The Awl is about to expand and will introduce a comedy blog within the next few weeks.
Associate editor Adam Frucci is leaving Gizmodo after four years to lead The Awl’s comedy site, which will be called Splitsider. “I’m very, very excited about it,” Mr. Frucci wrote in a goodbye post yesterday on Gizmodo, the Gawker Media technology blog. He practices improvisational comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Chelsea.
Both Mr. Sicha and Mr. Balk, the lead writers on The Awl’s flagship blog, are veterans of Gawker as well.
Publisher David Cho told Nieman Journalism Lab in June that his site would be tripling in size, and that he already had lead writers in place for the new sites. Mr. Cho said at the time that he already knew what one of the topics would be and that he was working with the lead writer to select a topic for the second blog that would be agreeable to advertisers.
The next site, which isn’t planned to launch for some months, is expected to focus on women’s interests.
Mr. Sicha was tight-lipped when we asked for comment. “We just have a policy of showing instead of telling,” he said.
