Local newspapers are continuing the trend of launching hyperlocal news websites with the Yorkshire Evening Post and KM Group broadening their online portfolio.

The Leeds-based daily is rolling out a series of 20 hyperlocal sites focussing on neighbouring communities of the West Yorkshire city.

The YEP sites feature ultra-local news, information, sport and entertainment with most carrying video and audio footage.

Each one features a community directory with links to local groups and organisations with some carrying sections for local sports clubs with match reports.

They also feature the latest planning applications as well as ‘ex-pat maps and guestbooks.

YEP digital community editor Andrew Hutchinson said: “We want these sites to be a daily source of news, sport and entertainment for the very latest on what’s going on in the community.”

The KM Group has launched SittingbourneMessenger.co.uk which features news from its paid-for Sittingbourne Messenger and free Sittingbourne Extra titles.

It will cover news in the Kent town and surrounding villages and shares the features of other KM Group local sites, such as dedicated community news pages and a direct link to the e-edition of the Sittingbourne Extra.

KM Group’s Swale editor Matt Ramsden says: “The launch of SittingbourneMessenger.co.uk is an exciting development for readers and advertisers.

“We aim to make it the number one site serving the greater Sittingbourne area – a one-stop-shop for everyone’s news, sport and advertising needs.”

Visitors will be able to share stories on social media sites like Facebook, Delicious and Digg as well as follow their Twitter feed.

Comments

Observer (16/06/2009 09:05:42)
There’ll obviously be dozens of extra journalists to make sure these local sites do actually have local news? Ah, thought not.

Green Cardigan (16/06/2009 09:50:57)
Who said people want these hyperlocal sites? We can all remember the ill-fated proliferation of micro-editions in print when newspapers went mad doing mini editions for areas. It didn’t work then and there is no reason to suggest it will work online today – particularly when there is no resource put into running these hyperlocal sites. Newspapers should concentrate on distilling web content as professional journalists.

regionalhack (18/06/2009 20:35:33)
Why are newspaper managements still so obsessed with free websites which slash into paid-for circulation? Are they too blinded by calling themselves ‘multi-media’ to see the link between to the two?
Circulations started to plummet when websites started to give away all the print content, and more, for free online. Yet few websites make much money, certainly not enough to cover investment, yet alone wages. These hyperlocal sites will be totally worthless, bringing in peanuts at best while giving print readers less reason to buy the paper.
Management madness.