Friday Afternoon Diversion
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"Batman" Headline Is a Stretch, But Prison Escape Story Could Be Its Own Movie
Grates To Tear Up Schubas
Chili Cook-Off Countdown
Look out Metromix, the Sun-Times is getting into the entertainment Web site game. On Wednesday, the Bright One announced its purchase of CenterstageChicago.com for an undisclosed price.
Unlike Metromix, which was developed by the Tribune and launched in 1997, CenterstageChicago has operated on its own for a decade. The site was founded by four Northwestern grads and has expanded its features and coverage over the years.
Obviously, the Sun-Times wants a piece of the online pie – and it says this is the first step toward an improved online presence – but we see Metromix and CenterstageChicago as less direct competitors than, say, RedEye and Red Streak (RIP).
The two sites have distinctively different content and tones – Metromix has tons of pictures and features, while CenterstageChicago rocks the Virtual El Tour and more comprehensive reviews.
We think there’s probably room enough for everyone.
The Sun-Times says it plans to expand its online entertainment coverage to the suburbs with time.
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Funny...
I think I heard that 9 years ago those guys wouldn't "sell out" to the Tribune when they came a knockin'. Since they couldn't buy Centerstage, the Trib instead created Metromix.
I guess they don't mind selling out now. But maybe their price tag skyrocketed.
I agree - Metromix is a guide for the River North/LPC set and Centerstage is for the rest. Wasnt the thursday weekend supplement in the Red Streak done by Centerstage?
Well, a decade is a long long time online. At least Centerstage wasnt sold to some .com crack-head MBAs in 1999 or 2000 and ruined. ;)
One part of the story I dont see anywhere yet is this... what are Metromix's stats like these days? How many uniques/month? Page views/day? I was told by a reporter on Wed that Centerstage and Metromix are very close in terms of user traffic. Honestly, that surprised me as I figured Metromix would be way way up there.
Centerstage has been kicking ass since day one on the major Search Engines and relying on word of mouth on the streets to find their traffic, without the help of 2 daily newspapers, a tv show or radio and magazine, etc...
Now with the intense Chicago-wide reach of the Sun-Times News Group, I'd expect Centerstage to reach a much broader audience than ever before.
I agree, I love Centerstage for its user-friendly style, & the Virtual-L/Neighborhood Guide rocks! Not only do I find wrong info in MM, but the recyled features and barrage of cheesy features turn me off. I always thought there was a slant to Metromix, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one!
Yeah, Metromix is pretty worthless, except for the occasional review for new restaurants I might've been curious about. Mainly what annoys me is that their reader feedback features suck massively.
Reviews have to be so short it can be impossible to be descriptive enough. Even worse is that the moderators don't publish comments half the time. I don't even bother with their arts and culture coverage anymore because, while they cover a wide range of offerings, the writers seem to be desperate to connect with the same stereotypical crowd that clog the bleachers at Wrigley. 'Oh my GOD, you should TOTALLY see the Joffrey this weekend...'