Examiner.com, which operates a network of citizen journalism websites across the United States, announced on Tuesday that it had acquired NowPublic.com, a user-generated news site based in Canada. Examiner.com, which has a presence in over 100 US cities and relies on the reporting of 16,000 citizen journalists it calls "Examiners," did not reveal the purchase price for the Vancouver-based NowPublic. PaidContent, a website which covers technology and media, however, cited an unidentified source as saying the purchase price was around USD 25m. Examiner.com, which currently receives 17 million unique visitors a month, and NowPublic will continue to operate as independent brands but will share content and advertising, said Rick Blair, chief executive of Examiner.com. NowPublic chief executive and co-founder Leonard Brody said the company, which he described as a "next generation" news agency and which was launched over three years ago, has 185,000 contributors in more than 160 countries.
http://www.ejc.net/media_news/examinercom_buys_citizen_journalist_site_nowpublic/