On the sale of Fresno Famous
Yep, you heard right. The Fresno Bee, a division of The McClatchy Company, has purchased Fresno Famous and Modesto Famous. The Famous team is thrilled with this deal because it will allow the sites to continue on, even if we all get hit by a bus tomorrow. The change of ownership allows for more resources, more features, and more growth.
I know what you're thinking: Oh no. But fear not. You won't see any changes to the site in the foreseeable future. I'll still be here, blogging away every day, making comments, and doing my best to foster the community I love. Any changes that come to pass will only be for the better: new features, new users, better performance.
This site would not be possible without you, our users. We heart (almost) each and every one of you and would not enter into any agreement that would question the integrity of the site. Fresno Famous will always be about our community, by our community. That I can promise you.
Worried that we'll all become devotees of the Fresno Bee newspaper? Fear not. Famous will be part of the Bee's custom publications division, separate from the newsroom. We think one of our main purposes is to keep the local media on their toes, and that will continue to include our town's only newspaper. It's only healthy.
Since our launch in 2004, we've gone through many changes. We're proud of the community we've built: a place to catalog, explore, and discover all the good things about Fresno. Famous will continue to be the place you know and love. The only difference is who is paying the bills.
Thank you for being a part of Fresno Famous. We hope you stick around for a long, long time.
Still Kicking...
As far as I can tell Fresno Famous hasn't strayed very far from Jarah's original intentions...still keeping big media on it's toes.
Congrats
I am a bit late here. But congrats anyway.
now that i think about it...
Did anyone notice the fresno famous banner near the grassy knoll when JFK was shot?
I also stumbled upon a room near the back of the fresno famous offices which had a lunar landing set...complete with cameras and documents which seemed to also point towards a plan to fake Marilyn Monroe's suicide.
Kinda convenient that she's on their logo, huh?
Also aids...9/11...and william hung.
One meeeeeelion dollars!
Muuuuuuhahahahaha! Muuuuuuuuuuahahahahahahahahahaha! Just wait until you all have Famous Chips implanted into your brains. Then we'll see who has the last laugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jarah is out to own the world!
I was told that Jarah will now take a job with McClatchy and start to conquer the world. There will be millions of famous sites! When the Earth has been conquered/saturated we will see moonfamous.com and saturnfamous.com. She will have offices on all the planets and will even start her own colonies!
Dear lord! What will we all do? This woman is clearly evil!
Ruben/Motown Mojo
Editor
modestofamous.com
Los Banos Famous
...I was hoping for a Chowchilla Famous,
but Los Banos Famous is pretty darn close...
okay, game on.
It's a big Jarah Consipiracy!!!
That's right!! Jarah was planning this all along, waiting to sell you all out. So she started Modesto Famous and forgot all about Oakhurst. And we all know how hit OakhurstFamous.com would have been. Right behind LosBanosFamous.com. Consipiracy theorists are losers, keep that in mind. The idea that Jarah was secretly planning this huge thing with McClatchy just makes me laugh.
Isn't it also convenient
I mean it's awfully convenient that a sister site was created out of thin air in the only other Central Valley town with a McClatchy-owned newspaper...awfully convenient.
Isn't it also convenient that you leave out the other central valley cities that have McClatchy-owned newspapers.
Merced
Visalia
Clovis
Los Banos
Oakhurst
And don't forget on the coast: San Luis Obispo.
But I guess that just weakens your theory.
soooo
"They are independently run which is beside the point of how much money they are making."
Absolutely not beside the point. If only Jarah had thought to charge for job postings in silicon valley during the dot-com boom.... Oh wait. That bubble burst a long time ago.
I think the world of Mr. Newmark and his projects.
And I still think it's a ridiculous comparison. The business models are completely different. PLUS Craigslist. inc. has the luxury of essentially limitless funding for any project they take on, and has for a very long time. Too bad they never made Jarah an offer.
So given this and the other arguments I have read here - I'm thinking the actual sellout of Famous happened when it was expanded into the site that allows you to post your own content and comments? And banners had to be sold to pay the bills for the fat servers needed to run a community site? Yeah. That's when I first started seeing people cry sell-out here.
"They only charge for job posts on their most popular sites anyway."
People will not pay for job postings on sites with no traffic - hence no job seekers. Please do not confuse this with charity.
Either way - thanks, Jarah!
Everyone needs a safe place to point their fingers.
I'm about to point mine at a beer.
Check the calendar and have some fun, all!
