Star news and money matters
make merry on MainStreet

According to ClickZ, TheStreet enjoyed a readership and ad revenue rise after a shift in editorial focus.

Ad revenue rose 134 percent from '06 to '07 with new revenue from non-financial advertisers. Income from non-financial advertisers totaled 44 percent of overall revenue last year. The percentage is expected to hit 50 in 2008.

The shift in fortunes occurred after TheStreet began shying away from dry, no-nonsense editorial. It recently launched spin-off site Mainstreet.com, which pairs financial news and celebrity gossip.

Advertisers newly infatuated with such mash-ups include lifestyle brands like Toyota.

Late last year, TheStreet began exploring the potential of a primarily ad-supported, versus subs-based, model.