Leganés Activo

Aroa Díaz is in love with sports. That's why in 2014, being a journalism student and judo player, she decided to found the multimedia outlet Leganés Activo to give visibility to the many sports activities in Leganés, a city of almost 190,000 inhabitants that is part of the metropolitan area of Madrid.

Born and raised in Leganés, Díaz started to expand the content because the neighbours and the associations in town asked her to do so. "This is a city with very active neighbourhood associations that generate a lot of information," she explained. Thus, Leganés Activo has become a generalist media outlet. It offers a notification system to which 20,000 residents are subscribed, and it has received two local awards for its coverage of social issues.

The outlet defines itself as a critical, plural, and equidistant, not aligned with any political party. "Maintaining this position costs us a lot of work," Díaz admitted. "Ours is a small place where relations are very personal, and we receive a lot of pressure. We have earned credibility in the community."

Its main sources of revenue are advertising from local businesses and institutions. It employs three people, Díaz and two photographers, although only one of the photographers is full-time. In Díaz's case, she combines her work at Leganés Activo with a job at a national magazine.

In 2023, the team will celebrate its 10th anniversary, and will take the chance to think about the future. According to Díaz, the outlet is studying a subscription model and is looking for funding to grow. The team is also considering editing a monthly print product with in-depth stories to generate additional advertising revenue. "Many advertisers tell us they prefer to be in a print product, and they are willing to pay more," Díaz said.