Could Baltimore be the next city for this local news startup?

A local news outlet that’s shown early traction in Philly is eyeing expansion. No, this article is not about Technical.ly.
According to Politico, Baltimore is one of three cities that Spirited Media, the publisher of Philly’s Billy Penn, is considering next. The other two potential cities are Chicago and Pittsburgh.
Spirited Media is looking to add another city following an investment from USA Today owner Gannett, as our sister site Technical.ly Philly reported. The financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed at the time but a recent SEC filing shows Spirited raising $2.6 million in funding.
CEO Jim Brady, who is also ESPN’s ombudsman, told Politico the company is looking for its first expansion city to have a “high percentage of young news consumers and a relatively compact size.” In Philly, Billy Penn’s “mobile-first” mix of content curation and some reportage earned a lot of buzz among younger readers, with half falling in the 35-and-under bracket, according to Brady. Billy Penn has also generated a lot of buzz among media reporters.
Considering Spirited Media’s general-interest content and a Big Media investor, potential competition with daily newspaper companies could be a big a factor in its decision. Baltimore is one of two cities on the list with Tribune Company-owned papers “with diminished but formidable reporting and editing ranks,” Poynter notes.