Miami Herald to link hyperlocal websites

Posted by Jennifer Lush on November 16, 2009 at 10:33 AM

The Miami Herald is to launch a set of online hyper-local websites before the end of 2009, reports Editor & Publisher.

The metro daily will initially link five community websites: South Miami and Pinecrest; Miami Springs, Virginia Gardens and Medley; West Kendall; Key Biscayne and Coral Gables.

Rick Hirsch, senior editor/multimedia, said the websites will be run by local residents or organizations: "We've created a platform through which we can give a partner control over a neighborhood section," he said.

The partnership will see content shared between the publications and will also sell limited advertising space in order to generate some income: "They can use our content management system and publish photos, stories, have community forums and have control over advertising inventory. And they keep what they sell," said Hirsch.

Herald editor Anders Gyllenhaal said the websites are another way for the paper to offer local coverage in cost-cutting times. "We provide the Web framework and the forum and they provide the news and the advertising," he explained. "We hope to fill in our whole territory, but this starts with some small slices of it."

"Each site can be different and developed in their own way," Gyllenhaal said. "It will be a lot of things happening at the community neighborhood level that don't make it into the paper."

Hirsch said the network could potentially grow to be as large as 150 community sites, all within the Herald circulation area.

The Miami Herald is just the latest paper to begin networking with other websites. Late last month Patch, a grassroots news website owned by AOL, expanded its twelve community sites in New Jersey and Connecticut with two more in the same area and another eleven in New York State. Similarly, Fwix, a local news aggregating service launched in twelve UK cities in early October.

As many local publications search for ways to continue to provide regional news on a shoestring budget, networking and sharing content and resources with other news sources is one such way to save on costs.

Source: Editor & Publisher