Times of San Diego will be only ten months old when 2014 ends, but many of the new online publication’s articles have proven to be widely popular.
Here’s the list of the top 10, on subjects ranging from helpful to horrid to historic:
1. July 4 Fireworks Guide
San Diego was named America’s most patriotic city earlier this year, so it’s no surprise that we love fireworks. The guide to July 4 public fireworks displays was read by nearly 54,000 people. Many were perusing the guide just hours before the fireworks started.
2. Real Estate Agent Hires Young Prostitute
A real estate agent’s guilty plea in a case involving paid sex with a 13-old-girl was not one of San Diego’s finest moments in 2014. But this sad story was widely read, especially by an international audience. Over 42,000 read this article.
3. November Election Results at a Glance
The Nov. 4 general election was notable for low turnout, but San Diegans still wanted to know the results. The continuously updated election results summary was read by over 29,000 people.
4. Local Biotech Increasing Production of ZMapp
San Diego’s role as a world center for biotechnology got a boost when an experimental drug called ZMapp was used to successfully treat Ebola patients. News that Mapp Biopharmaceutical was ramping up production was read by nearly 17,000 people.
5. Hidden Costs of E-books at University Libraries
Times of San Diego is a replacement for printed newspapers and broadcast television, but ironically one of the most popular articles of 2014 examined the problems with electronic books at university libraries. San Diego State professor Peter Herman’s op-ed column was widely shared and read by nearly 17,000.
6. Evacuations Underway as 4S Ranch Fire Spreads
Many well-read articles were breaking news coverage of the wildfires in May. But the most popular was the first, updated rapidly as the fire started in 4S Ranch, quickly leading to evacuations. Almost 11,000 read this report.
7. San Diego Celebrates the 4th
While fireworks drew the most readers, coverage of other July 4 activities from pancake breakfasts to parades and 10K runs also drew readers, over 9,600 for this article.
8. SeaWorld President: ‘We’re Not Backing Down’
SeaWorld San Diego was the focus of much negative coverage in 2014, thanks to PETA and the movie “Blackfish,” but the most popular story was coverage of a speech by its president defending the theme park. More than 8,800 readers clicked on this.
9. Police Search for Man in Deadly El Cerrito Shooting
Police asked San Diego residents to be on the lookout for a fugitive suspected killing a woman and wounding a man in El Cerrito on Veterans Day. Thanh “Tony” Pham committed suicide in Houston a few days later. Just over 8,800 read this.
10. Firefighters Under Siege As Fires Rage in North County
The second day of the May wildfires, with new fires erupting in Carlsbad and Camp Pendleton, drew nearly 8,700 readers.
The readership numbers are based on unique page views as recorded by Google Analytics. With just three days remaining in the year, Times of San Diego has surpassed 2.2 million unique page views.
