TKG Data and Analysis: A Weekly Recap

Last week, a lot happened in the local media world. Here is a selection of posts in case you missed any. Click below to read each post in full.

Universal Search Paves the Way for Local Video
Most of the discussion on local video advertising has happened around IYPs and local search sites such as Citysearch. This is certainly where most of the activity is taking place as these companies are taking the guesswork out of video production and distribution for resource-constrained SMBs. This is of course happening with the help of a growing list of video vendors, such as TurnHere, whose services IYPs essentially resell. (read more…)

EveryBlock Puts a New Spin on Hyper-Local
New hyperlocal content aggregator Everyblock has launched in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. By bringing together locally oriented blogs, reviews and images, it joins the ranks of outside.in, Placeblogger and (more recently) Topix. Specifically, it scrapes and supplies geotagged Flickr images, reviews from Yelp, and lost and found items from Craigslist. But it also attempts to differentiate itself with more specific and unique data feeds from government sources such as liquor licenses, restaurant inspections and crime reports. (read more…)

New U.K. Research on Directory Usage Fans Opt-Out Chatter
A new study in the United Kingdom, commissioned by welovelocal.com, a U.K.-based online local site competing against directory publishers, has found that 35 percent of British consumers no longer want to receive print directories, and choose the Internet to look up local information or use word of mouth. That’s a substantial figure. On the other hand, 58 percent of British consumers welcome the delivery of print directories to their homes, which is hardly an argument that print directories are no longer viable. (read more…)

Quebecor World Declares Bankruptcy
The Canadian printing company Quebecor World has filed for bankruptcy protection and secured US$1 billion in emergency financing. Quebecor’s predicament reflects some of the stresses taking place in traditional print media, which will only get worse in the next year if the current economic gloom continues as expected. (read more…)

Yellow Pages Group Canada Adds Microsoft Virtual Earth Maps
Microsoft Canada Co. and Yellow Pages Group Canada announced that Microsoft Virtual Earth mapping software is now available on YellowPages.ca. The software licensing deal allows YPG to provide a more robust map experience for users. It will also enable the publisher to push the mapping technology to its various online properties and eventually create additional advertiser opportunities. (read more…)

Video News Aplenty: TurnHere Strikes Deal With Yellowpages.com
The latest item in the torrent of video announcements coming out of the local search world is TurnHere’s vendor relationship with Yellowpages.com, announced today. After partnering with a handful of national chains such as InterContinental Hotels to shoot localized ads for their far-flung affiliates, the company has begun to partner with local search and Internet Yellow Pages sites. It has always had a strong production capability but less online distribution in local search circles to make better use of this content. (read more…)

Nielsen: EBay’s Kijiji has 1.7 Million U.S. Users
EBay hasn’t really scored with any of its local initiatives during CEO Meg Whitman’s 10-year tenure (she is retiring). The local version of eBay Motors, for instance, never seems to get out of the gate. But the stars seem better aligned for its Kijiji free classified effort, which is attracting almost 1.7 million users, according to U.S. data released today by Nielsen/NetRatings. Launched here last June, the service has been available in several countries since early 2005. It is now in 13 countries. (read more…)

In Midst of Editor’s Departure, LA Times Ramps Up Online
The Los Angeles Times and the rest of the Tribune Co. have been going through a very public belt tightening. The most recent round of cutbacks apparently played a role in the departure of Editor James O’Shea. But when it comes to online, the company is positioning itself for rapid growth and is committing resources to do so. Already, online accounts for 9 percent of the company’s revenues, which is slightly above the industry average. (read more…)

Spot Runner Gets Up Close and Personal
Local and national video ad producer Spot Runner announced today that it will acquire video production network GlobeShooter. This will bring the company better scalability and capability to deploy up to 1,200 professional videographers to far-flung locales, and shoot video on site. (read more…)