The Washington Post is shutting down LoudounExtra.com, an early experiment in hyperlocal news.

According to a post on The New York Times blog Bits:

“…The Washington Post’s experience proves that hyperlocal sites can be difficult to execute. “We found that our experiment with LoudounExtra.com as a separate site was not a sustainable model,” said Kris Coratti, a spokeswoman for the Washington Post Company.

“Updating the large amount of special features and technologies” on the site, which was run by Post staff members, proved unsustainable, Ms. Coratti said. For now, the newspaper will not start other hyperlocal sites it had planned…

“The challenge, though, is that hiring reporters to cover car thefts, school board meetings and new store openings is expensive. So is hiring salespeople to visit local businesses and sell ad space.”