Diocese of Orange Launches ‘Orange County Catholic En Español’ Newspaper
ORANGE AND SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA – September 16, 2015 – The Diocese of Orange is expanding its multimedia outreach with the launch of a Spanish-language version of its weekly newspaper, Orange County Catholic.
Orange County Catholic En Español will debut as a biweekly Spanish newspaper, published every two Sundays starting September 20, with a digital replica available at occatholic.com. Together, the English and Spanish papers will reach an audience of more than 100,000 people. Both editions are published in collaboration with Freedom Communications.
A Partnership to Serve the Community
Most Rev. Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange:
“As the Catholic population continues to grow, our diocese must also expand the ways we connect and communicate with the faithful. Orange County Catholic En Español is an important vehicle for bringing inspiring stories of faith and news through a Catholic lens to our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters. It is our playful hope that the content will grow the understanding and deepen the faith of our community.”
Rich Mirman, CEO of Freedom and Publisher of the Register:
“It is exciting to expand our collaboration with the diocese and build on our shared mission of serving the Orange County community. Orange County Catholic En Español will be an excellent complement to Excélsior and La Prensa in serving the Latino market in Orange County.”
About Orange County Catholic En Español
- Frequency: Biweekly, with a circulation of 25,000 copies.
- Content: The 12- to 16-page newspaper will cover news, trends, family and social issues, and faith experiences relevant to Spanish-speaking Latinos. It will also feature a column from Bishop Vann and a robust calendar of events.
- Distribution: The paper will be available at more than 330 locations, including retail stores and high-traffic newsracks, and will be distributed in 25 predominantly Spanish-speaking parishes.
Building on a Successful Partnership
The Diocese of Orange first partnered with Freedom Communications in October 2013 to publish its 15-year-old Orange County Catholic newspaper.
Since then, the English-language edition’s circulation has grown from 47,000 in 2013 to over 80,000, and it is now the largest weekly Catholic newspaper in the nation. Key improvements since the partnership began include:
- Expanding distribution from monthly to weekly.
- Moving distribution from Wednesday to Sunday.
- Introducing a mobile app and a weekly e-newsletter.
- Redesigning its website, occatholicnews.com, to include podcasts and videos.
About Orange County Catholic
Orange County Catholic and Orange County Catholic En Español are newspapers of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. Its website, occatholic.com, includes multimedia content produced from a new studio on the Christ Cathedral campus, reaching a global audience through partners like Immaculate Heart Radio and the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).
About Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications is a private media company based in Santa Ana, CA. Its portfolio includes The Orange County Register, The Press-Enterprise, community newspapers, and magazines.
Media Contact
Eric Morgan
714-796-2460