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Happy Birthday Mediaite!

video

by Dan Abrams | 12:58 pm, July 6th, 2010

» 34 comments

It is hard to believe its been a full year since our newbie website with the awkward-sounding name was welcomed to the blogosphere with accolades such as “sounds vaguely medicinal, like something you’d give to a toddler suffering diarrhea” (Slate), or “no one really cares about the business and personalities behind the media” (Fast Company), or my personal favorite, “Mediaite feels a bit doomed.” (Daily Finance). Ah, yes — that honeymoon period was so sweet. We all love to curl up with the scrapbook and reminisce about the early days.

Alas, it’s hardly surprising that we were met with a tepid reception. We are, at times, reviewing the reviewers and, well, let’s just say that — shockingly! — some in media don’t appreciate being reviewed. Fortunately for us, despite those early pokes, most leaders in media have come to embrace us. We truly appreciate that so many of you have made Mediaite a regular part of your daily web diet.

Mediaite is now welcoming between 1.3 to 1.5 million unique visitors per month to the site. That already puts us ahead of the name-brand media industry websites, significantly ahead of most of the best-known political blogs, and obviously far above what I could have anticipated when we launched. Even more important, the quality of the news we report has quickly made Mediaite a significant player in the national debate. Mediaite is cited regularly in many of the most prestigious traditional publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, Forbes, NPR, USA Today, The Atlantic, The Week, and the National Review, as well as routinely being cited by the outlets leading the digital revolution, including Yahoo! and AOL as well as leading political sites like Huffington Post, Drudge, Hot Air, Raw Story, Salon, and others (“others” includes regularly and proudly getting blasted by media watchdogs Media Matters from the left and Newsbusters from the right).

Our team has also broken many of the major media stories of the past year, ranging from the launch of new websites to the sale of existing ones, from television shows coming and going (including CNN’s Campbell Brown leaving) to mass layoffs at networks. Plus, we have been at the forefront of web video as this medium reaches new levels of popularity. That includes our exclusive series of interviews with members of the White House Press Corps, as well as curating news clips from the most exciting moments on cable news.

Despite our tiny staff, we have more than achieved the goal I set forth in my original note one year ago, when I hoped it would become “a unique property that will quickly become a must-read for anyone interested in media, the business of it and the personalities behind it.”

Mediaite is also now the proud parent of three other thriving sites, Geekosystem.com, Styleite.com (which launched in March) and Sportsgrid.com (launched in May). Geekosystem, which examines the online world through the “geek prism,” is rapidly approaching the one million uniques per month mark after just six months in business. Including sister site Gossipcop.com (which has also vastly exceeded expectations in less than a year) and our syndicated content, our sales team is selling over five million unique visitors per month. After all, what is a content site these days without that ultimate proof of viability: advertisers? Last month alone, Mediaite had, among others, Yahoo, Bing, Mercedes, Vespa, Showtime, Syfy, and Bravo as sponsors. In the months to come we will be announcing a variety of additional revenue generating endeavors, as well as additional sites. Even so, this is is still a work in progress, and we look forward to trying to take it to new heights in year two.

So here is to the Mediaite team. They deserve all the credit for nimbly avoiding “doom,” for somehow making even certain skeptics care about “the business and personalities behind the media,” and for admitting they work for a site that was once compared to a diarrhea remedy — even before it was cool. And of course, a big thank you to all of you who have read us, written for us, and advertised with us.

In the meantime, here is a little video look-back at the year that was. (Special thanks to Kevin Gotkin and Video Jon for their terrific work on the video below!)

