This former lawyer launched a thriving local news network in New Jersey

The last decade hasn’t been kind to local news. While the entire news industry has experienced hardship, local newspapers have been hit particularly hard. A recent article in the American Prospect detailed how newspaper chains have been bought up by private equity firms and then were systematically cut to the bone, the private equity firms wringing out every last cent of profit before closing the newspapers for good.

Even tech companies have struggled to make local news profitable. AOL famously launched Patch, a network of hyperlocal news sites, only to sell it off a few years later.

That’s what makes Mike Shapiro’s success so interesting. Shapiro was working as a lawyer when, in a bid to spend more time with his kids, he launched a news site for his New Jersey town. That site soon spawned two new sites, and then blossomed from there. The TAPInto network now boasts dozens of sites all across New Jersey.

I recently interviewed Shapiro about how he has managed to find success in local news where so many other companies have failed.