An online-only biz journal for Virginia’s capital

Brian Patrick Eha of the Columbia Journalism Review writes about RichmondBizSense.com, an online-only business journal started in 2008 by journalist Aaron Kremer.

Eha writes, “Part of Kremer’s motivation for starting BizSense was his feeling that business coverage at the Times-Dispatch had declined over time. ‘When I moved to Richmond in 2006, it was stronger than now, with maybe twice as many reporters and editors,’ he says. ‘But even then I thought there could be even better small business coverage. I particularly enjoyed covering startups. I wanted to do more of that.’ He hoped that his experience and the weakened business section of his former employer would make it possible to achieve success with a competing business site.

“In addition to coverage of small business and startups, key beats for BizSense include commercial real estate, entrepreneurship, banking, the local advertising industry, and the business of law. One recent scoop was a first look at a popular restauranteur’s new upmarket concept, complete with art. The editorial tone is lighter than that of the Times-Dispatch and more conversational.

“Besides Kremer, BizSense employs three full-time reporters, a part-time copy editor, and a full-time vice president of advertising. All reporters handle general-interest stories as well as their individual beats: One reporter covers banking; another commercial real estate and advertising; and the third covers entrepreneurship, retail, and sports. The site publishes at least two reported stories each day, and also publishes updates for its data sections on a rotating schedule. At least one data section is updated each weekday.”

Read more here.