Man oh man. It's been a tumultuous time for both online and print Tampa news outlets in the past few months. Less than three weeks ago, the Tampa Tribune laid off 165 employees at the newspaper and related publications. Yesterday, the first edition of the newly named Tampa Bay Times rolled off the printing presses, and now, we've gotten the news that Metromix will cut all local staffing and significantly cut coverage in seven of its city websites including Tampa.
According to Metromix officials, only two to three of their 60 markets across the nation have been "doing well". In addition to the axing of their Tampa website, Metromix will also end Metromix websites in cities including Denver, Atlanta, Cleveland, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. according to an article from Denver Post.com.
These once expansive and community-driven websites won't be eliminated completely though. Metromix will offer express versions of the website in these cities. These express versions will be database driven and pull event data into the site from multiple sources including Localeze and Eventful.
Metromix started as a neighborhood entertainment site based out of Chicago. The Chicago Tribune purchased it in 1997 and the site enjoyed rapid growth and expansion throughout the nation for the next few years before eventually merging with U.S. media giant, Gannet in 2007.
"The decision was made because the business model did not prove to be effective in broadcast," Gannet said in a recent press statement.
In addition to Metromix, Gannet's MomsLikeMe network of local parenting websites has also ceased operations in the 100+ towns it once covered.
