Gawker will shut down next week

Gawker.com, a almost 14-year-old blog being shut down following the sale of its parent company to Spanish-language broadcaster Univision, will mark its last post Monday. Many believed tech entrepreneur Ziff Davis would come out victorious, but Univision pulled a fast one by winning the auction.

During the Tuesday auction, Univision indicated that it might not be interested in acquiring Gawker.com.

The popular website began life as a blog in NY started by Nick Denton and Elizabeth Spiers. (UCI) today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire digital media assets as part of the bankruptcy proceedings of Gawker Media Group, Inc. and related companies that produce content under a series of original brands that reach almost 50 million readers per month, according to comScore.

“We have not been able to find a single media company or investor willing to take on Gawker.com”, he wrote.

The sale follows a $140m judgment in March against Gawker in a lawsuit involving former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan.

Those assets reach 50 million per month but won’t include the sometimes scabrous news site Gawker.com, which is being shut down next week.

Denton earlier this month filed for personal bankruptcy protection in a bid to stop his assets from being seized.

These verified journalists on Twitter defending Gawker let you know exactly who to look out for when it comes to unethical journalism.

Despite the demise of the 14-year-old gossip and media site, Denton said he was “relieved” that he “found the best possible harbor for Gizmodo, Lifehacker, Kotaku, Jalopnik, Jezebel and Deadspin, and our talented writers and other staff”.

Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, sued Gawker Media after it posted a video of him having sex with shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge’s then-wife Heather Cole.

Founded in 2003 as a gossipy blog about Manhattan’s media elite, Gawker pioneered the irreverent, snarky tone that has become ubiquitous online. It was later revealed that his lawsuit was funded by Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley billionaire who was the subject of a salacious article on Gawker.com – “Peter Thiel is totally gay, people”.