Are Days Numbered For LoudounExtra?

  Throughout all the discussions about area media organizations dealing with cutbacks, bankruptcy or closing down, one organization - the Washington Post's LoudounExtra.com - hasn't been mentioned.
  Well, now it’s their turn.
  The word on the street is that the site will shut down between now and Labor Day, with some saying the date is Sept. 1. I contacted multiple people within the Post organization and while none knew of an exact date, all said the site is shutting down with Loudoun coverage being rolled into the regular washingtonpost.com.
  Comments ranged from “it’s not a question of if, only when,” to “that sounds about right; the site is definitely shutting down,” to “I’m surprised they haven’t done it already. The decision was really made back in June.” And, of course, all were followed with “you better not attribute any of this to me.”
  It was back in June that two of the site’s three editors were re-assigned to other parts of the organization. Also at about that time, Erica Garman, who wrote the site’s most popular feature (Living In LoCo) resigned to spend more time with her family during the summer. She wasn’t replaced, and the site has certainly slowed down in terms of updating content. The Living In LoCo space became a repository for community briefs folks would email in, such as a “Recycle Used Motor Oil” or “Dog Days Peach & Sunflower Festival.”
  Last week, the remaining editor who was essentially running the entire site was notified she would be reassigned within the organization. As noted here earlier in the summer, the site’s main sportswriter – Paul Tenorio – has been moved over to Redskins and soccer coverage. Add all of this up and it certainly looks like the rumors of a Sept. 1 shutdown could be valid.
  If so, it marks the end to a bold experiment where the Washington Post made a simple – and one unfortunately repeated many times in business – mistake. During its debut, they trumpeted the new site’s technology and invested heavily in its video and database-driven features, reveling in the flash and sizzle of their new creation.
  But they never became part of Loudoun. Led by web guru Rob Curley – who moved onto another project on the other side of the country a year later just as the Post started demanding measureable results – they spent more time in Arlington than here in the community and misjudged the effect that would have. The lack of a connection with the community, in retrospect, far outweighed the investment in technology and may have been the deciding factor in LoudounExtra's fate.
  There were some bright spots. Bloggers Tammi Marcoullier and Garman captured the sense of what was going on in Loudoun, even if it was something as silly as when the new Dunkin Doughnuts was going to open. Tenorio was everywhere in covering high school sports, and was well-known and accepted by local high school coaches and ADs. The comments sections after stories sometimes turned into raucous, long-winded affairs. Had they built on those kinds of successes, the site could have dominated everyone given the resources of the Post.
  But they didn’t. And when the recession hit, LoudounExtra apparently hadn’t established enough of a critical mass with local advertisers to weather the storm.
  If true, it marks an end to a two-year period that would have to be considered the area’s golden era when it comes to media. By contrast, two years ago Paul Draisey and I were broadcasting a high school football game for Comcast at Park View. LoudounExtra had two reporters and a camera crew headed by former Redskin Jess Atkinson. The press box was jammed as three organizations – including WAGE – were broadcasting the game. Dan Sousa’s LoudounPrepSports.com was wildly successful, beating everyone in page views online. The Loudoun Times-Mirror had multiple people in its sports department and a huge news department. Other newspapers like Leesburg Today and the Loudoun Easterner were riding high, sending fat newspapers stuffed with ads to area homes.
  Now, Comcast doesn’t do local sports. WAGE is silent. Sousa isn’t with LoudounPrepSports.com, which has been sold twice since. LTM is down to a one-man sports department, and has only four reporters. Leesburg Today and the Loudoun Independent have survived bankruptcies. The Easterner is gone. And now, if the reports are accurate, LoudounExtra.com will soon be as well.