Small-town newspapers and radio stations sometimes get into businesses that media companies in larger markets rarely do. They publish directories, develop Web sites, provide Internet access -- you name it. Thousands of newspapers are still family-owned. Increasingly, though, more are controlled…
Local small-business advertising has been largely synonymous with Yellow Pages. But a compelling case for the rise of classified-and-vertical marketplaces is made by Oodle CEO Craig Donato. (It is a position that we obviously admire, having just launched our Marketplaces…
It was perhaps inevitable, but the first newspaper has made the decision to abandon print and go “online only.” The Cincinnati Post, a 126-year-old paper owned by E.W. Scripps, published its final edition on Dec. 31 at the end of…
Google has been hosting a day-and-a-half local symposium here for local media, directory and vertical partners (and potential partners). Roughly 120 execs have come to the invite-only event -- the glamour of the Google-plex campus, and excellent food and drink, making…
It is hard for me to comprehend, but we are finally finished with ILM:07. We were grateful to have had 650 interesting and enthusiastic attendees from all over the world, 72 stimulating speakers, a full load of sponsors and an…
Executive Interview: The Leading Edge: Auto Advertising in Transition had very much the same ring to it as yesterday's session on real estate in transition. At The Kelsey Group's ILM:07 event, the final panel each day was on two of…
Interactive Local Media: 07 is ready to roll Nov. 28-30 in L.A. That’s next Wednesday through Friday! The show, which is being produced in partnership with SES Local, has attendees from all over the world. One exec told me he…
Classified aggregator Oodle launched a brand-new interface today with a series of functional and aesthetic enhancements that will serve as the basis of a new product strategy and publisher network. Beneath the surface, the company has refined its taxonomy to…
The brain drain to verticals continues. The latest executive to cross over is Anna Zornosa, who is joining Dealix as executive vice president and general manager. Dealix is Cobalt's provider of sales leads to auto dealers. Zornosa most recently ran…
Classified aggregator LiveDeal has been on a roll this year in bringing new content into the fold to become more competitive as an overall local search destination. First it brought directory listings (via YP.com acquisition of LiveDeal) to complement its…
Yellow Pages Group released its third-quarter numbers this morning and will have its earnings call at 1 p.m. Eastern today. We will listen in and post a few details from the call a bit later. One key data point: The…
Yellow Pages Group released its third-quarter numbers this morning and will have its earnings call at 1 p.m. Eastern today. We will listen in and post a few details from the call a bit later. One key data point: The…
What keeps a TV station working with a Web enabler after it has earned enough money to do it itself? That’s a question for all the leading Web enablers -- WorldNow, Internet Broadcasting Systems and Broadcast Interactive Media. All three companies have…
The numbers are looking very, very good for the Interactive Local Media:07 conference in L.A. Nov. 28-30. Internally, we think this one is a record breaker. Register and book the hotel while you can. The latter tends to sell out.…
When is a local Yellow Pages not a local Yellow Pages? When a global gift shopping catalog is part of the directory. Idearc Media has partnered with Shop Yellow, an online and print gift catalog company offering gift items for…
Several auto dealers at J.D. Power’s Automotive Internet Roundtable Oct. 17-19 in Las Vegas said they were bullish on using online and expect its share of their marketing budget to climb. They also expect online to lead them deeper into…
Are newspapers a good candidate to drive the free directory assistance market? Say Hello leader Jim Geddes hopes so. His theory, which I have previously reported on, is that newspapers are ideally positioned to rule free DA. They have the…
Are newspapers a good candidate to drive the free directory assistance market? Say Hello leader Jim Geddes hopes so. His theory, which I have previously reported on, is that newspapers are ideally positioned to rule free DA. They have the…
Classified aggregator and newly vaunted IYP destination LiveDeal announced today that it will integrate video content to its listings. Specifically, this will allow individual sellers and businesses to upload videos to enhance their classifieds or directory listings. This follows the…
Crawling and aggregating classifieds on nearby Web sites a la Oodle is one thing. But why can’t local Web sites create verticals on the fly? And in this homogenized era, why can’t they carve out a unique identity for themselves,…
