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2 new startups about to join Houston media scene

Theresa Roemer will be on the cover of a new magazine coming to Texas.

houston.culturemap.com

Houston is already a media-rich town, with multiple newspapers, magazines, and online sites. But it's about to get richer in 2024, with two newcomers arriving and setting up shop.

Here's two new media startups coming to Texas in 2024:

Amaré Magazine Texas
A 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 an edition in Texas.

Their "about us" page says they began 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 in Texas 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 Dallas restaurant Bistro 31, as well as the Highland Park home of D’Andra Simmons and the Houston home of reality-TV star and famed closet-owner 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.

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.

openings media

stadium switcheroo

Houston's NRG Stadium returns to reliable original name

Courtesy of NRG

NRG Stadium will return to its original name this fall.

Everything old is new again, they say. That’s about to be particularly true for a much-loved Houston venue.

NRG announced today that NRG Stadium and the surrounding buildings that make up NRG Park will be renamed Reliant Stadium and Reliant Park. The change takes effect this August, coinciding with the Houston Texans’ – and the stadium’s – 25th anniversary.

The change has already been approved by the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation.

“Houston is Reliant’s home, and a name Texans know and trust,” said Brad Bentley, head of NRG Consumer and Reliant. “For more than two decades, Reliant has powered the moments that bring our community together—from the Texans’ first game and hosting two Super Bowls to every unforgettable RodeoHouston performance in between. Fans have told us what this place means to them. For many, it’s always been Reliant Stadium. We heard them loud and clear. Reliant Stadium is back.”

Those fans have been particularly vocal. Recent survey results show 90 percent of Houston-area customers support the return to the Reliant Stadium name. When the arena made its debut in 2002, it carried the name Reliant Stadium. It was renamed NRG in 2014 following that company’s acquisition of Reliant’s consumer business.

Current NRG signage is already coming down, as the city prepares to transition to “Houston Stadium” ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Prior to the August renaming, several of the stadium’s partners are cheering the move.

"As a founding partner of the team, Reliant has been a part of our Houston Texans family from the very beginning," said Mike Tomon, Houston Texans president. "Reliant Stadium has been our home since our first game in 2002 and we can't wait to celebrate 25 seasons of Texans football back where it all began."

Tomon noted that the team’s connection to the Houston community is deeper and more extensive than its home turf in the stadium. The Texas are responsible for a variety of community initiatives, including the Scholarships for Champions Program, which has recognized and awarded scholarships to deserving student-athletes across the greater Houston area over the last two decades.

Another scholarship-granting organization, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, is also synonymous with Reliant Park.

"For more than two decades, Reliant Stadium, Reliant Center, and Reliant Arena have been at the heart of everything we do, serving as the home of our livestock and horse events and the heartbeat of RodeoHouston,” said Chris Boleman, president and CEO, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. "These venues are more than just a name; they represent a feeling, a tradition, and a shared experience we’re incredibly proud to call home.”

NRG Stadium isn't the only Houston sports arena to get a rebrand. Last year, the Houston Astros changed the name of Minute Maid Park to Daikin Park, thank to a naming rights agreement with HVAC manufacturer Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc.

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