The Rivard Report looks a little different today, starting with a new logo, an evolving color palette, and updated fonts.
As readers can tell from the photograph, we are now at work in our new offices at 126 Gonzales St. in St. Paul Square, where we moved last month after four years in the Rand Building at 110 E. Houston St. That places us a scooter ride away from Geekdom, the growing downtown tech district, City Hall, and the Bexar County Courthouse, but we now enjoy more space, office amenities, and parking for our growing team.
“We deeply appreciate the many donors and members who helped make the move easier and more affordable by contributing funds to help offset the costs of moving, adding furniture and technology for our expanded staff,” said Robert Rivard, editor and publisher. “We still think of ourselves as a scrappy startup, but we are 19 people strong now, and we will celebrate seven years of publication in a matter of months.”
(Readers who are ready to take the next step and become supporting members can click here to securely join. There are different levels of membership available for individuals, businesses, and nonprofits. All contributions to our 501(c)3 are tax-deductible.)
Just this week, the Rivard Report welcomed two new business team colleagues: Kassie Kelly, membership coordinator, and Laura Lopez, events and audience engagement director. The editorial team gained a new reporter in Jackie Wang in mid-August.
The Rivard Report began working with Austin-based Arrow late last year to redevelop its brand in keeping with its growth and its nonprofit mission to deliver news, information, and commentary to San Antonio’s engaged citizens and to promote civic engagement through its journalism and calendar of community events and forums.
“We originally began this project thinking we were going to come out with a new name,” said Jenna Mallette, chief operating officer. “After surveying loyal members such as yourselves, readers, and even San Antonians not familiar with our name and work, we took that feedback to heart and decided to stick with the name Rivard Report.”
Arrow’s No. 1 recommendation was to keep the name and not adopt a more generic or institutional name change that might confuse readers and supporters.
“Readers don’t necessarily associate the Rivard Report with Rivard the individual anymore, but they do associate the name with credible local journalism they can trust,” said Dave Shaw, Arrow’s president and lead brand strategist. “Lots of media began as individual enterprises and then evolved, whether you are talking Bloomberg, Forbes, or the Huffington Post. The Rivard Report has a lot of brand equity in the city, especially the urban core. Why risk losing that as it continues to grow and broaden its audience?”
“Our look is changing, but our mission and vision remain unchanged,” Mallette added. “We are still committed to creating a more informed, better connected San Antonio, and we will always strive to be the most trusted and reliable source of local news in town.”
The Rivard Report publishes multiple staff-written stories daily, adding new posts throughout the day, with freelance contributors appearing regularly on the site, too. It continues to serve as a community platform, with individuals throughout San Antonio invited to submit in-depth commentaries on important issues of the day, to advocate for different public policy initiatives, illuminate the important work and mission of other local nonprofits, and share personal stories. Many readers have contributed articles profiling their neighborhoods to the popular Where I Live series.
Click here for submission guidelines.
“We’ve gone through a lot of change in the last couple months, which shows we’re growing, evolving, and maturing,” said Managing Editor Graham Watson-Ringo, who oversees the editorial team and the daily news report. “We’re not stuck wondering what’s next, we’re actively plotting our future, and San Antonio is getting to see all of these moves. We have big ambition, big ideas, and big goals for our place in San Antonio’s media landscape.”
