Focus: News, Features, Op-Ed, Real Estate, Milestones, and Sports, Pets, Kids, Obituaries sections, etc. in Sound Shore area in New York City suburbs; Spanish-language section called En El Circulo

Started: 2007

Metrics: 8,000 hits a day, 35,000 visitors per month from coverage area

Staff: editor/publisher Polly Kreisman, who is also co-editor of investigative journalism site InvestigateNY and has a background in broadcast media; co-editor Dian Marszalek, a former New York Times and Associated Press reporter

Funding: advertising

Site: theloopny.com

From About:

mission statement:

theLoop endeavors to unite its readers with local information through professional journalism and new technologies to create community.

theLoop is:

•  since 2007, an on-line newspaper serving larchmont, mamaroneck, and lower westchester county.
• a powerful platform for readers to report news and express opinions.

• editorial content driven by journalists whose experience runs deep and whose respect for journalistic integrity runs deeper.

• the number one local news site by traffic in westchester county  (analytics available)

Sample stories: “Scarsdale woman scammed at ATM”; “Arbor Day in New Rochelle”; “Puppy tips: Housebreaking 101″ part of pet adoption section; “Mamaroneck lacrosse edges Bronxville”; “Local efforts for Japan”; “What they’re reading” (Public library staff recommendations)

Focus: Covering news, lifestyle and events in south Dallas, an area with a 500,000 population; information categories include politics (local, state and national), education, environment, sports, media, religion, the arts, and Jr. reporters; links to some neighborhood or other local blogs. Opinion pieces and news about nonprofit organizations in the area are also featured.

Started: 2009

Staff: Editor is Shawn P. Williams, who ran the Dallas South blog for three years, according to a press release about the site’s launch, which also said the Dallas South News “will utilize professional journalists, citizen journalists, bloggers, and volunteers to cover issues that are relevant to residents of Southern Dallas. Board of Directors include media staff from traditional print and television outlets, community organizers, civic groups

Business: nonprofit supported by donations, contributions, advertising

Site: dallassouthnews.org

From About:

Dallas South News is a nonprofit news organization utilizing technology, social media, and journalistic principles to empower and inform underserved communities.

Dallas South News uses a combination of traditional journalists, citizen journalists, and bloggers to provide a fresh perspective to news stories important to Southern Dallas communities. We cover local news as well as provide state and local commentary on a variety of topics.

…

Dallas South News holds workshops and seminars designed to empower residents to produce news stories using mobile phones, digital cameras, and mini video devices, as well as to utilize social media tools like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

Southern Dallas is home to over 500,000 people, which is more than the city of Atlanta. Dallas South News covers stories and events that are important to the residents of this area. Local media outlets have targeted other areas of North Texas as their core readers, putting this area on the backburner. DSN sees Southern Dallas as its core and will provide citizens there a much needed voice.

Sample stories: “Bill White on Texas race with Dallas South News Part 1 (audio)”; “Bill White Part 2: Candidate answers question of whether he’s avoiding President Obama (audio)”; “UNCF Rallies North Texas to Help Students Graduate”; “Dallas County District Attorney’s Statement Regarding Proposed Cuts to Public Safety”; “Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS Celebrates 10 Years of Cycling to Support Local HIV/AIDS Service Organizations”

Focus: “The JCI” is a “grassroots” community news site; information categories include news, arts, politics, three contributor blogs, cultural calendar. Staff publishes a magazine, NEW, twice a year. One of the blogs, Mamarama, about a single mom, is by a local resident with a corresponding public access television program.

Started: 2008

Staff: Jon Whiten and Shane Smith are co-publishers, according to site masthead. Whiten is the editor. Other staff are a sales manager, associate editor, writer, photographer, and 10 regular contributors.

Business: nonprofit; advertising and donation-supported

Site: jerseycityindependent.com

From About:

The Jersey City Independent is the alternative news and culture source for Jersey City. JCI provides quality journalism to a city that desperately needs it, covering hard news, community news, politics and culture, with the ultimate goal of a better-informed citizenry, more accountable government and increased civic participation. The Independent also uses emerging technologies to shine a light on local government and give citizens greater access to public information that government entities are often reluctant to publish.

