UK: MSN asks local newspapers for content for hyperlocal feeds

Posted by Liz Webber on July 29, 2009 at 2:27 PM

To expand its offerings on recently introduced channel MSN Local, the Microsoft news and entertainment portal is in talks with local UK newspapers to provide content for its hyperlocal feeds, the Telegraph reports.

"Hyperlocal news online has never been more important and we think this is a really interesting growth area," declared Peter Bale, executive producer of MSN.

Currently, MSN Local lets users search for real estate, crime statistics and political information by postal code, with the information tagged to interactive maps. The partnership with local papers would add news to the mix. Hyperlocal content appeals to advertisers because it presents a highly engaged, highly specialized audience.

Bale indicated that it is possible MSN will pay newspapers that contribute articles, or some sort of agreement could be made to help drive traffic to the papers' own sites.

Microsoft's latest foray mirrors the growing push for hyperlocal news content on the web. In the US, Outside.in for Publishers offers websites a similar service to classify internal content into hyperlocal categories using maps and other widgets.

There's no word yet on which publications might provide content to MSN Local. Many UK newspapers already offer their own hyperlocal sites to serve readers in specific communities. If Microsoft does not compensate contributors monetarily, the site will essentially be a glamorized aggregator. Still, the interactive nature of the news combined with MSN Local's other features is sure to provide a useful service to some UK communities.

Source: The Telegraph