Rambler welcomes sponsorships, partnerships

Irving—The transformation from Rambler Newspapers to Rambler Texas Media, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, marked a change in focus from being a single community newspaper to creating a statewide news service. The company’s headquarters and back-office operations are in Irving. We have been working to rescue very small community newspapers (1-4 man shops). 

Rambler Texas Media now produces newspapers for three areas:

We have been working with other newspapers facing the threat of closure.

Research shows that residents in communities without a local news outlet pay more taxes and more for the goods and services they need. Also, misinformation and disinformation flourish in the vacuum created by a lack of trained journalism reporting on local events and activities. The lack of accurate information restricts residents' ability to understand the community's problems and create workable solutions.

Rambler Texas Media focuses on the community stories the large regional news organizations often ignore. A strong news organization reflects the identity of and promotes community engagement.

Non-profits still pay bills. The estimated cost for Rambler Texas Media to produce the Irving paper for 2025 is $202,000. This is only for the newspaper that reports on Irving and the surrounding areas and includes $72,300 in print costs and newspaper delivery. This estimated cost includes 44 percent of the staff and office space costs. By having multiple products, we can share the operational costs effectively, reducing the costs for any one community.

As of Dec. 1, Rambler Texas Media kicked off Phase 2 of its plan to be a sustainable news organization. This phase shifts the focus of Rambler Texas Media from inward construction to outward marketing and the development of expanded content by including other organizations in the community. Therefore, it requires stronger community involvement.

We have developed three different sponsorship programs to create a stronger relationship with the community while raising the funds needed to expand the coverage for Irving and surrounding markets. These programs allow organizations and companies the opportunity to have their voice represented in the newspaper on a weekly or monthly basis. These programs will also allow non-profit organizations to raise funds through revenue sharing. We need subscribers and other supporters of local community journalism to visit their churches and other organizations and reach out to us to find out how we can partner for everyone's benefit.