Metblogs planning to shut down May 31 *

Metblogs, the global network of local blogs that began here as blogging.la, is closing down due to lack of financial support. From Sean Bonner and Jason DeFillippo:

It’s with a heavy heart that we have to make this post. After our post earlier this year we’ve made repeated attempts to secure either financing or a buy-out and neither of which came to fruition. Left with no other alternative we’re sadly forced to shut our doors at the end of the month. After 6 and a half years it’s been an awesome ride and we can’t thank the authors and captains enough that have made it possible. Seriously, you guys (and gals) completely rock and we’re humbled by all you’ve done to keep us going and making the sites so awesome. We’re not going to get into the nitty gritty of the finances but the rebound in online ad sales is taking it’s sweet ass time among other factors and has just put us too far personally into debt keeping the old girl afloat.

We want nothing more than to keep the sites online and going strong so if you’ve got some spare cash around and want to own the granddaddy of local news blogs drop us a line. We can be reached at sean or jason @metblogs.com. Barring a 4th quarter miracle the site will be going offline on May 31st.

Once again though we want to seriously thank everyone who’s been there for us for this crazy ride. We’re just 2 guys who started this with no budget and no idea it would have grown into the awesome community it has become....

The Los Angeles site has amassed 14,313 posts and 60,645 comments, thus far. This weekend, some of the longtime L.A. contributors held a blogathon food drive at Canter's.

* Update: Metblogs gets a reprieve