am committed to keeping The Latino Newsletter going in a way I hope people will see as valuable. Ever since I started the outlet in the late spring of 2024, I've wanted to create an organization that provides consistent, paid work to independent journalists who focus on the work and deliver excellence. That dream isn't going away, but I also know we need to be intentional and grow the organization more slowly.
So it starts with the following short-term goals:
Scale back the output of work. What felt right — publishing five days a week — is a bit too much at this stage. We will continue publishing three days a week until we reach a point where we can afford to publish Monday through Friday. We will still take pitches, but we'll need to be more selective as we extend our operational runway.
he goal is to ensure The Latino Newsletter gets to 2027, which means opening new revenue streams through direct sponsorships, digital products, and more targeted, strategic donation asks. We are building those blocks and expect to generate more donations and sponsorships as a result.
Then there’s the Phase 2 plan seeking support for three bureaus, each headed by a journalist. Such support would get us back to five times a week.
We haven’t locked the bureau locations yet, but places like Boston and Puerto Rico would be top choices.
One year of one bureau would keep The Latino Newsletter active. Anything after that would make it more sustainable. We also have the option to fund a second season of American Colony.
The last 12 months have been incredible. Thank you to our individual donors as well as the support from the Latino Media Consortium and the Mellon Foundation.
In the meantime, the team here will do all it can to diversify revenue.
If we achieve our goals, The Latino Newsletter will have a viable runway. If we don’t, I can always look back at the last couple of years with pride and a sense of accomplishment.
The Latino Newsletter is an independent nonprofit journalism outlet and production company. Your support will get us to a second season of American Colony. Give now to support our work.
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What We’re Reading
Drought in Puerto Rico: From the Associated Press, “the U.S. government announced a drought disaster on Wednesday for more than two dozen cities and towns in Puerto Rico as water woes deepen across the U.S. Caribbean territory, with no relief in sight.”
Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder of The Latino Newsletter. He is also its current part-time publisher and executive director. He wrote, edited and published this edition.
Consider donating to The Latino Newsletter. Any contribution, no matter how small, helps keep this newsletter free and accessible to all. ¡Gracias mil!