New newspaper accents Hispanic culture
Aviva publishers hope to showcase all things Latino while appealing to all in Austin
January 09, 2009
By Juan Castillo
The photo on the cover of the debut issue of Aviva, a newspaper focusing on Hispanic issues, features the faces of musician Haydn Vitera and attorney Tracy Reyes-Franklin.
"We shot our target audience, 30-somethings," publisher Gavin Lance Garcia said. "The models show a next generation, with all due respect to the Chicano community, whose shoulders we're building on."
But the choice of locales — outside Güero's restaurant in the hip SoCo district — has as much meaning, said Garcia, who said that South Congress Avenue can be a metaphorical stepping-off point for discussions on things Latino by Austinites of all racial and ethnic stripes.
Aviva's mission, he said, "is to share Austin's Hispanic culture with those whose associations are only though social diversions, such as music and food."
A free English-language tabloid, Aviva began distribution Thursday — 5,000 copies were printed for its inaugural run — to about 70 locations, "from Lake Travis and West Lake Hills to Govalle and Montopolis," Garcia said. The print run will double in February, when Aviva begins its regular distribution schedule on the first Monday or Tuesday of the month. Garcia said he hopes to begin printing 20,000 copies by late spring.
Aviva is published by Spark Awakened Publishing/EFG Group, whose owners include Garcia, managing editor Liz Hernandez and musician Frank Gomez.
Investors are Gomez, Güero's owner Rob Lippincott, and Luis Zapata, who produces the Old Pecan Street Festival and other events.
Contributing writers include author and historian Martha Cotera and City Council Member Mike Martinez. Garcia said they — along with former state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos and Austin Tejano Music Coalition supporter Leonard Davila — are unpaid consultants.
Aviva's first issue includes an interview with Barrientos, who spoke about Austin's evolving Hispanic community, cultural battles within and ongoing struggles for equality.
Barrientos covered similar terrain in reports in the American-Statesman in 2007 on friction between new immigrants and Mexican Americans who have lived in the Austin area for generations. Garcia said the articles, which also explored efforts to keep Tejano music on the air, sparked his idea to start Aviva.
Aviva arrives at a time when the economy and the newspaper industry are struggling and faces competition from established local newspapers such as El Mundo, La Prensa and ¡ahora sí!, the Spanish-language weekly published in association with the American-Statesman.
But Hernandez, who recently retired after 26 years with the state attorney general's office, said Aviva can fill a void.
"We know that the rest of Austin certainly appreciates the Hispanic culture," she said. But "you don't always hear about it in the paper or TV or radio. I think that's going to change as the Hispanic population grows."
Cathy Vasquez-Revilla, publisher of La Prensa, a mostly English-language biweekly, said Aviva's fortunes could turn on its financial resources and the economy.
"Anybody can put out a paper, but not everyone can sustain it," she said. "But certainly, in terms of supporting another Hispanic newspaper, I wish them the best of luck."
Source: Austin American-Statesman
January 09, 2009
By Juan Castillo
The photo on the cover of the debut issue of Aviva, a newspaper focusing on Hispanic issues, features the faces of musician Haydn Vitera and attorney Tracy Reyes-Franklin.
"We shot our target audience, 30-somethings," publisher Gavin Lance Garcia said. "The models show a next generation, with all due respect to the Chicano community, whose shoulders we're building on."
But the choice of locales — outside Güero's restaurant in the hip SoCo district — has as much meaning, said Garcia, who said that South Congress Avenue can be a metaphorical stepping-off point for discussions on things Latino by Austinites of all racial and ethnic stripes.
Aviva's mission, he said, "is to share Austin's Hispanic culture with those whose associations are only though social diversions, such as music and food."
A free English-language tabloid, Aviva began distribution Thursday — 5,000 copies were printed for its inaugural run — to about 70 locations, "from Lake Travis and West Lake Hills to Govalle and Montopolis," Garcia said. The print run will double in February, when Aviva begins its regular distribution schedule on the first Monday or Tuesday of the month. Garcia said he hopes to begin printing 20,000 copies by late spring.
Aviva is published by Spark Awakened Publishing/EFG Group, whose owners include Garcia, managing editor Liz Hernandez and musician Frank Gomez.
Investors are Gomez, Güero's owner Rob Lippincott, and Luis Zapata, who produces the Old Pecan Street Festival and other events.
Contributing writers include author and historian Martha Cotera and City Council Member Mike Martinez. Garcia said they — along with former state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos and Austin Tejano Music Coalition supporter Leonard Davila — are unpaid consultants.
Aviva's first issue includes an interview with Barrientos, who spoke about Austin's evolving Hispanic community, cultural battles within and ongoing struggles for equality.
Barrientos covered similar terrain in reports in the American-Statesman in 2007 on friction between new immigrants and Mexican Americans who have lived in the Austin area for generations. Garcia said the articles, which also explored efforts to keep Tejano music on the air, sparked his idea to start Aviva.
Aviva arrives at a time when the economy and the newspaper industry are struggling and faces competition from established local newspapers such as El Mundo, La Prensa and ¡ahora sí!, the Spanish-language weekly published in association with the American-Statesman.
But Hernandez, who recently retired after 26 years with the state attorney general's office, said Aviva can fill a void.
"We know that the rest of Austin certainly appreciates the Hispanic culture," she said. But "you don't always hear about it in the paper or TV or radio. I think that's going to change as the Hispanic population grows."
Cathy Vasquez-Revilla, publisher of La Prensa, a mostly English-language biweekly, said Aviva's fortunes could turn on its financial resources and the economy.
"Anybody can put out a paper, but not everyone can sustain it," she said. "But certainly, in terms of supporting another Hispanic newspaper, I wish them the best of luck."
Source: Austin American-Statesman
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