Local: it’s the new buzzword in media of late. Major media companies have snapped up hyperlocal startups. Now the Wall Street Journal and New York Times are putting their toe into the hyperlocal space. As paid Content’s Staci Kramer explains, both papers already “localize some advertising.” Now both are considering localized editions in new markets. The Wall Street Journal is closest to rolling out a specialized local edition. The first market where the WSJ is testing its local touch will be the San Francisco Bay Area. Dow Jones confirmed the plans and reveals the Bay-area edition should debut by the close of the year. A New York edition of the Journal may not be far behind. 

As Kramer notes, “The NYT‘s plans are more murky but are believed to include regional editions beyond SF.”  Will these local efforts prove successful for WSJ and NYT?  Will they drive another nail in the coffin of metro dailies?  Or will the local push, as Kramer worries, merely “distract" from these papers' "core missions?” Just because local is hot doesn’t mean its smart to allocate energy and resources to other markets. Given the current challenges in the publishing climate is this the right time to spread resources thinner?  Source: paid Content, more