Atlantic biz site to launch in 2012

Jeff Bercovici of Forbes.com reports that The Atlantic business news site is expected to launch later this year.

Bercovici writes, “The company has begun hiring in preparation for a mid-2012 launch. The site doesn’t yet have a name, but, unlike the Atlantic Wire, it will be a pure standalone brand, says Atlantic Media president Justin Smith. ‘It’s safe to say this will be the biggest launch we’ve attempted,’ he told me in December.

“At the time we spoke, Smith had yet to hire an editor in chief for the new property, but that appears to have changed: Kevin Delaney, managing editor of WSJ.com, is leaving the News Corp.-owned paper to head up an unspecified, secret project at Atlantic, reports Kara Swisher. Reached by phone, Delaney confirmed that he’s going to work for Atlantic Media but said he was unable to discuss exactly what he’ll be doing there.

“Meanwhile, Smith, contacted today, had no comment about Delaney, but here’s what else he told me in December about the new site: In broad outline, the concept hasn’t changed much since the company shelved it in 2010 to focus resources on overhauling one of its other brands, the National Journal Group. ‘There’s this accelerating globalization of the economy, and a growing marketplace of executives looking for content, insights, tools and services on how to engage with this increasingly global economy,’ explained Smith.

“With the economy sputtering and forecasters predicting slower-than expected growth in ad spending, it might not seem like the ideal time to be pouring money into a new venture that will have a full-time staff of 25 by the time hiring is complete.”

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