Media News

5 new startups join a crowded Dallas-Fort Worth media scene

Nostalgic image of stack of newspapers, a form of media popular in the 20th century.

Photo courtesy of VishwaGujarat.com

Dallas-Fort Worth is already a media-rich town, with multiple newspapers, magazines, and online sites. But it's about to get richer in 2024, with expansions from local players as well as newcomers arriving and setting up shop.

Here's five new media startups happening in 2024:

Ya Hala FM
An Arab-American radio station, Ya Hala FM, is launching in Dallas in summer 2024 with a mission to "share the beautiful music of the Arab world, celebrate the Arab-American culture, and reshape perceptions of our community in the U.S."

The station has posted help wanted ads for sales staff as well as on air talent: specifically, two people to host a morning show, called Dardasha. Applicants must have a knack for storytelling, charismatic/vibrant personality, and a positive outlook on life to help kickstart their soon-to-be listeners' mornings. "We're looking for music lovers, culture shapers, and boundary breakers who are ready to embark on this new journey," the ad says.

Additionally, applicants should have a degree in journalism, media studies, communications, or at least two years of work experience, and be fluent in English and Arabic. They must also be located in Dallas.

Courier Texas
National pro-democracy news network founded in 2019 is opening a bureau in Texas, and advertising for positions based in Dallas that include political reporter, operating/managing director, and a statewide social media manager, with a launch slated for summer 2024.

Courier's mission is to build a more informed and engaged America by providing factual, values-driven news, and analysis online. Their reporting is produced primarily for social media and online channels, with an emphasis on video, graphics, and skimmable newsletters.

Their CEO is Tara McGowan, who has worked in journalism and politics, mostly for Democratic candidates, as have a number of their staffers. To avoid spreading misinformation, they eschew the "both sides" approach followed by so many mainstream media sites under the guise of being "balanced."

They currently have outlets based in 10 states: Arizona, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Nevada.

Amaré Magazine Texas
Quarterly print and digital magazine covering lifestyle, fashion, reality TV, celebrities, philanthropy, entertainment, events, arts & culture, cuisine, breaking news, and pop culture — phew, that's a lot — is launching in Dallas.

Their "about us" page says they launched in L.A. in 2016. Their founder/CEO is George Rojas, a fashion/stylist expert, event producer, and according to his bio, former meth addict. The mission: shine a light on artists, entrepreneurs, and businesses via a business model that allows professionals to expand their network, grow their social media, and work with advertisers and investors. Prior issues include "profiles" similar to the Voyage-type sites where the subjects write the profiles themselves. Helping to launch Dallas is skincare doctor and "Bravo TV personality" James Mercer, and editor Lindsay Stevenson.

While short on experience, they're long on enthusiasm. They breezed through Texas in May, stopping at Bistro 31, as well as the Highland Park home of D’Andra Simmons and the Houston home of Theresa Roemer — the latter of whom will be on the cover of the first issue which they say will debut in August. They claim to also be launching an edition in New York.

Arlington Report
An Arlington spinoff of Fort Worth Report, the online local news site, debuted in February, with stories such as "Arlington homeless people receive free showers, laundry, haircuts from nonprofit," as well as stories from the FW original.

Fort Worth Report was founded in 2021 to cover "important topics" (their words) like local government, schools, business, environment, and health care. Their About Us page says they do not intend to replicate "traditional print and broadcast media perform functions … such as granular national and local sports reporting, comics, lifestyle features, and breaking crime news."

Here's a piece they published on May 8: "Tastemaker Awards honor Fort Worth’s best restaurants, chefs, bars for 2024" — aww, it's a list of the winners of CultureMap Fort Worth's recent 2024 Tastemaker Awards. Thanks, guys! They've also partnered with travel operator Premier World Discovery to sell "travel experiences" across the globe, and are hosting a pitch session in late May at TWU. Wonder if there'll be free koozies.

