Alpharetta-based Appen Media has acquired Decaturish.com, a news website known for its coverage of Decatur and surrounding DeKalb County communities such as Kirkwood, Avondale Estates and Tucker.
Dan Whisenhunt, who founded Decaturish nearly 11 years ago, remains editor and Zoe Seiler stays on as assistant editor. Appen Media, a family-owned company, paid off the news organization’s debts as part of the acquisition.
The sale was finalized last week but no details were revealed. Whisenhunt said it was “definitely a good deal” and he was impressed with Appen Media’s transparency.
The sale comes at a time when the local news landscape continues to become more digital. But even as local news outlets struggle, 85% of Americans say they are at least somewhat important to the betterment of their community, according to a recent Pew-Knight Initiative report. Americans also place more trust in local journalists with ties to the communities they cover over national reporters and outlets.
“I think local ownership is a big piece of that puzzle to keeping local news viable and relevant,” Whisenhunt said. “I think you need to have people with some connection to the communities that they cover involved.”
Appen Media, founded in 1990, publishes newspapers in the affluent North Atlanta suburbs of Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek, Milton and Forsyth County. The company also owns the Dunwoody Crier and started publishing the Sandy Springs Crier two years ago.
Whisenhunt said he met Carl Appen, director of Content & Development at Appen Media, about a year ago. They clicked over their shared ideals of what journalism is supposed to be.
“I think that the model we’re setting up where we’re honest, we’re candid, we’re fair, we’re passionate — I think that’s something sort of missing from newsrooms,” he said.
Appen Media will take control of much of the business side of Decaturish, leaving Whisenhunt to do what he loves most — report stories. He’s got a list of investigative pieces he’s been wanting to write for some time that he says he can now tackle.
“I was wearing way too many hats as part of what we were doing, so this is going to take some things off my plate. It’s going to allow me to do the things that I do best,” Whisenhunt said.
The sale of Decaturish is about preserving and enhancing local journalism, Whisenhunt said. People spend too much time fixated on who is winning or losing and not enough time trying to repair the actual problems, he said.
“A good, comprehensive, informative paper can give the community a neutral space to have these important discussions, and I believe Appen Media feels the same way,” he said.
Appen said buying Decaturish benefits both organizations. Appen Media is taking on more administrative and business tasks, but in return, for example, they are getting Decaturish’s expertise in digital-first newsrooms, he said.
Appen said he was also excited to be able to use Decaturish’s coverage of DeKalb County in the Dunwoody Crier.
“Dan and I have thought this has been such a good idea all year, and it is because I genuinely think that it is just two similar organizations that are better together than they are apart,” Appen said.
