NY Times buys tech site The Wirecutter

The New York Times Co. has purchased technology site The Wirecutter and another site for $30 million, writes Sydney Ember of The Times.

Ember writes, “Founded in 2011 by Brian Lam, a technology journalist and former editor of Gawker Media’s technology site, Gizmodo, The Wirecutter provides recommendations for gadgets and electronics like televisions and headphones. (The Sweethome focuses mostly on products for the home.) The site started publishing as part of The Awl network, whose founders included Choire Sicha and Alex Balk, both formerly of Gawker Media, with the idea that it would delve deeply into categories of products rather than post more frequently.

“When readers click through the site to buy the recommended products, the site earns affiliate commissions from retailers like Amazon, a revenue model that Mr. Thompson called ‘very attractive.’

“The New York Times and The Wirecutter already have an editorial partnership, which began about a year ago. The companies have collaborated on stories about bad Wi-Fi, poor battery life and cord-cutting. Brian X. Chen, a consumer technology reporter for The Times who worked on those articles, helped Mr. Lam start The Wirecutter when he was between jobs in 2011.”

Read more here.