Just as the rise of Patch.com has fallen and leveled out, other hyperlocal ventures appear to be moving in and expanding.
HamletHub.com is a hyperlocal network of websites, much like Patch.com, that first launched in 2009. With locations in Connecticut and New York, the sites now number 41, with 12 of those having launched in Q1 of this year. According to HamletHub.com, the sites are different from other media outlets because they focus on the community’s needs. The sites welcome input from residents in the form of article submissions as well as through the news organization’s Article Membership service, which gives businesses a platform to tell their story.
HamletHub shows no signs of slowing down, either. Today, the company announced the launch of TeenTimes, an online community geared toward young adults in Connecticut’s Fairfield County. The new site is even run by a teenager who has been a regular contributor for Fairfield HamletHub.
Other local news launches include The Alternative Press, which first launched online in New Jersey in 2008. Since then, it has grown to 30 sites. Some are owned by founder Mike Shapiro, while others have been set up as franchises. According to StreetFightMag.com, the sites are now being expanded into Pennsylvania. Shapiro told Street Fight in an interview that there is little expense to running the sites:
“Under our franchise model, the sites are independently owned and operated by one person or a group of people. One of their roles is to cover the news, so editorial expenses are basically nonexistent for them. Some do supplement their coverage with freelancers, the cost of which is minimal.”
Meanwhile, in the print spectrum, Freedom Communications continues to grow. Having recently launched the daily Los Angeles Register, the publishing company also announced the coming launch of 12 new weeklies: San Gabriel Valley Register (two editions), Gateway Register, Foothills Register, LA Register West, Arcadia Register, Crescenta Valley Register, Pasadena Register, Valley Register (three editions) and Glendale Burbank Register.
Despite the struggles the industry has faced over the years, local news continues to be in high demand, and there are plenty of journalists and entrepreneurs willing to try and fill the gaps.
