• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, July 20, 2009

Prepared to expose the dark underbelly of accountancy and audits, niche blog publisher Breaking Media on Monday plans to launch Going Concern Online Media Daily has learned. The new site will follow the "Big Four" accounting firms, smaller players, and CFOs at major companies, providing original news and insider analysis of the culture, people and organizations that shape the industry.

"We will try to make accounting sexy," David Lat, managing editor at Breaking Media, told OMD. "People do enjoy learning about personalities."

Helmed by Caleb Newquist, a blogger and former auditor and tax accountant for KPMG, the site will also take on issues like budgeting and reporting, corporate finance and tax, cost management as a political priority, governance, risk and compliance, and cash management.

From budgeting and software solution providers to airlines, David Minkin -- publisher and co-founder of Breaking Media -- believes the new site will appeal to plenty of marketers. "A large concentration of decision makers will appeal to advertisers," Minkin said.

That said, the site is not launching with a particular sponsor, but with run-of-site ads from The New York Times and Comcast.

In terms of potential audience, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in 2006 there were 1,274,000 accountants and auditors in the U.S. -- and that number is expected to grow 18% by 2016, exceeding the average growth rate for other occupations.

"The growth potential for Growing Concern's audience was a major factor in deciding to move forward with this new site," said Minkin. "Beyond accountants and auditors, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also estimates that regulatory reforms, as well as the long-term expansion and globalization of the economy, will increase the need for financial expertise."

Breaking Media currently publishes three niche blogs, including the Wall Street-focused Dealbreaker, Above The Law for the legal community, and Fashionista for the fashion world.

Across the board, Breaking Media's network presently reaches over 1 million readers who account for roughly 13 million page-views a month, according to Minkin. And while Dealbreaker was the first to launch back in 2006, Above The Law presently accounts the for the most page-views, or nearly 8 million a month. DealBreaker now is doing 3.5 million page-views a month, while Fashionista is attracting 1.2 million.

Going forward, Minkin plans to speed up the development and launch cycle for new blogs. Yet, cultivating niche audience is never a simple task. In April, Minkin decided to pull the plug -- "at least temporarily" -- on an architectural and design blog, Edificial.