The Chicago Tribune started Metromix about 10 years ago. Last year Tribune Co. and Gannett Co. Inc. started working together to add Metromix sites. How long has Metromix St. Louis been in the works? What other cities have recently launched/will be launching? How many Metromix sites are there now?
Metromix St. Louis has been in the works since about the start of the year. I interviewed for my job in February, and took the reigns the third week of March. Metromix Cleveland, Denver and Detroit launched about the same time we did. Several other sites, including Des Moines, Honolulu and Louisville just recently launched. The goal is to have Metromix in more than 40 cities by the end of the year.

What competition does Metromix face in St. Louis? What are its strengths and weaknesses, compared to others sites?
Metromix is kind of unique because it really is a one-stop shop for music, restaurants, bars, clubs, events, TV and movies — online. RFT, Alive Magazine and Sauce all have strong print publications. RFT and Alive’s online presence isn’t very strong. Sauce’s is, but it’s solely focused on restaurants.

Who will be contributing to Metromix? How many full-time employees are there? Part-time? Will you be hiring more people?
We have 4 full-time employees on the Metromix staff … myself, an associate producer, a marketing coordinator and a sales account executive. By and large, our AP and I do a good deal of the editorial content, but I’ve also hired both freelance writers and photographers to contribute. I use about 5 people on a regular to semi-regular basis.

How many listings does Metromix STL feature? Are there features specific to Metromix STL?
We have more than 1,500 bars, restaurants, night clubs, museums, galleries and more in our database. We continue to build that database up. If a venue does not see itself listed, it can submit a listing through our homepage.

What are you doing to get word out about Metromix STL? (I know I stumbled across it accidently.) Any big plans or functions after the launch?
We launched June 2nd, and had our official launch party July 25. In addition to on-air promotion on KSDK, we’ve partnered with several organizations, including Metropolis and the Taste of St. Louis. We’re currently looking into other partnerships as well. We have a dedicated street team that we send out to various events to spread the word about the site as well.

Is KSDK planning any other specialty sites?
KSDK is also launching highschoolsports.net locally and re-vamping our moms site.

Anything else you want to add/say?
We’ve gotten a lot of rave reviews from users, and it’s nice that the site is very interactive. Users can create playlists … a list of places or events they want to head to. They can now comment on stories, write reviews, etc.

The news that made headlines: Profits were down by a whopping 87.4 percent. Net income was $2.8 million, compared to $22.5 million for the same period last year.

But, as Observations on the Newspaper Business points out, the news that should have made headlines: Online advertising fell by 9.1 percent, or $14.7 million.

That’s a bad sign.

Two other newspaper companies also reported earnings last week. Earnings dropped for both, but online revenue increased:
• The New York Times Co. released second quarter earnings on Wednesday: A 6 percent drop over last year, but online advertising revenue increased by 18.3 percent over the last year.
• The McClatchy Co. released second quarter earnings on Thursday: A 44 percent drop over last year, but online advertising revenue increased by 12.5 percent since the start of the fiscal year.

In response to Lee’s falling profits, CEO Mary Junck offered these comforting words:

We believe our financial outlook remains solid.

Because we cannot foresee the length of the economic downturn, we are focusing on rigorous cost reductions through staff reorganizations, narrower page widths, newsprint conservation programs and other efficiencies, as well as reduced capital spending. In our fiscal year that begins this fall, assuming no new surprises in newsprint prices, we are aiming for a further reduction in cash costs of 5-7 percent.

That would seem to lend credence to the rumor of upcoming layoffs.

St. Louis’s Gannett-owned KSDK (Channel 5) is behind the new addition to the Metromix family. In October, Gannett and Tribune Co. teamed up to expand Metromix. The Chicago Tribune started Metromix more than 10 years ago.

Metromix offers a searchable guide to local entertainment — restaurants and bars, events, music, movies, etc. Users can share their own reviews, photos and videos. The site already features a handful of staff-written reviews.