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AOL’s HuffPost Enters Crowded Online Arena With HuffPost Celebrity Site

Kara Swisher in Media on July 11, 2011 at 4:26 am PT

The Huffington Post Media Group, AOL’s fast-moving content unit, is launching a celebrity site called HuffPost Celebrity today, as well as another called HuffPost Culture. HuffPost Celebrity, which ate AOL’s former celeb-focused site Popeater, is in a very crowded arena online, with competitors such as Yahoo’s omg!, Time Warner’s People magazine Web site, as well as AOL-owned TMZ.com.

Winklevii Vs. Zuck: Who'd You Rather?

Kara Swisher in News on October 5, 2010 at 11:18 am PT

The Facebook movie might have performed slightly below box office expectations last weekend for Sony movie unit Columbia Pictures, but it certainly has invaded the mainstream zeitgeist. Still, BoomTown was quite surprised to see a mention of “The Social Network” on one of my favorite celebrity sites, TMZ.com.

Forbes Buys True/Slant

Peter Kafka in Media on May 25, 2010 at 8:42 am PT

That was fast. And not that surprising: Forbes Media, which invested in digital news start-up True/Slant two years ago and brought on founder Lewis Dvorkin as a “consultant” this spring, has now bought the entire company. Dvorkin’s new title is chief product officer.

Let's Go to the Videotape: SB Nation's Jim Bankoff Speaks!

Kara Swisher in News on May 4, 2010 at 8:30 am PT

While in Washington, D.C., recently, I paid a visit to Jim Bankoff, who is now helming a fascinating start-up called SB Nation, a fast-growing sports blog and news platform. With over 200 individual communities, it’s a mix of professional and user-generated content aimed at engaging passionate fans.

Back to the Future: True/Slant CEO Lewis DVorkin Moonlighting as Redesign Consultant at Forbes

Peter Kafka in Media on April 15, 2010 at 9:39 am PT

Troubled Forbes Media has brought in Lewis DVorkin, a former editor at the business publisher, as a consultant for a redesign of the Forbes Web site “and other editorial areas.” That’s a bit weird, because DVorkin already has a day job: He’s the founder and CEO of True/Slant, a news network/aggregator/publisher he launched last year.

Former AOLer Jim Bankoff Scores $7 Million for Sports News and Community Start-Up

Kara Swisher in News on July 16, 2009 at 3:51 pm PT

Jim Bankoff–the well-regarded former AOL exec who runs an online sports news network called SB Nation–has nabbed $7 million in funding from investors, including Comcast Interactive Capital, said sources. People familiar with the situation said SB Nation’s post-investment valuation, after this second round, will be $30 million and also include previous investors, such as Accel Partners and Allen & Co.

Old Michael Jackson Story: Traffic Snarls the Web. New Michael Jackson Story: Look at Our Traffic!

Peter Kafka in Media on June 26, 2009 at 3:30 pm PT

Remember all those stories about Web sites buckling under the weight of all that Michael Jackson traffic? Here’s the flip side, now being promoted by those same Web sites: Look at all of our Michael Jackson traffic! Yahoo, for instance, wants us to know that Jackson’s demise has been its good fortune. “Michael Jackson rushed to hospital” was the site’s “highest clicking” story, while Yahoo News set a record for hourly visitors.

Michael Jackson Is Dead, Jeff Goldblum Is Alive. Can Twitter Tell the Difference?

Peter Kafka in Media on June 26, 2009 at 3:00 am PT

Another big news event means another chance for Twitter to shine. And another example of the service’s shortcomings: Trust it if you want, but I’d like to verify.

More Not-Bad News From Time Inc.: People.com Booming

Peter Kafka in Media on December 10, 2008 at 12:39 pm PT

While it’s true that Time Warner’s magazine unit is embattled, there are bright spots in the portfolio. Take People.com: The gossip magazine has always been one of Time Inc.’s strongest performers. Now its companion site is, too. Who gets credit? Some of it goes to celebs like Ashlee Simpson, and their babies.

BermanBraun Will Make Both MSN Celeb Site and Also Yahoo "Lunacy Report"

Kara Swisher in News on June 2, 2008 at 3:45 pm PT

Lloyd Braun–the former Hollywood super-programmer turned Yahoo entertainment czar turned Hollywood and online programmer–has signed a multimillion-dollar deal to make an original destination site for Microsoft’s MSN portal, aimed at aggregating celebrity, entertainment and pop culture news, according to several sources. At the same time, Braun also inked a deal with Yahoo to create a daily online report of “weird news.”