You can see the Johnston Press‘s version of the future of local media in Peterborough or Halifax. And hey, there are tag clouds! And people do seem to be reading a lot of sport, despite sport being tabbed off the main page, as are readers’ contributions.

Personally, I think a quick visit to Spokane‘s local site might have a message or two for them. It’s cleaner and deeper. Or maybe that’s just Washington state for you.

Am I just old fashioned or is it a bit rubbish that both sites look identical? Even blogger offers a range of templates…couldn’t JP make people think they’re getting a local product, even when they could just substitute the name of a lower division football side on the sports pages? Still, these are trial sites, so further innovation may be just around the corner.