Colorado Media Project: Today’s news that Denverite, a beloved three-year-old digital news organization, is becoming part of Colorado Public Radio — which has been acting on big plans to expand its news staff — injects a new spirit of optimism into the local news conversation in Colorado. Denverite will continue publishing under its own brand and all of its editorial staff will be retained, while the move deepens CPR’s coverage of Denver’s growth and development, arts and culture, government and politics, and events.

At the Colorado Media Project, we are pleased to have helped organize philanthropic support from the Gates Family Foundation and the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation toward transition and operating support that helps make the deal possible.

“We see this as a chance to bring a unique, homegrown newsroom into mission-aligned local ownership, while also increasing CPR’s digital and reporting capacities — enabling both newsrooms to engage more Coloradans with high-quality local journalism,” CMP Executive Committee Member Melissa Davis, also a VP at Gates, said in today’s news release. The business proposition marries stability with innovation, and it’s not untested — NPR stations in Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington D.C. have recently acquired city-focused digital startups to strengthen their coverage and reach new readers in those major metros.

Visit Colorado Media Project for more.