Gannett pulled the plug Thursday on Metromix in seven markets, including Denver.
“The decision was made because the business model did not prove to be effective in broadcast,” the company said in a statement.
Denver, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Atlanta, Tampa and Washington, D.C., will now have “Express” versions of the entertainment website.
The three full-time staffers at the Denver Metromix site were informed of the decision by KUSA-Channel 9 president and general manager Mark Cornetta.
Matt Farley, lead producer of Denver’s Metromix, said the local operation was an exception to the generally underperforming Metromix operations nationally.
“Only two or three out of the company’s roughly 60 markets were doing well,” he said. “It’s definitely disappointing.”
Media giants Gannett and Tribune Co. announced a partnership in October 2007 to create a cluster of entertainment websites called Metromix, aimed at 21- to 34-year-olds and designed to carry national and local advertising. The sites were essentially listings of local bars and restaurants, originated by the Chicago Tribune. The goal was to launch in the nation’s top 30 markets. Ultimately the count grew to 60 markets, with Denver’s Metromix (operating out of Gannett- owned KUSA) joining in May 2008.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
