(This story was originally published August 18, 2009 at 12:24pm.)

Fisher Communications, parent of KATU in Portland, has rolled out 43 hyperlocal blogs in the Seattle area, and plans to expand into Portland later this fall.

The blogs, branded with Fisher's flagship call letters, include WestSeattleKOMO.com, a direct competitor to the popular West Seattle Blog, and BallardKOMO.com, competing with My Ballard.

The local sites combine KOMO reporting with user-generated content. In a press release, Fisher said that "KOMO will restructure its Seattle newsroom to effectively and efficiently capture and post community news on a real-time basis."

While Seattle is host to a multitude of established neighborhood news blogs, including in the Next Door Media and Neighborlogs networks, Fisher will be entering a less crowded market in Portland. Neighborhood Notes covers news and events throughout Portland, and OregonLive hosts 19 neighborhood blogs, which posted a combined three entries yesterday. The Neighborlogs platform also powers Foster Powell PDX and ParkroseGateway.com.

UPDATE (8/18, 1:17pm): Betsy Richter of OurPDX tells us that one of their authors plans to join Fisher's Portland effort.

UPDATE (8/18, 1:58pm): Lynnette Fusilier of Neighborhood Notes shares with us this reaction:

We value hyperlocal news, because it provides neighbors with the opportunity to make informed, proactive decisions about where they live—rather than react. To that end, we welcome any news organization that endeavors to improve the quality of life in Portland neighborhoods by sharing information that will create opportunities for neighbors to communicate and connect.

We have inquiries in to Fisher and KATU, as well as to other local bloggers.

UPDATE (8/18, 2:34pm): A representative for KATU would only refer us back to Fisher's Seattle-focused press release.

UPDATE (8/18, 3:21pm): Rick Turoczy of Silicon Florist writes us:

I’m a big proponent of any hyper-local, micro-local, or whatever-the-heck-you-want-to-call-it local coverage. Seeing established old school media companies gravitating toward this space is great validation for publications and blogs that have gone before them. What’s more, it will likely lead to more truly informed and diverse discussions about the issues affecting these neighborhoods.

The rising water, as they say, floats all boats on this one.

UPDATE (8/18, 4:11pm): More from Richter:

Damn! That Turoczy stole my 'floats all boats' line already. Sure, that may sound like a cliche - but the best cliches have a big nugget of truth at their core. And here's yet another platitude: OurPDX welcomes more voices talking about the issues that matter most to the people who live, work or play in Portland's neighborhoods. Trite, maybe - but also true. Bring it on!

UPDATE (8/19, 12:58pm): Troy McGuire, manager of Fisher Interactive, tells us that KVAL will also be creating neighborhood blogs in Eugene. In Portland, the number of local blogs, or "community sites" as they're called, will be 20 or more.

The newsroom restructuring mentioned in the press release means getting more content on the station's website sooner, McGuire says, including placing onto community sites many announcements and press releases that would otherwise be discarded.

McGuire says user-generated content will largely be unpaid, including content that is promoted from the forums to the main page. But, he says, there will be freelance funds to go to specific content areas, such as restaurants in Seattle. "We could actually help grow traffic for other neighborhood blogs by providing links and creating partnerships," McGuire says. "Not everyone is seeing that opportunity."

In Seattle, the local blogosphere's reaction to KOMO's move hasn't been entirely positive.

Under the title, "Corporate Media Arrives in the CD," the blog Central District News wrote:

But unlike these centrally-driven groups, we actually live in the communities we cover. We hear when sirens go flying down 23rd Ave, get out and go to neighborhood meetings, and discover local news when we're just out walking around with the Newshound. And we'll probably understand that a south Seattle shooting and a SODO gas leak aren't actually in the Central District.

Justin Carder of Captiol Hill Seattle told the Seattle blog TechFlash, "It's cookie-cutter and templated, so it’s a lot different than the business that we’re trying to build," but, he added, "It is interesting to have them muscle in ... and for me it’s kinda fun to have the competition around."

UPDATE (8/19, 1:49pm): McGuire responds to the Seattle criticism:

We have 300+ employees that live in the Seattle area and the company has been in Seattle for 100 years. We all live in the neighborhoods we are covering. We are local and do local news. This is just an extension of our local brand and inviting people to join in the content. Same applies to Oregon, KATU and KVAL have been in the local news business for decades. They live in those neighborhoods.