FortWorthians101
In other Tarrant County news, Dallasites101, the influencer site known for hosting bar crawls and speed-dating nights, launched a Fort Worth version called FortWorthians101, as well as a Texas-wide site called Texans101. However, both seem to be entirely Instagram-based, unlike Dallasites101 and Austinites 101, which have standalone websites.

openings media

population explosion

7 booming Dallas neighbors see biggest population growth in U.S.

City of Denton, TX - City Hall/Facebook

Denton had the biggest population growth rate in Dallas-Fort Worth from 2022 to 2023.

Denton, Mansfield, McKinney, and more North Texas cities are among the fastest-growing places in the country, according to a new population growth study by SmartAsset.

The report, "These Cities Saw the Largest Growth in Population – 2024 Study," examined U.S. Census population estimates for 2023, 2022, and 2018 to determine one-year and five-year population changes for 610 U.S. cities with populations of at least 65,000 residents in 2023 (where the most recent data was available).

Silver Spring, Maryland had the No. 1 biggest population boom nationwide from 2022 to 2023, SmartAsset found. The Washington, D.C. suburb grew 12.86 percent year-over-year, bringing the city's total population from 75,313 to 84,996 residents in 2023.

Denton took the lead over all other Dallas-Fort Worth cities with the 16th-largest one-year population growth rate in the U.S., at 5.32 percent. Denton gained over 8,000 residents from 2022 to 2023, bringing the city's total population to 158,361 in 2023.

This should come as no surprise to those who already live in Denton, who may know their hometown was ranked one of the safest suburbs in America.

Mansfield trailed close behind with a 4.16 percent increase in population during that same period, which landed it the No. 26 spot in the one-year population change analysis. The city gained 3,189 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 79,775 residents in 2023.

McKinney appeared farther down the list as No. 49 with just a 2.89 percent one-year growth rate from 2022 to 2023, and a total population of 213,504 residents.

Only four other Dallas-Fort Worth cities appeared in the top 100 fastest growing cities in the U.S. from 2022 to 2023:

No. 61 – Frisco (2.48 percent increase)
No. 72 – Rowlett (2.48 percent)
No. 73 – Lewisville (2.17 percent)
No. 99 – Flower Mound (1.73 percent)

The report suggested major population shifts in communities like Denton or Mansfield can result in "a variety of interwoven economic and social impacts."

"The magnitude of the population change can affect demand for businesses and services, which in turn may impact costs – or even the availability of such amenities," the report's author wrote. "Similarly, the relative age of the population can determine the strength or weakness of the local job market, as well as have an impact on local culture, economic trajectory, tax base and more."

Fast-growing cities elsewhere in Texas
Texas cities dominated the top 10 list of cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023.

New Braunfels, a San Antonio suburb, ranked No. 2 nationally with an 12.49 percent one-year population boom, and a 29.68 percent growth rate from 2018 to 2023. The city gained 12,318 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 110,961 residents in 2023.

Just two spots behind New Braunfels is the North Austin suburb of Georgetown (No. 4), which grew 11.34 percent to 96,317 residents in 2023. According to the report's five-year population change analysis, Georgetown ranked seventh with a 29.85 percent growth rate.

The Houston suburbs of Atascocita and Conroe ranked No. 5 and No. 9, respectively. Atascocita's total population grew to 119,502 residents in 2023, which represented a 11.03 percent growth rate from 2022, and a whopping 38.56 percent population increase since 2018. Conroe's 6.73 percent one-year population increase paled in comparison, but the city grew 23.49 percent during the five-year period from 2018 to 2023.

The top 10 U.S. cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023 are:

No. 1 – Silver Spring, Maryland
No. 2 – New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – Glen Burnie, Maryland
No. 4 – Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Atascocita, Texas
No. 6 – Pine Hills, Florida
No. 7 – Elgin, Illinois
No. 8 – Lehi, Utah
No. 9 – Conroe, Texas
No. 10 – Dale City, Virginia

population growth reports smartasset dallas fort worth denton suburbs mansfield