Craigslist is not a sell out
Craigslist is not a sell out company. Craig Newmark and his team still DO NOT run ads on their pages and they also run the whole operation from a small office in SF. I don't believe this has changed even though they have recently added sites all over the world. They are independently run which is beside the point of how much money they are making. They only charge for job posts on their most popular sites anyway. Hard to believe that Famous is now owned by a mega-corporation.
gimme a break!
Well, we still have Craigslist. They haven't sold out yet, right? Arghh.
Craigslist, inc. is worth so much $$$$$ your question is beyond silly. Mr. Newmark et al have been making a killing on job postings since the beginning of web-time.
http://www.craigslist.org/about/factsheet.html
Well, we still have
Well, we still have Craigslist. They haven't sold out yet, right? Arghh.
cool!
Congratulations!
Just wanted to say that.
Thanks for what was.
Don't think that corporate takeover will keep anything the same. Look what happened with the corporate takeover of radio, now there are 4 Mcformats in the country and no local voice except for some airhead shilling live from the Hummer dealer. I don't want to burst Pollyanna's bubble but just look at all the pathetic specialty papers the buzz buzz throws up against the wall every month. Sure there's Osgueda, McEwen, Monro and Markum (lotta M's there)but other than that it's fishwrap. This was nice while it lasted and I sure hope something comes along to challenge what will become an antiseptic, watered down and safe site. The good old boys just continue to maintain their control of everything and stifle creativity at every turn. Yee ha!
Congrats
Jarah,
First, congrats on the ba-gillion dollars you must have made off the sale of Famous. I can't say that I'm not jealous. Famous is a great model of how you can take a grassroots community effort and build it into a thriving media force. You give hope to us young Fres-nan's who are trying to make a difference in our community. (Shameless plug: we are trying to start a Tower Thursday College Night, please contact me at katewoodward83@hotmail.com if you would like to help with this campaign).
Although we have been taught to be wary of the Bee, I think that this merger can really help take Famous to places that it couldn't have gone itself without support. And hopefully if all goes as planned that's all the Bee will be- support. Not a supervisor, but a silent partner.
Congrats again. We heart you!
I don't see how anything
I don't see how anything good can come out of this for the community, though it is fantastic for Jarah and staff. What this country is in dire need of is independent media. This is why Famous worked. Being owned by McClatchy means there is virtually no way this site will go on uncensored..no way. I just don't buy that big business was needed in order to make this work. The site could easily have been sold to another independent person or group, right? At this point I have to wonder if the sale to McClatchy was in the original business plan. Thinking about it more, it must have been. I mean it's awfully convenient that a sister site was created out of thin air in the only other Central Valley town with a McClatchy-owned newspaper...awfully convenient. Well anyways this is bittersweet..congratulations on your huge success Jarah!...RIP FresnoFamous.com
Word on the street...
I heard she sold the site for a cool 10 kabillion dollars.
Having made that known Jarah...
I'll take you up on your offer to go bowling...but i think we both know who's paying for the booze.
congrats lady!
when is the party?!
Jarah - what next?
I'm pleased for Jarah and for the community and the Bee - and most importantly - now there's a new project Jarah can work her magic on.
Congratulations.
^^ thank you.
^^ thank you.
my two cents on this (and this is my personal opinion, not a corporate line or anything):
It seems like Famous has moved away from being a Jarah-dominated site into being a site that's built by the community of folks that come here. As long as the people who made Famous what it is stick around and contribute as they have over the year(s), this site can stay pretty much the same.
I hope so, at least.
so long
i'm out.
mcclatchy's got a long history of fucking things up. the bee's been an embarrassment (save Osegueda and Obra) to this town for decades.
Thanks, J & S for the good old days. Been nice.
Don't jump that shark Fonzy!
This is tough man. I'm real happy for Jarah (if this is what makes her happy). Jarah created something important for this city, something this city needed and now is "retiring" on top - kinda like Jordan did...the first time.
I think we need to give the Bee folks a chance, they might surprise us. But, I too worry about the future. Don't fuck it up Bee.
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http://www.dorktown.net
A feeling of loss
Dear Jarah, the things you created here the last two years have changed my life. Truly. Thank you.
I know you must have done what you needed to do. But as I sit here stunned, I can't help but feel a sense of loss. The feeling is melodramatic, perhaps. But loss is what's in me. I hope I'm not just speaking for myself.
I'm a fan
I'm a fan, and Jarah, you know it...but whew. wow.whew.[but does kfsr really really have jazz 3 zillion hours a day too?]
Congratulations, Jarah.
Congratulations, Jarah. It's been amazing to see this site grow from an online weekly to a cutting edge online community and news site, all the while supplying the best t-shirt this town has ever seen.
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