Mexico City Herald to close… however…

I had a “heads up” on this, but wasn’t going to say anything until it appeared Saturday:

Dear readers, subscribers and supporters:

The Mexico edition of The Miami Herald will suspend publication as of June 1. Unfortunately due to economic considerations the paper will close until further notice.

I am NOT discontinuing the Mex Files, but I will not be able to continue devoting full time to this venue. I am working on a commercial site, tentatively called “Tiempos del RIO Times” (TRIOTimes), which will focus on the Texas Big Bend/Northern Chihuahua and Coahuila region (broadly defined south to Saltillo to Chihuahua, north to Odessa/Midland, and east-west from Del Rio/Acuña to El Paso/Juarez) including relevant reportage from outside the immediate area of relevance to the region.

TRIOTimes won’t fill the gap caused by the Mexico City Herald’s demise, but for those of you in Northern Mexico, or who follow Mexican news in English (or do business in this part of the world), TRIOT might be a valuable resource for you

I’d initially hoped to have TRIOTimes up and running by 1 June, but there are still some funding problems (an enthusiastic would-be advertiser wrote a bad check, to be honest). At this point, I still need about $1500 US and two week’s lead time to get TRIOTimes up and running.

I have no idea what the actual hit count will be for TRIOTimes, which will be free for the first several months, but by subscription after the trial period. Obviously, I can’t set a rational ad rate UNTIL I have the hit count and know what the base is.

So, I’m going on blind faith, asking for pre-paid advertisers for God knows how many weeks in advance (I’m guessing $150 U.S. a monthly front page ad). The Mex Files has been pushing me further and further into debt.  I hope to keep The Mex Files a free site, though “free” to you doesn’t mean no-cost to me.

My local bank hasn’t set up the account for TRIOTimes YET (it’s a holiday weekend in the U.S., and it’s a small country bank — and I wasn’t able to get my business registration until Friday afternoon).  I didn’t find out about the over-eager investor’s bad check until late Friday when she called very embarrassed and apologetic and desperate to back the check out of her account.  I expect my checks will start bouncing Tuesday (but, there are a few advantages to working with a small town banker at a rural bank).

Until I get that mess straightened out, I can use Mex Files money for the  TRIOTimes (as sole proprietor, transferring money is not a big deal), which can be sent through paypal.  If your funds are specifically for TRIOTimes (or you are interested in a copy of the business plan prepared for local distribution), I have a temporary TRIOTimes email address at: triotimes@excite.com

Writers I can find, but am looking for a few freelancers in Mexico (and some English to Spanish translators).