Bloggers continue to fill the local void left by newspapers

On January 22nd of this year, I wrote about the growing interest and business of local news. I discussed The Printed Blog and the growing circulation (both online and off) of hyper-local blogs. This trend continues to grow, as MediaShift reported Friday. Simon Owens profiled four independent (or semi-independent), local bloggers who cover Virginia politics in Richmond, the Boston cycling scene and the “sex, drugs and rock and roll” of LA, as Tony Pierce put it. The profiles are entertaining and give the reader an idea of where these bloggers come from, as well as an idea of the demand for more local coverage.

The general discussion (in both the article and the comments section) also brings up the issue of newspapers falling by the wayside in covering the news important to local communities. While I agree with newsapapers’ general argument that reduced resources lead to fewer reporters on the beat, I disagree with the grim outlook they often portray as it relates to local reporting. The opportunity for local, ad-driven revenue is huge, often untapped and certainly there for the taking given the right approach. And given that more and more local bloggers are connecting with their local newspapers, I see a new industry emerging; one that could prove to be quite profitable AND useful. To take things a step further, former local LA blogger Tony Pierce has now moved into the mainstream media, now heading up blogs at the LA Times.

There are many concerns I have surrounding the rumor and speculation bloggers often depend on to fuel their page rank, but the combination of these two worlds is inevitable. As I stated on MediaShift’s website, “Just as Obama has done with politics, whether you agree with him or not, at least people are paying attention. The same can be said for bloggers concentrating on local content and filling the void left by the old-school media failing to adapt.”