Commentary

Local News Site Examiner.com Shuts Down

One of the more ambitious local online news ventures of the last decade is no more. Examiner.com will cease operations in favor of its entertainment-focused sibling, AXS.com.

AXS Digital Group, controlled by billionaire Phil Anschutz, acquired Examiner.com in 2014 from Clarity Media Group, also owned by Anschutz, with the intention of creating a network of local news sites that also covered entertainment and lifestyle at the “hyper-local” level.

The network was meant to be an adjunct to AXS.com’s digital ticketing business, providing live entertainment content to complement its e-commerce operations.

Examiner.com built up a substantial news operation, extending beyond its original local mission to national and international news, and eventually attracted an average of 10 to 15 million unique visitors per month, according to the Denver Post, which first reported the news.

Over time, it received content from 80,000 contributors covering 244 local markets across the U.S.

However, Examiner.com was overshadowed by AXS.com’s success presenting tightly focused coverage of local entertainment content. With that in mind, many contributors who have covered entertainment for Examiner.com are receiving invitations to join AXS.com as content creators.

As noted, online local news networks have had mixed fortunes in recent years, but defied predictions of their demise in at least some cases.

After launching as a central pillar for the planned reinvention of erstwhile tech giant AOL.com, Patch.com was spun off in 2014 with expectations that it would fade into obscurity. However, after a sweeping reorganization and layoffs earlier this year, its new owner, Hale Global, announced the company was profitable and had doubled traffic from the AOL days, claiming 23 million unique visitors in January.

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