The last time we looked at Montana blog rankings was at the end of October, and prior to that it was September 2018.
You can see the top 50 sites in the US here.
Here are the most popular news sites and blogs in the Missoula region:
- Missoulian: #133,000
- NBC Montana: #439,000
- KPAX: #531,000
- Missoula Current: #539,000
- KTVH: #1.3 million
- Big Sky Words: #2.3 million
- MT Post: #3.3 million
- Flathead Memo: No Rank
- RD: No Rank
- Montana Free Press: No Rank
Those last three have no rank because they simply don’t have enough visitors. Such is the situation with niche sites.
Personally, I visit Flathead Memo and RD each day. I never visit Montana Free Press. I feel sorry for the people that actually donate money to that site. The site actually has a list of people and organizations giving tens of thousands of dollars.
With that kind of money you’d think they could actually produce something interesting to read.
Martin Kidston over at the Missoula Current is doing a good job. It seems he’ll soon beat out one of the local TV stations for website visitors, though he and that site share content quite often.
The problem with the Current is that it’s the same stuff I can read in the newspaper or the TV websites. So why visit?
My greatest hope is that we have some new blogs start up in what will be a very busy 2020 election year.
I think this will happen.
I think we’ll have some people like me - working stiffs that are passionate and want to get their views out, and I think we’ll also have some paid hacks.
What I mean by that last one is we’ll see campaigns and/or PACs fund blogs that ‘spread the news’...which means they’ll be putting up a lot of propaganda.
MT Cowgirl used to fulfill this function for MT Dems, but that site has been shuttered. Currently the MT Post is trying to step into this role. The biggest problem for that site, however, is the incredibly thin skins of the people that write there.
Alright...prediction time.
I think that in 2020 we’ll see one of our major Lee newspapers shut down, such as the MT Standard.
Now, the paper itself might still go into circulation under that name, but it’ll be written and printed in Helena or Missoula and then shipped over each night via truck.
The reporters at the MT Standard will be laid off and the offices shuttered. Lee executives will get a big bonus because of this.
