---
title: "ReadWriteWeb Acquisition"
date: 2011-12-30
author: "Richard MacManus"
---

# ReadWriteWeb Acquisition

[![](https://ricmac.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/sayrww_logo.jpg "sayrww_logo")](https://ricmac.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/sayrww_logo.jpg)On 14 December 2011, [ReadWriteWeb](http://www.readwriteweb.com/) – the company I founded – was acquired by San Francisco firm [SAY Media](http://www.saymedia.com/).

The news received a lot of coverage, including being the top story on [Techmeme](http://www.techmeme.com) that day. Here is a selection of stories and interviews about the sale. I can’t vouch for the accuracy of some of the external coverage, but at least they spelled my name right.

**Announcement**

ReadWriteWeb announcement post: [ReadWriteWeb Acquired by SAY Media](https://web.archive.org/web/20111218084700/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/readwriteweb_acquired_by_say_media.php)

SAY Media [press release](http://news.saymedia.com/2011/12/say-media-acquires-readwriteweb.html) and [announcement post](http://blog.saymedia.com/2011/12/say-acquires-readwriteweb.html)

[SAY: Welcomes ReadWriteWeb](http://vimeo.com/33635675) from [SAY Media](http://vimeo.com/saymedia) on [Vimeo](http://vimeo.com).

**External Coverage**

[Techmeme aggregated coverage](http://www.techmeme.com/111214/p28#a111214p28)

Reuters: [SAY Media Acquires Prominent Tech Blog Read Write Web](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/14/idUS157024398720111214)

Forbes: [Say Media Eyes IPO, Buys ReadWriteWeb](http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2011/12/14/say-media-eyes-ipo-buys-readwriteweb/)

TechCrunch: [SAY Media Acquires ReadWriteWeb](http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/14/say-media-acquires-readwriteweb/)

ClickZ: [Say Media Buys ReadWriteWeb to Anchor Tech Vertical](http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2132858/media-buys-readwriteweb-anchor-tech-vertical)

National Business Review: [San Francisco’s Say Media buys NZ’s ReadWriteWeb](http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/san-franciscos-say-media-buys-nzs-readwriteweb-ck-106534)

Fairfax NZ: [Wellington blog scooped up by US company](http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/6143109/Wellington-blog-scooped-up-by-US-company)

**Hometown Newspaper Article**

The Dominion Post, one of New Zealand’s leading daily newspapers, ran a frontpage story on me. It was entitled [Petone’s millionaire blogger](http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6148569/Petones-millionaire-blogger). I was a bit uncomfortable with the angle of the story, but overall I was pleased to get on the frontpage of my city’s newspaper. I don’t typically get up at 3.30am either, I was only up at that time because of the announcement in the U.S. that morning.

[![Dominion Post, 16 Dec 2011](https://ricmac.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/richard_dompost_article_dec11.jpg "richard_dompost_article_dec11")](https://ricmac.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/richard_dompost_article_dec11.jpg)

As part of its coverage, The Dominion Post also did a video interview with me at my house in Petone. As I’d been up since 3.30am, I was bleary-eyed at the time of the interview. Even so, it turned out well.



**Radio Interviews & Podcasts**

Radio New Zealand, the national radio service in my country, did two separate audio interviews with me.

On Thursday 22 December, I was [interviewed by Radio NZ’s Kathryn Ryan](http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2505671/feature-guest-richard-macmanus) on the Nine To Noon show. I went into their studio and the resulting interview lasted over 30 minutes. It features some good background about how I started ReadWriteWeb and how it evolved. Kathryn also asked me about the latest web technology trends.

Earlier, on Friday 16 December, I spoke for about 10 minutes with [Radio NZ’s Jim Mora](http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2505277/the-sale-of-readwriteweb). That was a more light-hearted discussion.

Finally, MediaShift commentators Mark Glaser and Rafat Ali mentioned the sale in their [regular podcast show](http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2011/12/mediatwits-31-bbc-world-invades-us-readwriteweb-sold-to-say-media350.html) (starting at about 22 minute mark).