Written by: Cesar Canizales: It was the end of an exciting week that started on January 1—a week that was filled with long days for Jaime Mendez and his wife Diana Oliveros, as they launched Se Habla Media and its newscast, Jaime Mendez News, with Mendez delivering his news program live in front of an audience on a Friday, capping the end of a busy week for them.

The couple hosted a launch party to honor the achievement at Kolors Studio, a workspace for creators in Pioneer Square. Attendees included friends, allies, and a couple of diplomats.

Guests ate Latin food supplied by local restaurants, danced and sipped margaritas and other beverages to celebrate the birth of a new company that was specifically made to serve the Latino community.

Mendez was the long-time news anchor for Univision affiliate KUNS in Seattle—which was shut down by Sinclair Broadcasting at the end of the year. He anchored the only Spanish-language newscast in the area, and the Hispanic community relied on him for news and information.

To fill that void, Mendez and Oliveros launched the Spanish-language project to serve the Latino community in the Puget Sound region and the state of Washington. They also host a podcast as part of their efforts.

“This is all I've done with the same community all my life here. So it was just a logical thing, it’s just to do something that had to do with news, with information and with community service, which is what I love,” Mendez said.

Oliveros had just left her job at the Mexican consulate in Seattle when she and Mendez found out three months ago that KUNS would be shut down. So, she adapted her experience working with the Mexican community to continue doing the same as co-founder of Se Habla Media.

“What helps me here is that’s what I was actually doing at the Mexican consulate, which was the community outreach with Mexican people all throughout Washington,” Oliveros said. “So, I was able to get in touch with a lot of organizations and not just that, but also learning what their needs are, where our people are living, what they need, what they are interested in.”

Mexican Consul Hector Ivan Godoy Priske, who attended the launch party, said he’s happy that Mendez and Oliveros stepped up to serve the Latino community.

“What this sudden scarcity in local news means is a lot of people are not aware of what's going on in their local elections,” said Godoy Priske. “They're not aware of what's happening in their state, and they're not aware about the things that they have to know to be a part of a community and to be a part of democracy.”

With over a million Latinos in Washington, Mendez stressed the importance of serving the community, which includes recent immigrants who need some support and information.

“When we come to this country as immigrants, we are automatically – we land on our feet in this country--we are in a disadvantage. We don't speak the language,” said Mendez. “Some people don't have the proper documentation to get a job. We don't know the system. So, the least we can do here is to provide with some information, some relevant information, so people at least know what's going on.”

“When Univision was off the air, a lot of people lost access to knowing what's happening in their surroundings,” Oliveros said. “And this is something that we want to contribute. It's very important that you are able to know what's happening around you, to know what things are happening that are impacting your life.”

Guests who attended the launch party said they were thrilled that Mendez and Oliveros launched Se Habla Media to serve the community.

“I knew Jaime Mendez through the Latin community,” said Giulianna Medina, who lives in Seattle. “I am from Argentina, so I'm part of the Latin community, too, and I'm so proud of meeting people that encouraged this type of project because I think it's really important to have access to information.”

Mendez said the reception from the community couldn’t have been more welcoming and encouraging. Many of them have sent messages of support, which the couple appreciates.

“It makes us feel very humble, and it also makes us grasp more of the reality that we are important, that we are a news source and information,” Mendez said. “People who care for the community and advocate for this community -- that we were important to them.”

Mendez also hopes to inspire others—especially young people— to launch similar services.

“We are right now the only source of information like hardcore news style in this area. And we shouldn't be,” said Mendez. “There should be more like that. So all this—what we hope is that we can inspire other people-- young people-- to come and take this position. And we'd be more than happy to mentor them.”

Jaime and Diana are very excited about Se Habla Media. Their newscast is already getting quite a few viewers and they hope their audience is going to grow even more.