On Monday, the nonprofit online news publication Rivard Report unveiled its new name, the San Antonio Report.
The rebrand has been months in the making, though temporarily delayed by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The San Antonio Report name also comes with a new logo.
The San Antonio Report was founded in 2012 by Robert Rivard, now the publisher and editor, and his wife, Monika Maeckle. The news organization has since expanded to include 18 editors, reporters, and photographers covering the San Antonio area, along with a four-person business staff.
“It’s deeply satisfying to see the modest online news site my wife, Monika, and I started nearly nine years ago bloom into a thriving news organization and civic engagement enterprise that deserves to carry the San Antonio name,” Rivard said. “Our talented team of journalists and nonprofit staff are the real strength of the Report and that’s why it is now the San Antonio Report and no longer the Rivard Report.“
As a nonprofit, the San Antonio Report and its public service journalism is supported by individual, business, and nonprofit donors, including national foundations.
A survey conducted in March by the Institute for Nonprofit News, of which the San Antonio Report is a member, found that the number of nonprofit newsrooms is growing at a time when traditional newsrooms face cutbacks, and more are focusing on local news.
Board Chair John Newman said when the Rivard Report became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit five years ago, the plan was to change the name to the San Antonio Report then. But the board felt that rebranding might add too much confusion on top of accomplishing other goals, including hiring more journalists and starting a membership program.
“So we waited,” Newman said. “We finally realized that there would never be an ideal time to make the change. The driving idea is for the name to better reflect our growing audience and organization.”
Rivard will continue to serve as editor, write a Sunday column, moderate online and in-person events, and serve on the board of directors. The board has launched a nationwide search for a new publisher, who functions as the organization’s CEO, to succeed Rivard. That publisher, once hired, will then take on the responsibility of selecting the next editor.
“It is time for a new generation to lead the Report, and I have no doubt we have recruited the talented individuals who have the skills, the character, and the community commitment to take this amazing organization to the next level,” Rivard said. “As a founder, I am proud of what we have built. I am forever grateful to the philanthropists and donors who gave me the support I needed to turn an idea into something real. And I am looking forward to the transition ahead when I do whatever I can to make the next publisher a success, and afterwards, when a new editor takes the reins.”
Newman expressed his gratitude to Rivard and Maeckle for conceiving the Rivard Report to serve the community.
“Thanks to their vision, outstanding journalism, and hard work, all of us are much more informed,” Newman said. “That’s good, because it is really hard to make good decisions when we don’t know what’s going on.”