Sample stories: “Residents and Officials Come Out in Force Against Proposed Gas Pipeline,”; Halfway through 2010: Mixed News on Jersey City Foreclosure”; “Drought Watch Issued for Hudson County”; “Housing Authority Holding Public Hearing on ‘One-Strike’ Eviction Rule Next Week”; “For Farmers Market Week, New Jersey’s Agriculture Secretary Challenges Residents to Eat Locally”;

Focus: “Linking our community”; information categories include Around NH, Letters/Commentary, Meetings Around Town, News Updates; extensive blogroll of civic groups, municipal offices

Started: January 2009 (archive established)

Staff: all volunteer; Maria Moore is editor, main reporter, photographer; Bob Moore for technical support on the web; other contributors are an at-large reporter and an ad sales person

Funding: advertising sales

Site: newhartfordplus.com

From About Us:

The NewHartfordPlus crew members are New Hartford residents who volunteer their time to report for NewHartfordPlus. They do this because they recognize the community-building potential of an independent, locally-run news medium. Crew members’ reports bring New Hartford news and New Hartford happenings to the New Hartford community.

Sample stories: “Town meeting approves date, wording of referendum”; “Debbie Ventre receives ‘Extraordinary Volunteer’ award”; “Full-time custodian position available: New Hartford schools”; “Wanted: Pinewood Derby sponsors

Focus: the “Ithaca Indy” independent community news outlet serving Ithaca, in upstate New York; information categories include City, Life, Crime, Business, Sports, Opinion, Resources

Started: January 2010

Staff: founded by Ed Sutherland, a 20-year journalist; request for contributors

Site: ithacaindy.com

From About:

The goal is to bring news coverage closer to the citizens through numerous avenues, including Twitter and Facebook. Although we embrace modern technology, we remain steadfast in publishing quality journalism, following traditional practices. This is not a blog, where commentary mixes with fact. Nor is it an amateurish enterprise. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and hope our readers will keep us on our toes. Opinion is limited to the opinion pages.

Sample stories: “Ithaca Police Make Check Forgery Arrest”; “Ithaca College Names Park School Dean”; “‘Shock Doctrine’ Author to Visit Ithaca”; “Ithaca Elementary School Among Food SafetyViolators”; “Airport Receives $336k FAA Grant”

Focus: hyperlocal information for 30 neighborhoods in the northeast corner of Philadelphia

Started: November 2008

Staff: founded by Shannon McDonald, while a student at Temple University; contributing writers

You don’t have to be an experienced writer to contribute to the site. We want active, involved residents with a passion for their neighborhood. Are you a block captain? A stay-at-home parent with active kids? Someone who loves to socialize and try new things? Do you like taking photos of things you see in your daily routine? NEast Philly is a place for people to read about and experience the real Northeast Philadelphia.

Business: started online, print magazine planned for spring 2010

Site: neastphilly.com

From About:

NEastPhilly.com is the online home of Northeast Philadelphia. Launched in November 2008, NEastPhilly is maintained by a collection of local residents who live and breathe Northeast Philadelphia. The site offers daily news, analysis, multimedia, columns and commentary on everything that interests the proud, working-class neighborhoods of The NEast. NEastPhilly.com is the only place for daily news exclusively about the Northeast.

Sample posts: “News briefs from the Lawn Crest Community Association”; “Contractor dies near Frankford workspace”; “Real NEastate: Selling to another Seller” (a Q&A about selling a home in the neighborhood); “”Diamonds stolen from Franklin Mills Mall” a linked report to the Philadelphia Inquirer; “Man killed by train identified”

Focus: “Covering Louisville neighborhoods”; blog started as an observation on downtown development, has grown to cover community news in several city neighborhoods. Original, contributed and curated content shape editorial. Site features: See.Click.Fix and map of blog posts by neighborhood

Started: 2006

Staff:  edited by Brendan Klayko

Business: advertisement funding

Site: brokensidewalk.com

From Home page:

Here, we report on and discuss neighborhood news in Louisville, Kentucky. Any given day, we might be talking about real estate development, transportation, architecture, urbanism, or the nitty gritty of urban life. Please join in the conversation, or learn more about Broken Sidewalk and the stories we cover here. If you like what you see, consider subscribing to our RSS Feed (it’s easy). Thanks for stopping by.

From About:

Broken Sidewalk (BS) is dedicated to the urban realm of the River City, from its neighborhoods to its transportation trends, from real estate happenings to the latest political struggle.  The blog was founded in 2006 as a small site documenting the development of downtown Louisville.  Since then, brokensidewalk.com has grown to cover the goings on of the greater metropolitan region.  We are dedicated to reporting the latest real-estate deal, the most up-to-date project announcements, transportation trends, and all the neighborhood news related to living in our fine city.  We follow the ongoing construction progress of exciting development projects and slip in a little of the latest rumor about the future of the city.

…

BS is more than a news source; its a dialogue.  What makes brokensidewalk.com work is the input from our community of users.  This site has been designed to encourage as much interaction as possible.  Each post carries your comments and opinion polls track the pulse of the latest hot topics.  Our community also helps run the site.

