AnnArbor.com is an
online newspaperAn online newspaper, also known as a web newspaper, is a newspaper that exists on the World Wide Web or Internet, either separately or as an online version of a printed periodical....
that covers local news of Ann Arbor,
MichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and the surrounding
Washtenaw County, MichiganWashtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area...
.
Overview
AnnArbor.com reports news both online and in print. The print version is also known as
AnnArbor.com and is published on Thursdays and Sundays. It has a full-time staff of 60, 35 of which are reporters; 80 more are
blogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
gers. The website has online ads known as "deals," on which users can vote to include on the Sunday print edition. It, and its predecessor, the Ann Arbor News, have long been known for their conservative perspectives, examples including articles published during the 1980s celebrating the supposed demise of Hash Bash.
As a website, AnnArbor.com is not only a news source but also a place for social interaction, presenting information in a chronological
blogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
-style format. Users can register to start "conversations" and upload photos and videos.
History
AnnArbor.com was launched on July 24, 2009, to replace
The Ann Arbor News, when
Advance PublicationsAdvance Publications, Inc., is an American media company owned by the descendants of S.I. Newhouse Sr., Donald Newhouse and S.I. Newhouse, Jr. It is named after the Staten Island Advance, the first newspaper owned by the Newhouse family...
, the parent company of the
News as well as more than 20 other daily newspapers, attempted to produce a greater profit from the newspaper. By downsizing the print edition from seven days a week to two, the newspaper could reduce costs, becoming more sustainable in the long run. The website is part of Advance's experiment to convert its paper publications to online versions; Ann Arbor was chosen because a study found that 92% of its population was able to access online news. In response to the change, one local lamented, "The [175-year-old]
News was like an old friend." A
TIMETime is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
article has compared the
News to similar defunct newspapers like the
Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
and the
Rocky Mountain NewsThe Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
.