MSNBC.com picks up Chicago-based web site EveryBlock
18 Aug 2009
MSNBC.com has acquired EveryBlock, a Chicago-based web site that collects local news and public information.
Terms of the cash deal, which was announced yesterday, were not disclosed, but the Wall Street Journal estimated the deal was worth several million dollars.
MSNBC.com is a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric.
EveryBlock collects local news stories, as well as property and business licenses, and makes the data searchable by address, ZIP code and neighborhood. The site also aggregates reviews of local businesses from Yelp, photos from Flickr and Craigslist listings.
Charlie Tillinghast, president of MSNBC.com, said the company wanted to work with EveryBlock and considered an investment in it, but ultimately decided on an acquisition because such a deal would make the transfer of intellectual property and technology easier.
EveryBlock was set up in 2007 by Adrian Holovaty with $1.1 million grant from the John S and James L Knight Foundation. The grant ended on 30 June, and Holovaty had been looking for ways to continue the project.
