African-American News Sites theGrio, NewsOne Join Forces

NBC News’ theGrio and Interactive One’s NewsOne will coordinate and share editorial content under terms of an agreement between the parent companies of the two African-American-targeted digital news sites.

Interactive One will oversee ad sales for both sites, and the two companies said co-marketing and promotional opportunities can be mined from Interactive One’s digital assets, Radio One’s 52 stations, cable network TV One, Reach Media, and NBC News’ various platforms.

NBC News and Interactive One added that according to data from comScore, the two sites’ combined monthly net audience soared from 661,500 in May 2010 to 2.1 million this past May.

NBC News president Steve Capus said:

With the African-American audience representing one of the fastest-growing consumer segments online, this partnership is a huge growth opportunity for both theGrio and NewsOne. This is a smart play for both sides as we combine the best of these two platforms to enhance African-American journalism.

Interactive One president Tom Newman added:

This relationship provides an unprecedented offering and opportunity in the digital news space. Bringing NBC News’ high-quality journalism together with Interactive One’s deep focus on the African-American audience allows us to better cover the issues and stories that matter to them.

theGrio managing editor David Wilson said:

With focus on connecting Black America, Interactive One’s relationship with its user communities makes it an invaluable partner for theGrio as we look to expand the reach of our trusted news content. We’ll be able to connect with audiences and customers that we’ve never been able to reach before.

And Interactive One chief revenue officer Keith Bowen added:

Our access to the most engaged African-American audience online, combined with NBC News’ high-quality journalism expertise, is a recipe for not only exceptional content for a broader audience, but also more compelling product offerings for advertisers. This partnership will create marketing opportunities that are yet unseen in the African-American digital space.

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