Sample posts: “Livable Louisville Forum Set for March 30″; “Demo Watch: Spalding Gym Half Way Gone”; “Wednesday News Roundup” (a collection of links to city news from other news outlets); “Creation Gardens Moving Forward on East Market Street”

Focus: local and community news hub for Louisville; original and aggregated content; current events, local topics of discussion, forums, curated content; 29 forum topics, 14 news and information categories, mostly arts and leisure, calendar events, human interest, opinion; member blogs section

Started: 2003, as community BBS system

Staff: 8 full-time, one part-time and 12 contractors; solicits user-generated content

Funding: owned by Metromojo LLC, a company specializing in online information platforms. Louisville Mojo is the most popular website in Kentucky, according to Nielsen engagement rankings cited by Louisville Mojo officials. The site served more than 25 million page views to over 155,000 unique visitors in January 2010; average time on site was over 25 minutes, MetroMojo LLC chief technology officer Chuck Burke said.

Site: louisvillemojo.com

From About (Metromojo):

We are a company with roots in the electronic bulletin board (BBS) days of the Internet. Our founders were developing powerful technology applications prior to the existence of the WWW. Skip forward a decade….2003. Louisville Mojo was launched as a portfolio piece and its wild growth shocked us all. In early 2004, we realized that the traction of our first online community represented a more dramatic and global change in how media is produced and consumed. Today, Louisville Mojo serves a significant audience. In the course of managing and monetizing our own local online community, we have contributed to the development of a powerful niche within the social media industry: local online community.

The company has received initial funding from  Lunsford Capital and  Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation.

Mr. Burke:

98% of what you see [on Louisville Mojo]… is produced and managed by our editorial team, run by Rick Redding, a long-time journalist here in Louisville, Kentucky, who cut his teeth in publications such as Business First and the Courier Journal.

If you venture beyond the homepage into our “channels” you will begin to find more user generated content.  In addition to this, we have forums, photo galleries, classifieds, etc.

We are a commercial operation, the majority of our revenues comes from advertising with a small percentage of it coming from “supporting member” accounts, which offer members a few additional features on the web site.

Sample posts, information: “The Bible, sex-ed and Frankfort priorities” (an opinion piece by staff writer); “What are the BonAire/Highgate neighborhood groups doing now?”; “LMPD’s Crystal Marlow will plead the fifth”; “Paul fires back in senate race”; “UPDATE: Restaurant to be baby friendly…Mojo makes a difference”; “Trashy novels, Sports Illustrated and your kids”

Focus: local news and information around Burien, community news; information categories include arts, entertainment, features stories, crime, events, headlines, humor, jobs, opinion, life

Started: 2008

Staff: Scott Shaefer is founder, publisher, editor; plus 8 staff, including writer/marketing person, two reporters, photographer, intern

Funding: LLC business LOLDudez.com, a network of  five other local blogs; heavy local advertising, business promotion

Site: b-townblog.com

From About:

We love Burien. And we’re not ashamed to say it.

That’s because we live here.

We work here.

We shop here.

The B-Town (Burien) Blog is your only daily-updated, totally independent, truly-local online news source for all things Burien-related…

Sample posts: “Hit & Run Victim Jeff Kearney Released From Rehab, Now Back Home”; “B-Town Undercover: A Burienite Makes Friends At The Winter Olympics”; “Councilmember Refutes Seattle Times Columnist Over White Center Annexation”; “Wine & Food Line-Ups Announced For Poverty Bay Wine Festival”

Focus: “Your Definitive Neighborhood Guide to North Center, Lincoln Square and Ravenswood Manor”; information categories include News, Restaurants, Neighborhoods, 1,000 Words, Events, Submissions

Started: Jan. 20, 2010

Staff: writers/editors/founders Patrick Boylan and Mike Fourcher; solicitations for contributed content

Funding: advertising

Site: centersquareledger.com

From About:

The Center Square Ledger is a news publication focusing exclusively on Chicago’s Lincoln Square, North Center and Ravenswood Manor neighborhoods. It’s published by two guys, Mike and Patrick, from the neighborhood with deep Chicago roots. We launched this publication because we believed that our communities have a great deal going on – we want to tell those stories.

We also believe that many of the stories going on in our communities need to be told by you. Perhaps there’s something going on in your neighborhood you’d like to tell. Maybe you want to write the story yourself in the Ledger.

Sample stories: “Lincoln Square Chamber membership elects 3 members to board; Membership tiers now based on benefit use, not employee size”; “Early voting in Lincoln Square and Northcenter short of 2008 pace”; “Our Lady of Lourdes undertakes cause of immigration reform”; “Local carpenter invents water barrel platform; get pressure and use out of your barrel”

Media mentions: Chicagotalks write-up: “Center Square Ledger offers news from Francisco to Addison”