Another Spanish weekly bites the dust. The Denver Post is ceasing operations of its Hispanic weekly Viva Colorado, launched in 2006.
The last edition of the Spanish-language paper, which had a circulation of over 50,000, will be distributed today.
Viva Colorado’s shutdown is part of a series of cuts and layoffs by The Denver Post. The paper announced in June it was looking to reduce about 20 staff positions.
In a Facebook post, Viva Colorado’s Editor and Publisher, Diego Aparicio, acknowledges he’ll be out of a job at the paper. Today is his last day.
“Unlike my past layoffs at Al Dia/Dallas Morning News and Univision, this time I don’t leave bitter. Unsure if it is bc how happy I was working here or if bc as we grow older we learn how to cope with this industry we chose to work in.”
He told Media Moves that he’ll be starting a new job as an adjunct professor at the College of Media, Communication and Information at CU Boulder in the new MCIC at CU Boulder, teaching fundamentals of reporting.
Diego alerted readers of Viva Colorado’s demise in a letter published in the paper last week, online and via social media.
He sent an English-language version of the letter via email to the paper’s partners and stakeholders, highlighting the the paper’s awards and the news team’s accomplishments.
Here’s the farewell letter he sent last week:
Colleagues, partners and friends,
Yesterday we announced that The Denver Post decided to cease operations of Viva Colorado, its Hispanic weekly launched in 2006 and that consistently hit racks — and later homes — with one of the strongest Hispanic weekly publications in the Denver metropolitan area.
During its nine years serving Hispanics in the Denver metro area, Viva Colorado won more than 20 accolades from the Society of Professional Journalists, Best of the West, National Association of Hispanic Publishers and Colorado Press Association — 11 times for first place for best news coverage, features, design, etc.
VivaColorado.com won the EPPY Editor and Publisher award three years in a row (2011, 2012, and 2013) for best Spanish news website under 1 million unique users. It’s not clear whether the company will keep Vivacolorado.com running.
The Denver Post will continue to reach Hispanics via Denverpost.com, where it averages about 550,000 Spanish speaking unique users monthly. The Denver Post also enjoys a readership of about 109,000 Latinos who read its print edition every Sunday and about 51,000 who read it Monday through Friday.
I’d like to express my sincere appreciation for your support to Viva Colorado, whether it was as a news source, community partner or business with vested interests in the Hispanic community here in Denver.
After Viva Colorado shuts down, I will part ways with The Denver Post. However, I can still be reached via Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook.
It was a pleasure working with you in so many news and community projects, and I am sure we’ll meet again soon.
Best regards,
Diego Aparicio