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.

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Deep Ellum news

Law enforcement to beef up in Deep Ellum following Halloween shootings

Photo by Scott Rodgerson on Unsplash

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Law enforcement will beef up its presence in a Dallas entertainment district where several deadly shootings occurred over the weekend, federal authorities announced Monday, November 2 as they joined elected officials nationwide in decrying gun violence in popular public places.

Across the country, numerous mass shootings on Halloween weekend left at least 10 people dead and dozens more injured. In Dallas, three shootings in Deep Ellum, a neighborhood of music and restaurants, left four people dead and 15 injured over the span of an hour and 15 minutes early Sunday.

“Everyone deserves the freedom to walk down the street, to celebrate a fun night out during our nation’s holidays and to simply exist in public without fear for their safety or their children’s safety,” Ryan Raybould, U.S. attorney for the northern district of Texas, said at a news conference.

Many shootings occurred around gathering spots during the confluence of what might be one of the last spells of warm weather this year that drew large crowds outside on Halloween, which this year happened to fall on a weekend.

As investigators continued to look for suspects and the motives behind the shootings, word spread of even more mass violence over the weekend. Two separate shootings occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, after the annual “Magic City Classic” college football game Saturday night. And police in college towns reported shootings in their nightlife districts where annual Halloween gatherings are popular, including in Fayetteville, Arkansas; Newark, Delaware; Bloomington, Illinois; and Bloomington, Indiana.

'The violence has to end'
Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said police are pursuing leads on possible suspects in the Deep Ellum shootings, which he called “senseless” and the result of arguments. It's undetermined if the shootings were related.

Comeaux and Raybould were joined by others at a news conference to announce “Operation Deep Cover,” a federal and local law enforcement response to gun violence in Deep Ellum.

Raybould said one man who allegedly wore a ski mask and pointed a loaded gun in the direction of a crowd in Deep Ellum was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The entertainment district experienced deadly violence earlier this year. Two people were fatally stabbed outside a nightclub in February, and a security guard was shot and killed while trying to break up a fight inside a nightclub in May. Among nonfatal shootings, five people were wounded outside of a sports bar in May, police said.

“The violence has to end, and it will end,” Raybould said. “I’m tired of reading the news stories.”

Operation Deep Cover
Both uniformed and plain clothes police will cover Deep Ellum, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ says uniformed officers will provide a visible presence to deter violence, while the others blend in with the public but will operate alongside them. Those who would commit crimes will not know when they're being watched or who is watching.

Operation Deep Cover, according to the DOJ will:

Increase resources: Devote more federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to Deep Ellum.
Strengthen coordination: Establish a direct line of communication with DPD for crimes in Deep Ellum, with monthly meetings led by the Chief of Violent Crime.
Prosecute aggressively: Pursue drug and firearm offenses aggressively.
Prioritize federal prosecution: Bring cases federally wherever the facts and law support federal charges.
Review past cases: Review cases from 2024 to the present and charge federal offenses where the evidence supports charges.
Dedicate intake team: Work with Dallas County through an intake team led by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy Fugate and Caroline Poore from the Violent Crimes Section to help ensure that no eligible case is overlooked.

Operation Deep Cover will involve FBI, ATF, DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Dallas Police Department.

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