Village News / Reeder Media

What they do

Village News, Inc. is a local independent news publisher based in Fallbrook, CA that serves Fallbrook, Bonsall, Temecula, Southern Riverside, Anza Valley, and the surrounding areas with three newspapers, and several magazines and business directories. A respected voice of the community since 1988, Village News plays an important role in connecting the communities it serves as the last remaining source of local journalism in the area.

What they stand for

Since the primary areas they serve are unincorporated, Village News acts as a critical connection between local nonprofits, civic organizations, city and county governments, businesses, schools, and residents. Their award-winning staff is passionate about keeping fellow residents up-to-date on community and local issues.

Why we invested

Village News showed the kind of tenacity and grit we look for in potential borrowers, overcoming financial hardships due to a string of bad luck including wildfires and flooding. Unable to secure funding from conventional lenders, Mission Driven Finance stepped in to ensure this publisher was able to continue growing their impact in the community.

They saw an opportunity to fill market gaps left by the departure of other local and regional news sources and sought our support to grow their team, and continue building their digital media and marketing arm Reeder Media to thrive in a changing news landscape.

This funding will allow this independent local publisher to grow their team to 22 full-time employees, including Spanish speakers, in order to connect with a growing Spanish speaking population in the area. Additionally, our investment will allow the team to reach a broader community of subscribers, translate products into Spanish, and engage readers with more stories written for and by the community.

Learn more about the Village News family of services on their sister website.

Updates

04/2022 —Village News successfully repaid its loan. Publisher Julie Reeder shared that they wouldn’t have been able to provide the same level of services without the financing at the time. They may have survived, but to have a community newspaper that couldn’t pay writers would be sad. The capital supported administrative and sales functions and funded four more positions and some interns through the loan. Julie also shared it was a world of difference between working with us and working with other lenders: “Mission Driven Finance wants to be helpful and do what’s good for the community.”