CNET Networks Buys Chowhound.Com

By Erica Marcus, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

Mar. 14–Chowhound.com, the little food Web site that could, has been acquired by CNET Networks, a leading provider of interactive media and technology Web sites, for an undisclosed sum.

Jim Leff, an obsessed eater and professional jazz trombonist, and Bob Okumura, the site’s so-called “web-tamer,” founded Chowhound in 1997 and, almost as soon as it began to take off, it ate up more of its founders’ cash than it made.

The heart of the site is its dozens of geographical message boards (one for Manhattan, one for the outer boroughs; Long Island is discussed on the Tri-state board), where dedicated eaters all over the country exchange opinions about high-end restaurants, street-side arepas and, possibly the most contentious issue, New York’s best pizza.

Over the years, even loyal users have complained about the difficulty of searching the site. Leff’s perpetual response to such complaints is: “We are the Mad Max of web sites. Eveverything’s broken and screwy, but really good things spring out of all this.”

CNET Networks, according to vice president of corporate communications Karen Wood, was attracted to Chowhound because it is committed to building “authentic content brands.” For instance, CNET.com, the company’s flagship site, is a leading source of information on consumer electronics. Gamespot.com, another CNET site, is the definitive site for people who are into computer games.

Leff, the site’s “alpha hound” is now CNET’s first Chowhound employee and is confident that the spirit of Chowhound will not change. “I met the people at CNET,” he said, “and the people who design the sites are as into it as the people who visit the sites.”

Leff’s prediction: “We are always going to be focused on our community. And we are going to cover the country so that no speck of deliciousness remains unspotlit.”

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