OneMain.com and Streetmail.com Inc. Tuesday
partnered to deliver local content to its 762,000 customers from
Streetmail’s weekly e-mail newsletters.
Both companies said the goal was to increase local news and other content delivered to small cities and rural communities throughout
the U.S. The deal also represents Streetmail’s largest distribution
agreement to date with a national Internet service provider.
Under the agreement, OneMain.com’s customers will
receive Streetmail’s local weekly newsletters that cover issues, ideas, and
happenings in 80 markets that are generally under-served by online media.
Chris Dolan, OneMain.com president of content and strategic alliances, said
agreement reflects a natural synergy between the two companies.
“Combining Streetmail’s proven ability to deliver engaging neighborhood
news with our geographic communities, or local portals, OneMain.com is now
even better positioned to provide expanded local news and information to
our customers who are often under-served by other ISPs,” Dolan said.
Barbara Johnson, Streetmail chief executive officer, said people in smaller
markets crave locally produced news, information and discussion that
address what’s really going on where they live.
“Streetmail meets that need,” Johnson said. “This agreement, coming on the
heels of the acquisition of our one-millionth subscriber, increases our
reader base by an additional 70 percent, while helping OneMain.com build
loyalty by delivering the kind of content their customers are requesting.”
Streetmail delivers authentic online hometown news and views because each
newsletter’s writer lives and works in the community he or she writes
about. Local correspondents create newsletters tailored to meet their
neighborhood’s online interests.
Streetmail is funded by advertising and e-commerce sales, making the
service free for both ISPs and subscribers. It provides an interactive
“town square” forum, where readers can post their reactions and opinions on
local issues.
Streetmail will initially be offered in OneMain.com’s integrated markets
throughout California, Tennessee and Illinois.
OneMain.com customers can currently access localized content from their
geographic communities through deals that it reached earlier this year with
MyWay.com and several local newspapers.
Over the next few months Streetmail intends to expand its market area by
three to five publications each week through its partnership with
OneMain.com, which will help guide Streetmail in identifying additional
market opportunities.
