The Houston area has various local magazines. Around 1991 the Houston area had various small interest magazines established to fill niches not represented in other publications. Many typically had small numbers of employees and had freelance writers write all of their articles. Many relied on advertising revenues, with copies of the magazines being distributed for free. Each year, some magazines start business and some go out of business. Greg Hassell of the Houston Chronicle said "Because of their limited resources, the odds are against them lasting more than a few years. But there always seems to be a few optimists who believe they can break through the barriers."