Spanfeller Media Group

Jan 10, 2020

G/O Media, owners of the Onion and other old Gawker Media titles, will attempt to restart the site in Chicago after mass resignations in October 2019. Former employees resisted the owner's guidelines to only focus on sports content and avoid polarizing political and cultural articles. Employees balked and Deadspin has been unable to re-staff the site. The site is still operational but publishes stories without bylines. "It is our goal—and one that we hope is mutual—to restart the Deadspin publication as soon as possible and in a manner that provides both editorial freedom necessary for such a platform and the business focus to ensure its long-term sustainability," Spanfeller said. Spanfeller said in the letter that efforts to restart Deadspin were "severely hampered by Union-represented employees’ concerted, divisive actions." He added that Deadspin will remain a sports site under the Onion corporate structure, which also calls Chicago home. Spanfeller was previously chairman of the Interactive Advertising Bureau and  has roots in Chicago . An earlier digital news company he built, Spanfeller Media Group, featuring the Daily Meal site, was sold to the Chicago Tribune's owner, now once again known as Tribune Publishing. A version of this article first appeared in Crain's Chicago Business . Letter