Micro local news sites
By Michele McLellan
Updated: June 7, 2010
Michele McLellan
Micro local sites, sometimes called "hyper local," provide highly granular news of a defined neighborhood or town. They may have a tiny staff -- one or two people plus interns or citizen contributors -- supported by highly local advertising.
- The Ann Arbor Chronicle is published by former journalist Mary Morgan. Topics: Local news, entertainment, education, business, government. Revenue: Advertising. About The Ann Arbor Chronicle. See the post about The Ann Arbor Chronicle from inothernews.us. See this interview with Morgan from Poynter.
- Austin Talks covers the large Austin neighborhood on Chicago's West side. Many stories are produced by students at Columbia College. Topics: Local news, opinion. Revenue: Grants. About Austin Talks.
- Baltimore Brew covers local news and aims to give readers their "daily mug of news and views." Topics: Politics, environment, real estate, business, education, transportation, crime, media. Revenue: Advertising. About Baltimore Brew. See the post about Baltimore Brew from inothernews.us.
- BaristaNet, run by veteran journalists Debbie Galant and Liz George, covers three towns in northern New Jersey. Topics: Locals news and events. Revenue: Local advertising, including classifieds. Bonus Points: The site has formed some partnerships with other local organizations, including creating an online local parenting guide (Barista Kids) with a local children¿s organization. About BaristaNet.
- The Batavian: Digital news pioneer Howard Owens started this New York news blog for Gatehouse Media, then took it with him when he left the company. Topics: Local news. Revenue: Advertising, sponsorships. Bonus points: Another demonstration that there is a revenue model in local advertising. About The Batavian
- NEW! Berkeleyside covers local news from Berkeley, Calif. Founded by a group of three professionals, the site also relies on community contributors. Topics: Local news, crime, business, lifestyle, etc. Revenue: Advertising. About Berkeleyside.
- blogdowntown is a non-profit, community-funded news organization that covers downtown Los Angeles. It operates as part of Community Partners, a non-profit incubator that helps the site with accounting and legal support, so the site can "focus on delivering you news about Downtown." Topics: Local news, business, politics, transportation, arts and entertainment. Revenue: Donations. Bonus points: They've created a Twitter list, published prominently on their front page, that includes Twitter feeds from 109 downtown businesses. About blogdowntown.
- Broward Bulldog is a regional Florida non-profit news site, staffed by professional journalists. Revenue: Began as volunteer staff, donations. About Broward Bulldog.
- Calbuzz, operated by journalists Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine, covers political news, primarily about California. Revenue: Advertising. About Calbuzz. See the post about Calbuzz from inothernews.us.
- Carver & Jackson Ward News covers the Carver & Jackson Ward neighborhood of Richmond, Va. Topics: Local news, events, crime. Revenue: Advertising. About Carver & Jackson Ward News.
- Capitol Hill Blog, founded by Justin Carder, is a leader in Seattle's hyper busy micro local ecosystem. Lots of items contributed by users. Topics: Local news, events. Revenue: Advertising. About Capitol Hill Blog.
- Clinton Hill Blog, founded in 2006 by Robin Lester, covers the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. Topics: Local news, events, dining/food. Revenue: Advertising. About Clinton Hill Blog.
- Community Impact Leander | Cedar Park is one of eight micro local sites in the Community Impact news sytem in center and southwest Texas. Topics: Local news. Revenue: Advertising. About Community Impact.
- Corona del Mar Today is dedicated to local news from the Corona del Mar neighborhood of Newport Beach, Calif. Published by journalist Amy Senk, the site aims to bring news to the neighborhood of more than 13,000 residents. Topics: Local news, youth sports. Revenue: Advertising. About Corona del Mar Today.
- CTNewsJunkie, founded in 2005 and staffed by a small group of professionals and interns, covers news in Connecticut. Topics: Politics, courts, health care. Revenue: Voluntary memberships, advertising. About CTNewsJunkie.
- The Dagger is a citizen journalism site that covers Harford County, Md., outside Baltimore. Topics: Local news, education, crime, entertainment. Revenue: Advertising. About The Dagger. See the post about The Dagger from inothernews.us.
