GateHouse Media, publisher of hundreds of small daily and weekly publications has launched a new newspaper. Except… there isn’t an actual paper. The Batavian serves people in the small-ish town of Batavia, New York – with an online-only presence. The site is more blog-like then new site-like – but the basic principle is the same: informing users. It also includes community features including comments and blogs for community members. GateHouse decided to delve into the Batavia market because the town’s legacy paper… doesn’t even provide its news online (Is this 2008??). Since launch on May 1, the site has climbed to 5,000 uniques per month – and GateHouse is talking to local advertisers. Oh, and the site offers free classifieds to boot.
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Thanks for the post — I’d offer a correction of tense. The site launched May 1.
Shoot – I knew that. Updated.
Curious: How many employees? Wonder what kind of revenue they can bring in with 5,000 uniques?!?
The Capital Times in Madison, WI has been doing something similar since April. They took the daily print edition and moved it online.
-Adam
@Rocker. One full-time until now; second full-time (sports) starts in the morning. And you might say I’m part-time with the site (acting as role of publisher and doing a little blogging myself, but not much “reporting”).
Obviously we plan and expect a much bigger audience than we have now. I mean, give us a break, you’re not even six months old yet.
@Adam … not quite the same … existing paper cuts back print, does more online; The Batavian is online only from the beginning, and no print, ever; and we have no other business interest in the community.
Great job to Gatehouse, who once again shows they are thinking ahead.
This is the same Gatehouse who has 147 newspaper sites on the Zope4Media platform.
That platform, while not perfect, is the same one a certain Evening Post Publishing can’t quite seem to get rolling correctly (without hiring yet ANOTHER IT person) at ONE TV station site.
Gatehouse does all of its sites with about three tech people.
Good job Gatehouse — for real. Meanwhile, EPP needs to consider just how competent its IT staff is…