La Media Rd.

The media landscape along the border continues its relentless transformation.

On Friday, August 8th, Mariano Gallegos signed off from Radio Fórmula Tijuana, ending his collaboration with the AM 950 station that began in July 2023.

The Tijuana native has navigated several radio stations throughout his career. Many remember his tenure at Radio Enciso, where he weathered years of changes until former Governor Jaime Bonilla’s interests began exploiting the 1310 AM frequency, adding it to his near-monopoly of the airwaves.

During his farewell broadcast, Mariano clarified this wasn’t a case of censorship, but rather a management decision by Marcela Alvarez’s administration.

Another departure from local media is Claudia León, the young reporter who was approaching her two-year mark at XEWT Channel 12 before leaving in late July due to financial concerns.

She now works in the Press Office for the Baja California Attorney General’s Office.

A UABC Communications graduate, León previously spent six months as a reporter at Frontera newspaper.

León represents just one of several recent departures from Tijuana’s oldest Spanish-language television station, which is celebrating its 65th anniversary.

Recent months have also seen the exit of Victoria Ortega (apparently for family reasons) and Said Rodríguez, who has joined José Ibarra’s team at “Siempre en la Noticia” (Always in the News).

“The loss of voices in the media universe occurs, in part, due to the media crisis—which reduces the job market—and also due to pressures and constraints that limit access to diverse and reliable information.”

This quote from FOPEA (Argentine Journalism Forum) applies here despite referring to similar phenomena in South America. We borrow it to illustrate that while our local scenario has its particularities, it’s hardly unique.

The Argentine organization has long warned about the growing precariousness of the profession, job losses, and weak sustainability models for media outlets—a situation directly related to the cancellation of voices in the media landscape.

Sadly familiar, isn’t it?

Also disappearing is the Sunday print edition of “El Mexicano” (one of two factions disputing the daily newspaper—a story that deserves separate commentary).

In a statement dated August 3rd, Delaía Morales López, the newspaper’s administrative manager, announced that July 27th marked the final print run.

The decision, they argue, “responds to the need to optimize processes and resources” following an evaluation of Sunday production and distribution patterns.

Back to television.

“People don’t watch TV anymore,” I hear frequently. They may be right, though content consumption has migrated to other screens.

But that doesn’t prevent the medium from continuing its struggle. Two border television stations are celebrating simultaneously.

In Tijuana, XEWT Channel 12—the city’s first Spanish-language station, which began operations on July 18, 1960—faces this paradox: celebrating decades of service while reducing staff and operating with increasingly tight budgets.

Across the fence, KPBS San Diego (known here as Channel 15) also commemorates 65 years, grappling with financial concerns stemming from the federal government’s cancellation of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

The federal funding cut ordered by the Trump administration “represents $4.3 million from KPBS’s annual budget, critical money for operational expenses including membership fees to PBS and NPR,” according to a statement on their website.

“We have been preparing for this scenario and are fortunate to be in a solid financial position, but the loss of funding will negatively affect us and influence our future plans,” said Deanna Mackey, the station’s general manager, in that bulletin.

And to close with San Diego news:

The border’s finest reporter, Sandra Dibble, wrote her final column for Voice of San Diego’s border report on July 28th.

On her Facebook account, Dibble bid farewell while recommending readers continue following the column, now under Kate Morrissey’s direction—another journalism veteran and immigration specialist.

Though she’s retiring (again), “La Dibble” will undoubtedly resurface on another platform with the quality journalism she’s accustomed us to.

There’s no doubt these are difficult times for the press on both sides of the border.

But good journalism remains indispensable. And it’s still there.

Although it’s more difficult to find if you don’t know which road to follow.

Originally published in Spanish on August 11, 2025.