Colby Hall, Dan Abrams, Frances Martel, geekosystem, Glynnis MacNicol, Gossip Cop, Jon Bershad, Kevin Gotkin, Mediaite, Mediaite Year One, NY Times, Rachel Sklar, Robert Quigley, SportsGrid, Steve Krakauer, Styleite, Tommy Christopher, Tooting One's Own Horn, Washington Post

http://www.facebook.com/people/Angela-Bibby/1243222393 Angela Bibby

I love it all, read it everyday and have brought some of my geeky friends on board, Congrats keep up the good work.
Erebys

Congratulations! You guys have done well.
tjames

Happy birthday guys! I read your site every day and although I don’t always agree with you, it’s great that you present truth as it is.
Big_F-ing_Deal

Thanks for the cable news crib sheets, Mediaite!!

No I don’t have to actually watch Beck anymore, I can get all his lunacy in condensed form. ;)
http://www.facebook.com/people/Josh-Feldman/1158574704 Josh Feldman

In spite of all the political sniping in the comments section, I really like Mediaite. Keep up the good work!
http://www.partizane.com NewHampster

One of the few sites in my bookmarks bar, I visit 2 to 3 times daily and have used Mediaite as a source many times.

Thank you for a job well done.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Stewart-Margaret/1330738383 Stewart Margaret

I can’t register or log in to comment other than using facebook. When I try, your web team advises they will send an e-mail with password. I have tried numerous times, but have never received an e-mail.

PLEASE HELP!
disgusted

Well Done!
NORBIT Jr.

Nice job with Mediaite, Dan!

This is a more politically balanced site than most, and garners its share of mainstream media references to articles and posts, as well.

Also, I compliment your reporters on doing a yeomen’s job in covering varied topics.
tjl

And many more…
tiredofbs

Happy Birthday!
I keep waiting for the Site to go way out to
LoonyLeftField, but so far it is interesting,
& tolerable.

See what even a pinch of balance can bring? SUCCESS!

Pass it On
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

I, for one, am SHOCKED that such a collection of LIB HACKS have managed to squeeze out an entire YEAR of lies, misrepresentations, and straight-up PROPAGANDA from this PATHETIC website!!1 When you’re not BASHING the brilliant monologues of Glenn Beck, you are SUCKING UP to the commie terrorist-loving SEIU Chicago-style union thug community organizing FASCISTS in the White House!!1 I just hope that you are RUNNING ON FUMES, and the broken-down JALOPY that is this website will soon come to a HALT (metaphor!!1)!!1 Thank GOD for all the Proud Right-Thinking Americans I have met in the comments section here – they give me HOPE that there are INFORMED, WITTY, and MATURE people still out there to bring Honor back to our Once Proud Republic!!1

In all seriousness, happy birthday Mediaite. Always a great read, and I don’t know how I’d make it through the work day without the bat$#!+ crazy commenters here. Mazel tov!
Iris

What karl said, no one says it better
stoogedudes

Happy Anniversary, Mediaite! I generally enjoy the columns and your writers, even when I disagree with them. I don’t feel the need to bash everything the writers here say, like some people….

You must be doing something right, because I keep coming back.

The comments section has many times been so vile that I’ve considered not coming back, but for the most part, I enjoy bantering with liberals and conservatives on here. We are basically the most dysfunctional family on the internet…

And can I get an AMEN for Karl Spensen??!!
Jocelyn Rousey

Stewart Margaret,

Your mediaite.com account doesn’t list an email, which I’ll need in order to update your password and give you access to your account. If you could send your email address to jocelyn@mediaite.com, I’ll take care of it right away!

Jocelyn
TfT

Happy Birthday. One year and still in existence…..I love Glynnis’s reports; Tommy just makes me laugh (or cry), Frances is an Olbermann taody, and Steve Krakauer is the one person willing to step outside of the liberal group think and report on stuff others dare not. Been here since the start (or near it anyway), and enjoy it.
tiredofbs

Karl Spensen said:
arl Spensen says:
July 6, 2010 at 3:49 pm Karl Spensen(Quote)
Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1

I, for one, am SHOCKED that such a collection of LIB HACKS have managed to squeeze out an entire YEAR of lies, misrepresentations, and straight-up PROPAGANDA from this PATHETIC website!!1 When you’re not BASHING the brilliant monologues of Glenn Beck, you are SUCKING UP to the commie terrorist blah blah blah b lah blah

