NEW YORK, NY — July 1, 2024 — Today, URL Media announced that it has welcomed three respected media organizations to its network that includes high-performing outlets serving Black and Brown communities. The new partners, Baltimore Beat, Parlé Magazine and TANTV Studios, center the voices and perspectives of Black audiences and diaspora communities, bringing the total URL Media network to 35 partners.

“Our new additions to the URL network produce the journalism we know our communities crave, such as local news and entertainment, in the formats they want, such as streaming and IRL events,” said S. Mitra Kalita, CEO and Co-founder. “I’m looking forward to learning from them and amplifying their content widely.” 

“We are so excited to welcome Baltimore Beat, Parle Magazine and TANTV,” said Sara M. Lomax, President and Co-founder of URL Media. “As we look at the road ahead, with critical elections happening in the US and across the globe, it’s essential to provide local, national and global perspectives that inform and empower diverse and dynamic Black communities.” 

TanTV Studios

TANTV Studios, established in 2019, is joining URL Media to further amplify its storytelling that serves the diverse and dynamic African diaspora. With a dedicated focus on culture, politics, sports, academia, and entrepreneurship, TANTV Studios ensures that Black storytelling is multifaceted and not monolithic. Catering to a multi-generational audience of 47 million, including first-generation immigrants, African-Americans and allies of the African continent and its culture, TANTV addresses the media void for African and multicultural Black communities, allowing them to see their lived experiences reflected in the news.

“For a long time, we at TANTV have been sounding the alarm that ethnic audiences, especially the African Diaspora have been left out of American mainstream media,” says founder and CEO of TANTV Adedayo Fashanu.

TANTV Studios reaches over 350,000 people monthly through its robust digital presence. Its audience, which comprises highly educated people (96% holding advanced degrees), is evenly split between men and women and mostly fall between the ages of 18 to 45. Located in major cities like New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Pennsylvania, TANTV’s readers are career-driven professionals and entrepreneurs contributing $96 billion in remittances to their home countries. 

“URL Media understands the issue [of representation] as a media network that deeply cares about underserved communities and amplifies our mission of advancing the inclusion of the African diaspora community,” Fashanu added. 

TANTV has newsrooms in Maryland, Washington D.C. and the African continent.

Baltimore Beat

Recognizing Baltimore as a cultural hub of Black American life, Baltimore Beat is a Black-led and Black-controlled nonprofit newspaper and media outlet that uses its journalism to focus on community, questions power structures and prioritizes thoughtful engagement with its readers. The publication honors all of Baltimore City, including those with limited internet access, ensuring coverage is free and accessible for all.

“We are thrilled to partner with URL Media,” said Lisa Snowden-McCray, Editor in Chief of Baltimore Beat. “I take seriously the work of connecting with Black and Brown audiences, and I know they do, too. These are communities that can often be overlooked when it comes to news coverage but need and want access to information that matters to them.”

In addition to its robust reporting, Baltimore Beat offers a community calendar that highlights local government and cultural events on its website. Readers can also find the print newspaper at multiple locations throughout the city, which it releases bi-weekly.

Parlé Magazine

Rounding out URL Media’s June cohort is Parlé Magazine. 

In its 20th year of business, Parlé Magazine continues to fulfill its mission as a vibrant outlet for conversations about Black culture and entertainment. Established in 2004 by founder Kevin Benoit, Parlé Magazine began as an entertainment and lifestyle print publication in New York City, featuring some of the biggest names in music, literature and film. In November 2009, Parlé transitioned to a digital publication, expanding its reach and influence.

“On behalf of the Parlé Mag team, we are very excited for the opportunity to connect and collaborate with new friends and all acquaintances in the URL Media family,” says founder and CEO of Parlé Magazine, Kevin Benoit. 

Parlé Magazine now engages two million people on social media and boasts 550,000 monthly unique views. Known for its open-minded and inclusive approach, Parlé appeals to a digitally native audience, primarily ages 18-44, who value meaningful motivation and the pursuit of “the good life.” With about 70% of their audience discovering content through organic search, Parlé proudly owns its title as being “The voice of the culture,” reflecting the interests and aspirations of its readership. 

Baltimore Beat, TANTV Studios and Parlé Magazine join URL Media partners AsAmNews, Luz Media, Trenton Journal, Black Voice News, Documented, Epicenter-NYC, Native News Online, Prism, Our Body Politic, Outlier Media, palabra., Immigrantly, The Oklahoma Eagle, Sahan Journal, PushBlack, Pulso, Scalawag, ScrollStack, TBN24, La Noticia, The Haitian Times, Watch The Yard, Latina to Latina, How to Talk to [High Achievers] about Anything, and How to Talk to [Mamí & Papí] about Anything, Black Girl Times, Elevate Dayton, Capital B, The Electorette, India Currents, El Tecolote and WURD Radio.

URL Media was founded in 2021 with the goal to build a decentralized, multi-platform network that includes high-performing Black and Brown media organizations. Growing from eight to now 35, the members consist of exceptional news outlets representing a diverse mix of culture, format, geography and audience that amplify each other’s content and share revenues as a way to build greater sustainability for BIPOC media. Since its inception, URL Media has almost tripled in partners, doubled their revenue and maintained its profitability.

Contact:
press@url-media.com

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Ariam Alula (how to say it) is URL Media’s first audience manager. She works closely with URL Media’s Editorial Director and leads the network’s social and newsletter content while further developing and executing the brand’s strategic audience goals. Alula who was born and raised in The Bronx had this to say about her work upon joining the network in the fall of 2022.

“I'm committed to helping our audience understand how issues in their own backyard impact other BIPOC communities. Also, I believe that our network's content amplification and original reporting should fully reflect and affirm the customs and cultural norms of our multicultural, multidisciplinary, and geographically diverse audiences. As BIPOC communities have and continue to be grossly misrepresented by the mainstream media, this part of the work can’t be overstated. Also growing up as a child of immigrants, community is an integral part of my identity, and it's something I bring to URL Media every day.”

Before joining the network, Alula sharpened her range of skills and interests in newsletter curation and editing, audience strategy and research, and measuring and tracking impact. In recent years Alula has worked for many organizations in the journalism support space, such as Coda Story while based in the Republic of Georgia and U.S.-based organizations like the Institute for Nonprofit News, the Public Square Team at Democracy Fund, Online News Association and Women Do News. She has also written for the American Press Institute’s Need to Know newsletter.

Alula is also a proud graduate of the engagement journalism program at the Craig Newmark Journalism School at the City University of New York, where she spent 16 long, insightful and experimental months working with family caregivers of people with autism in New York City.