Delaware Live is still snapping up most of the state’s mom and pops online media sites. The online venture, launched earlier this year, recently acquired 302 Sports LLC.
The site expands Delaware Live into live production high school sports coverage, athlete- and coach interviews, and photo coverage.
“It feels great to be recognized for what we have been doing, and we are excited to have the opportunity to take this to the next level,” said 302 Sports owner Nick Halliday. “Our reporters have been so dedicated to keeping our local schools at the forefront of the news, and Delaware Live Sports will help us allow those families to be heard.”
Delaware Live Sports’ six sports reporters, three photographers, and a production team will produce live coverage of Delaware high school sporting events across the fall, winter, spring, and summer sports seasons.
“It is critical that our local media continues to highlight the positive impact that sports have on our children, families, and communities,” said Delaware Live founder and local Shoprite supermarket executive Chris Kenny. “The Delaware Live Sports platform will allow local families to stay connected with local Delaware athletes throughout the season and follow their team closely.
Kenny’s buying spree
Kenny first bought into the long-running Milford Live site owned by Bryan Shupe, a Republican House member, then purchased TownSquare Delaware (recently rebranded TownSquare Live. TownSquare Live focuses on Wilmington’s more affluent areas (Hockessin, Brandywine Hundred, Greenville, Pike Creek).
Also launched at the time Delaware Live. The three sites also publish facsimile weekly newspaper-magazines in the Adobe PDF format that has long been used at MilfordLive.
“Sports bring people together from diverse backgrounds and have the ability to start conversations,” said Delaware Live CEO Bryan Shupe. “During a time when other media only allows those that pay to access information, we want all Delaware families to have the opportunity to be informed on what is happening in their local communities.”
ABetter Delaware and Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware alliance
Another area of interest for Chris Kenny is public policy. Kenny, along with DuPont Country Club co-owner Ben DuPont earlier, launched A Better Delaware, a right-of-center organization that paints a dismal picture of the state’s business climate.
A Better Delaware this week got a boost from another critic of state policies – Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware.
A Better Delaware received a grant as part of a $100,000 effort from Citizens to “support and amplify their work to introduce new transparency and accountability measures in Delaware’s legislature and courts,” a release stated.
“With this strategic partnership, CPBD and ABD will work towards their common goal of ending the infamous “Delaware Way” that prizes secrecy and backroom deals over transparency and accountability to Delawareans,” the release continued.
The Delaware Democratic Patty recently went after Kenny for PAC donations to Republican candidates to wrest control of the State Senate from the majority party. Democrats claim that Kenny is anti-worker and wants to keep wages down at local Shoprites by bolstering General Assembly opposition to a $15 an hour minimum wage.
As noted earlier, none of this will lessen speculation that Kenny has aspirations for higher office. Back in the day, owning your own press was a pathway to an elected office. Both Shupe and State Sen Bryant Richardson, R-Seaford, have stakes in media properties.
Advertisement takes Carney to task for Croft Pardon.
Meanwhile, the Political Action Committee arm of Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware, Citizens for Transparency, and Inclusion rolled out a new advertisement taking Gov. John Carney to the task. The Political Action Committee claims in the ad that the Carney campaign attempted to silence its objections to the governor pardoning Barry Croft last year.
The ad comes with the sinister colors and themes of campaign messages that have filled up the airwaves this fall.
Croft is in federal custody over charges related to an alleged plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan. He is the only Delawarean tied to the case.
“Carney pardoned Croft at the recommendation of the all-white Board of Pardons; he refused calls to commute the sentences of inmates in Delaware’s prisons, 60. percent of whom are people of color, who are at high risk of Covid-19,” the ad claims.
The latest ad comes after the Carney campaign sent a cease and desist letter to TV stations over the original pardon ad.
The Carney campaign pointed out that the offenses in question occurred in the 1990s. No evidence surfaced on any criminal activities by Croft up until the Michigan case.
Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware, a group that started by criticizing Chancery Court for its actions over the sale of New York-based TransPerfect to what it sees as Carney’s failures with the Criminal Justice system and people of color.
A Better Delaware has stayed away from social justice issues that have been the focus of Citizens.
Critics of Citizens say the group is bankrolled by TransPerfect owner Philip Shawe who remains unhappy with the actions of Chancery Court.
The court oversaw the company’s sale after a 50-50 ownership deadlock between Shawe and former fiance Elizabeth Elting. Shawe prevailed in the case. By some accounts, the bitter legal battle came with a $250 million price tag.
The Wilmington Made marketing effort.
In a move with far fewer twists and turns than the TransPerfect saga, The Wilmington Alliance (formerly Wilmington Renaissance Corporation) has announced a new marketing effort – Wilmington Made.
This comes after a marketing effort focused on Market Street — New Market Wilm. The blog featured people, places, and things to do downtown. It grew into a series of campaigns in partnership with Downtown Visions and West Side Grows.
Market MADE, West Side MADE, and the 12 Days of Christmas were created to drive local businesses’ traffic during historically slow weeks.
The New Market Wilm campaign ended in January, and we all know what happened in March.
The alliance is now focused on the city as a whole with WilmingtonMADE. It’s described as a community-driven network to promote local businesses, restaurants, stores, and cafes citywide. “We have listened to the needs of small business owners and are taking immediate action to ensure Wilmington remains open for business,” a release states.
Small businesses wishing to register for the free marketing effort can click here.