I see this same silliness from u @Media Bistro & other….
It’s lame & boring. Lose the psychotropics & focus on some new
lame shtick.Get out in the sun see the light of day &
get more creative..Just sayin..
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

I see the same “silliness” too, tiredofbs – on Conservative blogs, media blogs, political blogs, and pretty much any website with a comments section!!1 Where do you think I GOT THE IDEA from?!?!1 There were many Right-Thinking Americans with the same style who came before me – I am just STANDING on the SHOULDERS of intellectual GIANTS!!!1 Visit foxnation.com sometime and you’ll see that there is a whole ARMY of us out there, doing our part to spread the TRUTH about the SOCIOFASCIST Barry Hussein and making America PROUD!!!1
tiredofbs

Karl Spensen said:
Spensen says:
July 6, 2010 at 6:10 pm Karl Spensen(Quote

U have not seen tiredofbs, anywhere .
Stop the crap get a life. You’re a total dweeb
click
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kathy-Kitt/628413749 Kathy Kitt

Congratulations Dan Abrams and the people who work for Mediaite. I visit you site daily as well as Styleite, SportsGrid and Geekosystem. Mediaite is the reason I’m on Twitter. I am looking forward to other sites that you have in deelopment and the show that Dan Abrams will be doing later this month. Again congratulations.
Call_Me_Ishmael

Karl Spensen said:
I see the same “silliness” too, tiredofbs – on Conservative blogs, media blogs, political blogs, and pretty much any website with a comments section!!1 Where do you think I GOT THE IDEA from?!?!1

Reminds me of the sardonic renderings of Drieux, Just Drieux from the old, old Usenet days.

Nevertheanyhow, congrats to the Mediaite team. I was lured over by a link from a dirty old blogger in an overcoat on another site and have been reading since.
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

Ishmael, thank you for inspiring me to do a little research on this “Drieux” character. Truly an inspiration! Gotta give respect to my elders in the early days of the World Wide Interwebs.
mproust

As it was said by Miriam Aarons about Buck Winston in “The Women,” it can now be said about Dan Abrams:
“Well he could crack a coconut with those knees!… If he could get them together!”
Pablo

Happy Birthday, gang!
http://lauriebethsgrotto.wordpress.com Laurie Beth

Congratulations, team!
shootfromthehip

Dan, I’ve been a fan for years and Mediaite is visionary.

Love the site and love all (ok most of) the staff as well.

Keep it up, kids!
NORBIT

Great concept and execution, Dan.
Congrats!

Puzzles me however, that more comments aren’t typically posted on these threads.
Phocus2

Dan Abrams…ah, that explains a lot! I always wondered why MSNBC was covered so often here, when no one else in the world watches or cares what happens on that channel. Still, it’s a fun site and the articles are brief, a good thing considering the writing skills of a couple of the journalist. Happy Birthday Mediaite, and keep covering the news source that no one else does…smile.
Iris

Phocus, you may want to Phocus more on your writing skills before criticizing others, ..”the writing skills of a couple of the journalist”..that explains alot of whats wrong with rw teabaggers, they really think they’re really, really, really smarter than everyone else.
Ninja

Iris said:
Phocus, you may want to Phocus more on your writing skills before criticizing others, ..”the writing skills of a couple of the journalist”..that explains alot of whats wrong with rw teabaggers, they really think they’re really, really, really smarter than everyone else.

I find it really amusing that someone mocking someone else’s intelligence is not smart enough to realize that the term teabagger is not an insult. Now for you Iris, since you are a tea-baggee, maybe you do consider it an insult.
Iris

See, just like I said, the teabaggers think they are really, really, really, really smarter than everyone else.
Ninja

Take that bag out of your mouth when you speak to me
Iris

really, really, really, really, really, really smarter than everyone else, I guess thats the proof.
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