CONTACT:
Clara Reyes
Reyes Media
816.221.4747
creyes@dosmundos.com
www.dosmundos.com
One idea, two worlds, 25 years: Dos Mundos bilingual newspaper celebrates 25 years at West Side festival this June
Kansas City, Mo., May 13 - In 1981 the Hispanic population of Kansas was a little more than 63,000. In Missouri there were even fewer. When Clara Reyes, founder and editor of Dos Mundos, decided to create Kansas City’s first bilingual Spanish/English newspaper, she was making a prediction that these numbers would soon be shooting up. She was right. By 2000 the Hispanic population had increased 130 percent in Missouri and by nearly 200 percent in Kansas.
However, at the beginning Reyes’ idea was a gamble. She had moved to Kansas City from Guadalajara, Mexico, and saw that many first generation newcomers didn’t have access to good local news because they couldn’t speak English.
“When I started there was no other newspaper in Spanish; For years I was the only one,” Reyes said. “Some Hispanics speak English only, but the old generation speaks Spanish and we are trying to reach everybody.”
When the paper first came out the Kansas City Hispanic community embraced it right away. “Everybody in the community was so excited to see,” she said. Advertisers, though, were harder to convince. “It was hard for me to sell advertising because a lot of people didn’t know about the Hispanic market.”
The Hispanic community and subsequently the Hispanic market have continued growing steadily, and people now realize the importance of this segment of the population. Reyes has noticed in the last 10 years that many new media outlets are jumping on the bandwagon. “There is a lot of competition now,” she said. “We have TV and radio and a lot of papers coming up.” The trend is the same nationally. Time and People both have Spanish editions. TV, movies and music are available in Spanish all over. Reyes said that simply providing content in Spanish is not enough to be successful, however. “Papers come out and go, and everybody thinks that’s the way to go. Put up a newspaper or magazine and make a lot of money, but it is not the way it is. It’s hard work,” Reyes said.
She credits Dos Mundos’ longevity to the fact they provide content to educate the community about itself and the issues of the day. Reyes said immigration, education and economic development are some of the most important topics.
The paper has changed much over the years. With help from dedicated friends and her husband and co-founder Manuel Reyes the paper has gone from a four-page bi-weekly black-and-white paper to the four-section, full-color weekly it is today. The paper employs a staff of 15 and thanks to the efforts of the Reyes children; Ed Reyes, who works production manager and senior IT manager, and Diana Raymer, who is the general manager and advertising manager; the paper may continue to be a voice for the Hispanic community for many years.
Reyes never imagined the impact the paper would have. Over the years she’s received countless letters from readers. She has interviewed celebrities and political figures including former President George Bush Sr. The paper has also won awards such as the National Association of Hispanic Publications lifetime achievement award in 2005, and Latina Publisher of the Year award also in 2005. In 2001 Manuel and Clara Reyes were named to the list of the 150 most influential builders of the county at the commemoration of Jackson County’s 175 th anniversary.
Reyes thanks everyone who helped the paper survive and grow over its 25 years. The 25th anniversary celebration will begin Saturday, June 24 in the historic West Side district near the newspaper’s offices at 902 Southwest Blvd. in Kansas City. Food, games and live entertainment are being planned.
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