NYTimes Going Local?

Arguably scouring for all possible readers and revenue streams, the New York Times has rolled out a California Bay Area metro report of the old gray lady.

"At a time when so many news organizations are in a forced retreat, it's exciting to be part of a venture that has set out to build more and better news coverage," said Bill Keller, executive editor of The Times, in the official release.

"And as someone who grew up in the Bay Area, I'm proud that we can play a role in enriching the quality of reporting about the region."

So, it appears that Northern California has been suffering from insufficient print media coverage and the Times has opportunistically engaged the marketplace to provide "better news coverage."

I haven't heard reactions from the existing Bay Area/Northern California news media but one might guess that they would be less than delighted to have more competition in local and regional stories. Of course, it could be the case that Northern California has such a hunger for news that existing media can't keep up and the Times is stepping in as a pinch spewer.