- DavidsonNews.net is a community news site for residents of Davidson, N.C. Topics: News about neighborhoods in Davidson, politics, real estate, sports, schools, health and fitness, food and dining. Revenue: Advertising, sponsorship, subscriptions. About DavidsonNews.net.
- The Eastsider LA, operated by Jesus Sanchez, covers Echo Park and other neighborhoods on the northeast side of Los Angeles. Topics: Crime, education, government, life. Revenue: Advertising. See the post about The Eastsider LA from inothernews.us.
- Exit133 publishes local news about Tacoma, Wash. Topics: Government, politics, arts. Revenue: Advertising, sponsorships. About Exit133.
- GalionLive covers a small town in north central Ohio. Topics: Local news, life, education, health, sports. Revenue: Advertising model will launch later this year. Bonus points: The site include GalionLiveOnline, a social network for members of the community to share content. About GalionLive. See the post about GalionLive from inothernews.us.
- The Grafton Times covers news about Grafton, Mass., a small city in the central part of the state. Topics: Local news, local business. Revenue: Local business advertising. See the post about the Grafton Times from inothernews.us
- GrossePointToday.com is a non-profit news site covering Grosse Pointe neighborhood in the Detroit suburbs. Topics: Local news, education. Revenue: Advertising. Bonus points: The site includes a news map that geographically places news stories. About GrossePointToday.com. See the post about GrossePointToday.com from inothernews.us.
- InMaricopa.com, in addition to publishing a Web site, produces a monthly newspaper and quarterly magazine for the community of Maricopa, Ariz. Topics: Local news, business, education, sports, real estate, opinion. Revenue: Advertising. About InMaricopa.
- The Iowa Independent is published by the American Independent News Network. Topics: Agriculture, politics, business, environment, civil rights. Revenue: Advertising, grants. About The Iowa Independent.
- JDLand.com, operated by Jacqueline Dupree, covers D.C.’s Ballpark District/Navy Yard, Capitol Riverfront neighborhood. Topics: Neighborhood news, including housing, transportation, and business. Revenue: Advertising, primarily Google Adwords. Bonus points: Includes government data feeds, giving lists recent neighborhood crimes, space and building permits, service requests, and property sales. About JDLand. JDLand was the 2008 winner of the Knight-Batten Citizen Media Award.
- Lakeland Local in Florida is run by Chuck Welch. Several volunteers journalists contribute content as do citizen contributors. Welch, who is semi-retired, says he has preferred to focus on journalism rather than selling ads. But that may change as the operation expands. Topics: Local news, crime, events. Revenue: None. Bonus points: Engagement with social media and mapping, including this foreclosure map. About Lakeland Local.
- The Loop is a micro local news site founded and operated by television journalist Polly Kriesman, a multiple Emmy winner. It serves Larchmont and five other communities near New York City. Topics: Local news and events. Revenue: Advertising. Bonus points: News with good-natured attitude. About The Loop.
- My Ballard Another leader in Seattle, this energetic neighbhorhood blog is run by Kate and Corey Berkman in Seattle. Judging from the many comments users post to the site, it's popular and useful to residents. Topics: Neighborhood news and events. Revenue: Advertising. Bonus points: The Bergmans (who nickname themselves "Geeky Swedes," also operate Next Door Media, which offers micro local news in a half dozen other Seattle neighborhoods. About My Ballard.
- My Green Lake covers the neighborhood of the same name in north central Seattle. The site is operated by two local residents, Amy Duncan and Madeleine Carlson, with additional content by various contributors. Topics: Local news, police and fire, entertainment, education, business, recreation. Revenue: Advertising. About My Green Lake. See the post about My Green Lake from inothernews.us.
- MyEdmondsNews.com, founded by veteran journalist Teresa Wippel, covers local news in Edmonds, Wash. Topics: Local news, local sports, education, business, local government, entertainment. Revenue: Advertising. About MyEdmondsNews.com.
