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Rocky Mountain Independent Launches Online

Former members of the recently-deceased Rocky Mountain News launched the Rocky Mountain Independent, an online news site featuring local content. Some columns and news will be accessed for a $4 monthly payment.

The latest indie media outlet is now online. The Rocky Mountain Independent has risen from the ashes of its defunct predecessor, the print newspaper Rocky Mountain News. The newspaper published its final issue in February after 150 years in the media business, citing a staggering ad revenue slump.

The online site continues to report on Colorado news, from touring the new Denver Justice Center to tracking down the impresario behind Denver’s empire of clubs.

A pay component is part of the Independent launch. While most of the content is free to readers, some columns and chat functions will be available for $4 a month. The site’s co-founder Steve Foster said recently, “Probably the closest model to ours is ESPN.com. You can still go there and get pretty much all the news for free, but if you want access to their columnists or some of their larger pieces, you need to be a member. Our business model recognizes that the industry is going this way — that advertising alone isn’t enough to support a news organization as large as ours.”

Foster says the Independent won’t focus on breaking news in Colorado; instead the bulk of the writers — many of whom are former Rocky Mountain News reporters — will offer a broader view of the local news. In politics, for example, Foster says “we’re not as interested in following somebody on the campaign trail on a daily basis. We’d rather step back and assess someone’s chances in an election.”

Why did these ex-stringers decide to jump on board the Independent? Editor Cindy House explains in a blog post: “The days of sitting at the breakfast table and perusing the morning paper are waning. But the news is still here, and the digital era has given us a fantastic platform for it.”

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