La Tribuna hits Newsstands

Spanish Newspaper Expands its Reach on the Western Slope

By Mitzi Rapkin, 5-19-06

Two months ago Colorado Mountain News Media, a company that owns virtually all the newspapers between Summit County and Aspen, bought La Misión, the Roaring Fork Valley's Spanish-language newspaper.

Luis Polar, founder and editor of La Misión which started in Basalt as a nonprofit grassroots newspaper for Spanish speakers throughout the valley. Polar is still the editor but the name was changed to La Tribuna and the first issue hit the newsstands earlier this month. With the new name also comes an expansion of the paper’s distribution along the I-70 corridor from the Eisenhower Tunnel to Grand Junction.

Polar said although the paper is now owned by a big company, it is still a heartfelt effort to publish. “It was a one-employee operation with the support of many volunteers. Certainly it was an amazing feeling to create something important for the benefit of our community. Currently the look of the paper has changed, but it is still in local hands. It has always been a personal project, and still is. Now we have to follow certain guidelines that are in place to streamline the process.”

He said the newspaper was renamed to give it branding recognition with other Spanish language publications owned by CMNM. “There is another La Tribuna based in Greeley. We also share design features with our sister publication.” The Greeley paper won six Colorado Newspaper Association awards and an Associated Press award this year.

In addition to shared design features, the newspaper will present a pre-established format of information divided in specific categories so it is better organized for the reader.

Previously, La Misión was distributed between Aspen and Glenwood Springs, about a 40-mile spread and Vail and Parachute, a 100-mile spread.

“Now we have 9,000 copies printed every Wednesday. We'll be adding Grand Junction, Minturn, Leadville, Frisco and Dillon,” Polar explained.

Although the newspaper is continuing as a weekly, in the future there could be a need to print more often, especially as the region grows. He said the expansion of a Spanish language newspaper is more than just a vehicle to spread news.

“I believe that an informed and educated society will make wiser decisions in regards to their daily lives. Our goal is to provide this type of knowledge in a format easily understood by our Hispanic population,” he said.

He noted that the fact a big company is willing to invest in a Spanish language paper is significant. “Evidently our region has demonstrated the financial capacity to support a Spanish weekly newspaper. I think our valleys have grown enough to demand the creation of this type of relationship between a major corporation and a small newspaper. This represents a new era in the development of our area.”

Currently, La Tribuna has one full-time reporter covering the Roaring Fork and Rifle Valleys, and a part-time reporter covering the Vail and Summit regions.

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