Startup Sites Work to Rewrite Baltimore's Media Map

In media, much of what today seems normal � even indispensable � is actually quite young. Blogs have only been popular for less than a decade. Wikipedia started in 2001. Nick Denton started what would become Gawker Media in 2002. YouTube and The Huffington Post both launched in 2005. The iPhone debuted in 2007, the iPad just last year.

Little wonder, then, that the future of media � indeed, the very definition of what it is and isn't � is tinged with a recognition that the only thing certain is uncertainty. Change is the only constant.

In Baltimore it's no different than anywhere else. Content creators and consumers alike face a dizzying array of options. Not that it's a bad thing.

Chaos breeds creativity and a variety of independent media outlets have emerged in recent years to both fill niches of their own and, in some cases, beat more established outlets at their own game.

Here, Bmore takes a look at five of Baltimore's emerging media outlets with an eye on where they came from and where they might be headed next.

Baltimore Brew (@BaltimoreBrew)

Year Started: 2009

Described as: "A daily web journal with news, culture and commentary about Baltimore and the region. Neighborhoods, politics, city planning, schools, jobs and the economy, bike culture, restaurants, even urban foraging. Mostly, you'll find people who care a lot about improving and enjoying Baltimore."

Launched by veteran reporter Fern Shen after she took a buyout offer from The Washington Post, the Brew has quickly become a go-to destination for independent news and views in Baltimore.

"We honor the good work of newspapers and other media but provide something different � an alternative or deeper analysis of the news," Shen says.

As for the future, she notes that the Brew is looking to hire an advertising sales consultant and hoping to continue to build the site through expanded content and coverage along with sponsored and co-sponsored events.

Gutter Magazine (@guttermagazine)

Year Started: 2007

Described as: "Baltimore's first on-line fashion/feature magazine."

Founded by J.M. Giordano and Gimmickwear.com's Tom Doxanas, Gutter's mission is to "give younger, hipper residents in Bmore a magazine to call their own."

"I was at the Barnes and Noble at the harbor going over magazines," Giordano says, "when I realized that there's only really three mags in Baltimore. Style, Bmag and Urbanite. None of them really catered to a demographic that's into hip-hop, skating, edgy fashion photography and the underground scene in general."

Gutter flirted with a buyout offer last year after its Spring Fashion issue appeared, but remains independent for now. Future plans are best encapsulated by Giordano's statement that "Gutter has always believed in evolve or die."

"We would love to see the mag in actual print one day," he says, "as a younger, hipper answer to the local glossies or as a scrappier partner to one of them. The audience is there. Until then, we're going to keep doing what we're doing."

MarylandReporter (@mdreporter)

Year Started: 2009

Described as: "A news website covering state government and politics. We do a daily roundup of stories from over 40 sites, and we do our own stories, trying to cover issues and topics other people are missing."

Len Lazarick was State House bureau chief for the Baltimore Examiner when that paper shut down in early 2009. "I was wondering if I'd ever get a full-time job in journalism again," he says. "Then I heard about a nonprofit group which was as concerned as I was about the diminishing coverage of state government and politics. I submitted a grant proposal, got start-up funding, and we started publishing in October, 2009."

The plan for the future, Lazarick says, is simply to "survive and grow." Aware of MarylandReporter's place among a group of emerging sites, he notes that "None of us existed five years ago, when the Examiner started. Who knows what will survive five years from now?"

Investigative Voice (@InvestigativeV)

Year Started: 2009

Described as: "A news mix that makes people angry, mostly."

Chalk up yet another venture to the demise of the Examiner � reporter Stephen Janis launched Investigative Voice out of necessity after that paper closed.

"I didn't have a job," he says, "so I mistakenly decided I would create my own job, an ideal job for a reporter in the creative sense." Investigative Voice focuses on "watchdog and investigative reporting" while "ignoring the rest of the state-sponsored press conferences and government manipulated press events."

If all goes well, the future holds not only an expansion of the IV brand to other markets but also continuing "to set unachievable, unfunded goals to make our life consistently, not sporadically miserable."

Baltidome (@Baltidome)

Year Started: 2008

Described as: "A Baltimore green news site...meant to offer stories and honest solutions for people interested in creating a more sustainable city."

Tina Carroll started Baltidome to fill free time while helping take care of an out-of-state family member.

"A green news site was something I had been interested in doing for a while," she says. "I was inspired by all of the great things going on in Baltimore and I wanted to create a Baltimore City-centric platform for sharing information."

She says the site is "already more successful" than she imagined, but remains grounded about its future.

"Baltidome will not replace any traditional news source," she says, "but it may alter the discussion."

The same could be said for many of the independent media ventures that have sprung up not only in Baltimore but around the country. There will likely always be a handful of large, well-funded outlets dominating the news cycle. Gone, however, are the days when smaller outlets could be easily dismissed. Independent ventures are here to stay, and the best of them are slowly but surely forcing their way into the larger conversation.

Baltimore Brew's Fern Shen, for example, was recently named to the Maryland Daily Record's list of 50 Influential Marylanders. Hard as it is to imagine something like that happening as recently as a few years ago, smart money says this isn't the last time we see it.


Neal Shaffer is, among other things, the managing editor of Bmore Media.


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Photos:

- J.M. Giordano, Gutter Magazine, works on a photo shoot in his studio - Photo by Arianne Teeple
- Gutter Magazine's Tom Doxanas, left, and J.M. Giordano, right - Photo by Arianne Teeple
- Baltimore Brew's Fern Shen - Photo courtesy of Jennifer Bishop
- Maryland Reporter's Len Lazarick - Photo by Arianne Teeple
- Investigative Voice's Stephen Janis - Photo by Arianne Teeple
- Maryland Reporter's Len Lazarick - Photo by Arianne Teeple