The Scoop on CNET

CNET hasn’t matched the eye-popping growth numbers of Internet cohorts such as Yahoo and Google. CNET still yearns for profitability. So the question remains: Can the soft-spoken Bonnie take CNET to the next level and transform it from a popular collection of niche tech sites into a powerful and profitable media brand?

Most analysts and industry watchers agree CNET is making progress. “Ask the print publishers in this space, and they would be delighted with the percentage growth CNET is seeing in advertising revenue,” says Jeff Dearth of media investment bank DeSilva & Phillips.

Interview with Shelby Bonnie: As usual, Shelby hedges it (pun intended…). Asked about why how CNET hasn’t been more profitable, he says: “The content we produce represents fixed costs that award a company an enormous amount of leverage over time. If more people consume our news stories or read our reviews, that doesn’t require us to provide a lot of additional resources.” What does that mean…now seriously…

Here’s my question: Why doesn’t anyone talk about what effect all these gadget blogs are having on CNET’s core competency?

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