Spanish paper La Tribuna to merge with Greeley Now

La Tribuna, Greeley's 3-year-old Spanish-language weekly newspaper, will merge in mid-February with a sister publication, Greeley Now.

Beginning Feb. 13, Greeley Now will include several pages of Spanish and English content under the La Tribuna heading. The stories will be targeted to appeal to Greeley's Latino readers.

La Tribuna's last publication date will be Feb. 7.

Greeley Now, formerly Tribune Extra, is a free weekly newspaper delivered to 20,000 households in the Greeley area. It is delivered specifically to readers who are not subscribers of the Greeley Tribune.

While popular with Spanish speakers in Greeley, the 9,000-circulation La Tribuna did not attract enough advertisers to make it financially successful as a standalone publication, said Bart Smith, Tribune and La Tribuna publisher.

"It was with deep regret that the decision was reached," Smith said. "After three years of publication, however, it became apparent that -- especially in the tightening local economy -- La Tribuna was not going to become economically viable in 2008."

Smith added that the combination of the Tribune and Greeley Now will more effectively reach the Latino market in the Greeley area, with a much higher circulation than La Tribuna.

La Tribuna general manager and editor Edwin Ruis is joining the news staff of the Greeley Tribune. He will help direct news coverage and write for the editorial page.

Greeley Now is among nine publications published by the Northern Colorado Communications Group, based in Greeley.