Appen Media Acquires News Site Decaturish

Alpharetta-based Appen Media has acquired Decaturish.com, a news site 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-in-chief and Zoe Seiler remains deputy editor. Family-owned Appen Media paid off the news organization’s debts as part of the acquisition.

The sale was finalized last week, but no details have been released. Mr Whisenhunt said it was “certainly a good deal” and that he was impressed by Appen Media’s transparency.

The sale comes as the local media landscape continues to digitize. But even as local news outlets struggle to gain traction, 85 percent of Americans say they play some role in improving their community, according to a recent Pew-Knight Initiative report. Americans also trust local journalists with ties to the communities they cover more than they trust national reporters and outlets.

“I think local ownership is a critical piece of the puzzle for local news to remain viable and relevant,” Whisenhunt said. “I think you have to involve people who have a connection to the communities they’re covering.”

Founded in 1990, Appen Media 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 began publishing the Sandy Springs Crier two years ago.

Whisenhunt said he met Carl Appen, director of content and development at Appen Media, about a year ago and they clicked over their shared ideals of what journalism should be.

“I think the model that we’re putting in place, where we’re honest, frank, fair and passionate, is something that’s missing in newsrooms,” he said.

Appen Media will take over much of the business side of Decaturish, leaving Whisenhunt to focus on what he loves most: reporting. He has a list of investigative stories he’s been wanting to write for a while that he says he can now tackle.

“I had way too much responsibility in what we were doing, so this is going to take some of the work off my plate. It’s going to allow me to do what I do best,” Whisenhunt said.

The sale of Decaturish is about preserving and strengthening local journalism, Whisenhunt said. People spend too much time worrying about who’s winning and who’s losing and not enough time trying to solve real problems, he said.

“A good, comprehensive, informative article can provide a neutral space for the community to have these important discussions, and I believe Appen Media feels the same way,” he said.

Appen said the Decaturish acquisition is beneficial to both organizations. Appen Media takes on more administrative and business tasks, but in exchange, for example, it benefits from Decaturish’s expertise in digital newsrooms, he said.

Appen said he was also excited to be able to use DeKalb County’s Decaturish coverage in the Dunwoody Crier.

“Dan and I have thought this was a really good idea all year, and it’s because I truly believe they’re just two similar organizations that are better together than apart,” Appen said.