- NEast Philly in an online magazine with news and opinion specific to neighborhoods in Northeast Philadelphia. Topics: Local news, analysis, columns. Revenue: Advertising. About NEast Philly.
- Near West End News covers the near west end of Richmond, Va. Topic: Local news. Revenue: Advertising. About Near West End News.
- New Raleigh covers local politics and entertainment in Raleigh, N.C. Revenue: Advertising. About New Raleigh.
- Oswego County Today is an independent local news site for Oswego County, N.Y.What started as Fulton Daily News.com merged with Oswego Daily News.com. Topics: Local news, sports, police logs, health, classifieds, obits, event listings, birthday greetings. Revenue: Advertising.
- Pegasus News covers the Dallas-Fort Worth community. Topics: Local news, events, entertainment. Revenue: Advertising. Bonus Points: While some content comes from its small staff, much of it comes from the site's 136 content partners. These partners range from newspapers to niche blogs. Another bonus: The site offers the "Daily You," a front page for registered users personalized with ultra-local news. Special note: Though we listed Pegasus News as a micro local, its network of partners also makes it a network of other micro local sites. About Pegasus News.
- The Philbrick-James Forum is a volunteer-staffed, non-profit news site that covers several New Hampshire towns. Topics: Local news, arts and entertainment, sports, lifestyle. Revenue: Advertising, donations. About The Philbrick-James Forum.
- Progress Illinois, with a progressive stance, covers news from around the state. Topics: Economy, media, entertainment, health care, transportation, labor, environment, prisons, education, politics. Revenue: Advertising. About Progress Illinois. See the post about Progress Illinois from inothernews.us.
- QuincyNews.com covers Quincy, Ill. Topics: Local news, business, lifestyle. Revenue: Advertising.
- The Rapidian is neighborhood citizen news site in Grand Rapids, Mich., operated by the Grand Rapids Community Media Center. Topics: Neighborhood news. Revenue: Foundation grants, including Knight Foundation. Bonus points: Active use of social media, mapping local events and news. About The Rapidian.
- RedBankGreen, produced by Trish Russoniello and John T. Ward, covers news about Red Bank, N.J., and surrounding communities. Topics: Local news, including government, transportation and business. Revenue: Advertising. Bonus points: They take an innovative approach to comment moderation. In an effort to discourage "thuggish and/or cowardly" comments, the site operators move such comments to the "Back Alley," a section of their comments area that can be hidden by readers. They say this policy encourages open and transparent dialogue (more about the commenting policy). About RedBankGreen.
- River District News, an all-volunteer effort, covers the River District of Richmond, Va. Topics: Local news, events, crime. Revenue: Advertising. About River District News.
- San Jose Inside covers politics, business, and culture in San Jose, Calif. Revenue: Advertising.
- Sheepshead Bites, founded in May 2008 by journalism Ned Berke, covers Brooklyn, N.Y. Topics: Local news, police and fire, business, education, events, art and entertainment. Revenue: Advertising. About Sheepshead Bites. See the post about Sheepshead Bites from inothernews.us
- Southwest Observer, operated by journalists Michael Fielding and Steve Delmont, covers news from the Mount Greenwood, Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods of Chicago's far southwest side. Topics: Local news, events, politics, crime. Revenue: Advertising. Bonus points. The site offers users a way to send and share voice messages. About Southwest Observer. See the post about the Southwest Observer from inothernews.us.
- The Terminal, created in 2007 by Andre Natta, covers Birmingham, Ala. Topics: Local news, politics, business, sports. Revenue: Advertising. About The Terminal.
- The Welles Park Bulldog covers several neighborhoods in northwest Chicago, including Lincoln Park and North Center. Topics: Local neighborhood news, education, restaurant reviews, etc. Revenue: Advertising. About The Welles Park Bulldog.
- West Seattle Blog is operated by Tracy Record and Patrick Sand. Topics: Local news, crime, traffic, events. Revenue: Advertising. Bonus points: Demonstrating that highly local advertising can anchor a modest business model. About West Seattle Blog. Here's a Jan. 2010 interview with Tracy Record.
To be added: Westport Now