First there was Patch.com making its way city by city. Then MainStreet.com began to infiltrate markets across the country with its brand of hyperlocal news content. And now there are Sun Spots, which is what Elauwit Media has dubbed its string of community news sites popping up along the East Coast. Already in New Jersey, South Carolina and New York, the publisher of community newspapers promises that sites in California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia are on the way.
It would look as if the hyperlocal online news organization is growing in popularity, as well as creating competition in towns where more than one of these sites exists. inVocus spoke with Elauwit Media CEO Dan McDonough about branching out from print, media rivalries and what’s next.
inVocus: How many Sun Spots exist and how many are you planning to launch in the next year? In total?
DM: Right now we have eight Sun Spots on the East Coast (you can see them all at www.sunne.ws). We’re currently experimenting with them to determine what additional markets would be best to enter. I’d hope we could get to more than 25 by the end of next year.
inVocus: What made you decide to start launching online?
DM: Perhaps given the recent news this is a bad example, but consider Netflix. Even though its DVDs in the mail business was going strong, the leadership at Netflix knew that the industry would change, and it remained on the cutting edge. That’s why Netflix was well-positioned when streaming became the norm. We feel the same way. Our print newspapers are doing well. Very well. But we know the industry is changing. And, like Netflix, we want to be well-positioned when digital and mobile become the norm for small business marketing. So that’s why we started launching online.
inVocus: What’s behind the name: Sun Spots?
DM: Our newspapers are called The Sun. It’s just a natural extension of the brand.
inVocus: How do you see yourself competing against the likes of Patch.com and MainStreet.com?
DM: Right now, the competition isn’t like a race. It’s more like a scavenger hunt for the right blend of sustainable revenue streams. And that’s good news for us. Unlike in a race – where the fastest, most trained runner always wins – a scavenger hunt favors those who are creative, inventive and nimble. That’s us. And that’s why I believe we’re well positioned to compete.
inVocus: Will your print products continue to exist? Or is online the wave of the future for community papers? Why or why not?
DM: We will be successful in print for years to come. And we will continue to launch community newspapers for years to come. The business model is still strong for print when done the smart way. But at some point (10 years, 15 years), it will not be. That’s why figuring out the smart way to provide advertising solutions for small businesses digitally is a priority for us. We want to stay one step ahead.
inVocus: How have your communities received the already-launched Sun Spots?
DM: We’re growing our base slowly. We’re still experimenting. However, we’re seeing that our users come back quite a bit, and their time on site and pageviews are strong compared to the industry averages. That tells us that we’re doing something, if not everything, right.
inVocus: What’s your hope for the future of Sun Spots?
DM: My hope is that we can figure out how to gain a large user base and then match their interests to that of small businesses who want to communicate with them. Only then will we have a sustainable digital model for smart growth.
— Katrina M. Mendolera
