Mergers & Acquisitions: It happens with nonprofits, too

It was recently announced that two major Californian nonprofit news organizations will "merge."  Leaders from The Bay Citizen and Berkeley-based Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) announced that the move will result in the creation of a single newsroom with a staff of 70, that will focus on investigative and accountability journalism that will be published under three brands - The Bay Citizen, which will focus on local Bay Area coverage; California Watch, for statewide reporting efforts; and CIR for national stories.
  One Bay Citizen staffer offered a different perspective -

“While technically a merger, a similar deal in the corporate world would be termed an acquisition, with Berkeley-based CIR assuming a dominant role on the board and in the management of the combined organization. No one from The Bay Citizen’s current senior editorial or technology management teams will have a leadership role in the expanded organization.”
Also: “The Bay Citizen will likely no longer cover breaking news or culture, as CIR leaders have said they see those as commodities that don’t fit the expanded organization’s core mission.”

  The founder of competing community news outlet Oakland Local suggested that in might be a bit of poetic justice, as at one point that Warren Hellman, the sponsor providing start-up funds backing The Bay Citizen, had initially consulted leaders of CIR, but then had decided to start the Bay Citizen with a different editorial team.  With Hellman's death, his foundation has continued to fund the Bay Citizen, but has not committed to long-term support.

Source - Bay Citizen, Center for Investigative Reporting Merge,  Knight Digital Media Center News for Digital Journalists blog