Podcast: Behind the Byline, A Deep Dive with Creative Loafing’s Ray Roa

Ray Roa doesn't want to be the smartest person in the room; he wants to be the reporter—the one asking questions and connecting the dots for the rest of us. Since taking the helm at Creative Loafing in 2019, Ray has seen the industry change fundamentally, but his mission remains: helping people feel connected to the place they live so they are more likely to stand up for it.

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Episode Highlights

• The "Act of God" Production: Ray describes the "nuts and bolts" of how a two-person editorial staff manages to publish a physical newspaper every week alongside 50–60 digital stories.
• The Survival Mode Era: A candid look back at "March and a half" 2020, when Creative Loafing had to lay off 67% of its staff almost overnight.
• The $750,000 Vision: Details on the Tampa Bay Journalism Project, a quest to raise three-quarters of a million dollars to hire three reporters and one photographer on sustainable, $60k–$70k salaries.
• A "Non-Paywalled" Future: Why Ray believes that essential community information—from voting guides to food accessibility—should never be hidden behind a digital gate.
• The "Problem Solver" Mindset: Ray’s advice for new leaders: move from being a "problem pointer outer" to a solution-oriented collaborator.
• 2026 Resolutions: Ray shares his personal goals for the year: to be more responsive, more reflective, and significantly less reactive.

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