Attorney Ochoa: UT System Board of Regents authorize talks to buy paper’s facility
AIM Media Texas recently announced its plan to move its personnel and printing press out of the current home facility for The Monitor, which is located at 1400 East Nolana Avenue in McAllen, and to complete negotiations that could lead to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) buying that newspaper’s 88,970-square foot office and warehouse/production building and surface parking lot, reports South Texas attorney Omar Ochoa.
AIM Media Texas is a United States publisher of daily and non-daily newspapers, primarily in the Rio Grande Valley.
The proposed purchase of The Monitor’s facility would mark a significant step forward in enhancing UTRGV’s educational and research capabilities, university leaders say.
“According to a summary of the proposed purchase reviewed on Thursday, May 8, 2025 by the UT System Board of Regents, as online news has become more common, AIM Media Texas has decided to downsize and relocate,” Ochoa said. “The property is approximately 1.5 miles from the 495 Commerce Center mixed-use development where UT Rio Grande Valley is building a cancer and surgery center.”
Online news is news content delivered through digital platforms, including websites and apps, and accessed over the Internet. It’s a form of digital journalism where information is disseminated electronically rather than through print or broadcast media. This includes news articles, videos, and multimedia content. The UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center is a new, 144,000-squarefoot facility in McAllen, scheduled to open later this year. It’s a three-story building that will offer a range of cancer care services, including medical oncology, radiation oncology, clinical research, and surgery. The center is part of UTRGV’s McAllen Academic Medical Campus and is designed to improve access to advanced cancer care for residents of the Rio Grande Valley.
UTRGV President Guy Bailey said that, pending a final purchase agreement and closing, the acquisition will advance the university’s mission in academic and health affairs while fostering regional growth and innovation.
“The purchase of this property aligns with our commitment to providing advanced educational resources and facilities for our students and faculty,” Bailey said. “The new location will also provide additional space for research activities across various academic programs.”
UTRGV plans to utilize the office space for mission purposes including academic and health affairs program purposes, the UT System regents were told. UTRGV also has need for the additional warehouse space for possible use for research activities for various academic programs, in addition to allowing for future relocation of warehouse operations, the summary continued.
Parent company of The Monitor, Valley Morning Star, The Brownsville Herald and MyRGV.com, AIM Media Texas referred to the plans as a “multi-step sales process” and a purchase the UT Board of Regents authorized during a board meeting on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
“Subsequently, the final sale and closing of the transaction is dependent on the full and complete agreement of a sale contract between the parties and the successful completion of all feasibility studies by UTRGV,” stated a news release by AIM Media Texas on Friday, May 9, 2025.
Stephan Wingert, regional vice president and publisher, spoke with associates Friday, May 9, 2025 to share more details and issued the following statement.
“The Monitor has been a part of this community for well over 100 years and continues to be a strong pillar within the community,” says Wingert. “I can’t think of a better use for the Nolana property than in the support of higher education in the Rio Grande Valley through UTRGV. As the process moves forward, we will begin looking for a new location for our office and reviewing our printing facility.”
UTRGV intends that the relocation of The Monitor’s existing personnel and removal of the printing press, production equipment, and office furniture will occur prior to acquiring the property. However, as an alternative, a short-term lease back to AIM Media Texas at a fair market value lease rate may be negotiated to accommodate The Monitor’s relocation needs in conjunction with removal of the printing press, production equipment, and office furniture.
The purchase price is not to exceed fair market value as determined by an independent appraisal; appraisal confidential pursuant to Texas Education Code Section 51.951.
Texas Education Code Section 51.951 addresses the confidentiality of certain information related to the purchase or sale of real estate by or for institutions of higher education. Specifically, it states that information about the location, purchase price, or sale price of such property is confidential and exempt from disclosure under the Texas Government Code until a deed for the property is executed. This exemption applies to appraisals, reports, evaluations, and investigations related to locating or determining the property’s price. Furthermore, this confidential information is not subject to a subpoena directed to the institution, its governing board, or its officers, agents, or employees.
Also according to the news release by AIM Media Texas: Previously located at 1101 Ash St. in McAllen, The Monitor has called its Nolana location home since January 2004, “and it has served us well,” Wingert said, adding that its current headquarters was one of several since its birth in 1909.
“Changes in technology allow us to work differently than in the past, we simply don’t need as much space,” Wingert added, further noting that departments such as editorial, digital and design have a combined schedule that splits work between at-home and in office requirements.
This began during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 for health restriction purposes, and remains a practical and effective means for several roles in the company, such as digital demands requiring more mobile reporting efforts. This is also representative of the company’s recent shift prioritizing its digital presence and relevance via MyRGV. com, publishing its news first on the newspapers’ website before hitting print.
“We’re not changing what we do. We still believe in the print product that we produce two times a week, and we’re really focused on building our digital audience in accordance with reader habits, who want this. We’re not changing that either. We’re just changing where we do it from,” Wingert said. “What our readers need to know is that selling the building allows us to move to a more adequately sized workspace and invest in transitioning our product to where readers are and continuing to put out a printed newspaper. It’s a business decision like any other.”
He said details will be shared in the future about The Monitor’s press and where it may be located once all other details are ironed out.
“This building (Nolana location) means as much to us as it means to the community. I even helped design it,” Wingert added. “But as I’ve said in the past, and as evidenced by MyRGV.com producing the best video, infographics, comments and criticism, editorials, investigative report and reporter of the year at this year’s highly coveted Texas Managing Editors awards, what hasn’t changed is that our journalism packs the biggest, hardest punch in South Texas. And we’re here to stay.”
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Patrick Gonzales contributed to this article.