Pecos changes from daily to weekly pub

PECOS — The Pecos Enterprise moved from publishing five days a week to weekly publication with the June 2 issue. The West Texas newspaper published its last edition as a daily May 28.

“We are making this move because we can no longer afford to publish on a daily basis,” the newspaper wrote in a letter to subscribers.

The Enterprise reported 2,069 circulation on its October 2003 postal statement.

The move brings Texas’ paid daily count to 89 newspapers.

Texas Tech opens new College of Mass Communications

LUBBOCK – The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents May 14 created the College of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University. The new college is the 10th at Texas Tech.

The new college, formerly the School of Mass Communications, moves out from under the umbrella of the College of Arts and Sciences to assume full college status.

“The move to a college will allow us to offer a doctoral degree as well as bring enhancement to our master’s and undergraduate level programs,” said William Marcy, Ph.D., provost of Texas Tech University.

The College of Mass Communications offers bachelor-of-arts degrees in advertising, journalism, public relations, telecommunications and photocommunications. A master of arts degree in mass communications also is offered.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will vote in July on the new college’s proposal for a doctoral degree in mass communications.

“The new college will increase the status of degrees earned by alumni and for our future graduates,” said Jerry Hudson, founding dean, College of Mass Communications. “The college will attract the best faculty in the nation to teach our graduate and undergraduate courses and provide an opportunity for the college to be successful in securing more scholarship endowments.”

School of Mass Communications administrators and faculty began the application process to become a college in 2002. Once the university approved the application, the next step was approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating board and the creation of a doctoral program.

“Several proposals to create a college have been put forth over the past 33 years,” said Hudson. “This is the first time we’ve been able to marshal the funds we need to establish a new college and secure board approval.”

“The School of Mass Communications had more than 1,500 declared majors for the Fall 2003 semester,” said Hudson.  “The new college is one of the 15th largest mass communications programs in the nation and the seventh largest undergraduate program within Texas Tech.”

Hudson, who served as director of the School of Mass Communications in 1987 through 1992, was asked to assume the duties of director again in 1998. Hudson will serve as the founding dean. He has been a faculty member in mass communications since 1978.

 

San Antonio launches bilingual weekly paper

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Express-News launched a new bilingual weekly newspaper called Conexion that will be sold by subscription and at newsstands.

The publication, which will contain columns, news, business, culture, entertainment, travel, sports and food stories in English and Spanish, targets the increasingly diverse and sophisticated Hispanic market. It will be published Thursdays.

Most of its stories are in English. Conexion, which costs 25 cents per issue, will be sold in news racks at over-the-counter local locations throughout Bexar County.

In coming weeks, single-copy distribution of the newspaper will extend into South Texas.

Brownsville expands Spanish daily newspaper

BROWNSVILLE — El Nuevo Heraldo, the Rio Grande Valley’s only Spanish-language daily newspaper, expanded its reach to include Harlingen, San Benito and surrounding communities in Cameron County.

The expansion is a result of a partnership, between sister Freedom Newspapers The Brownsville Herald and the Valley Morning Star in Harlingen with the goal of having El Nuevo Heraldo gradually reach every part of Cameron County.

“Our Spanish daily has done very well in the Brownsville market and we know it has a greater potential beyond Brownsville to serve more of our regional communities,” R. Daniel Cavazos, Herald publisher, said.

Initial expansion of El Nuevo will focus on single-copy distribution.

Seguin starts re-design

SEGUIN — The Seguin Gazette- Enterprise has started a re-design to put the emphasis back on the stories and pictures and to be able to offer more of both.

The masthead has changed with a slimmed down, lighter appearance, which maintains a picture of the Juan Seguin statue that sits in the city’s Central Park.

Lighter, more readable fonts for headlines and body copy were added and more information graphics will appear alongside articles. Reporters’ e-mail addresses will appear at the end of each article.