A new online news site fully devoted to sharing positive news has launched in the Charleston market. Chris and Sandy Benton started TheCoastalBuzz.com in June. Initially highlighting news in Savannah and Charleston, the couple has plans to take the positive news concept to other communities along the coast. 

“Both Charleston and Savannah are such great cities that we felt like we needed to showcase that,” Chris Benton said. “There are amazing people in both communities with lots of good news to share.” 

The Coastal Buzz also has a business directory. With introductory pricing of $100, businesses and nonprofit organizations can list information and contact details – all searchable by area. 

Benton said he purposely keeps the pricing reasonable so any business of any size can afford to advertise on the site. Since its launch, The Coastal Buzz has had more than 50,000 visitors and 120,000 page views. 

Currently, The Coastal Buzz accepts submissions from businesses ($25 fee) as well as press releases from public relations firms and news from nonprofits (free of charge). As the site continues to grow, Benton said he hopes to bring on additional staff so they can do original reporting and maybe even expand into a printed product. 

With plenty of ideas on the drawing board, the Bentons, though, are holding to their original mission. 

“When we launched, we had just one rule: no negative news allowed on our site,” Chris Benton said. “We have 100 percent held to that. Some people may think we are being naive with that idea, but we really believe in the power of positivity and showcasing what’s so wonderful about the coastal communities.” 

The Bentons., both of whom have marketing backgrounds, previously created websites for small business and also ran several local online guides before starting The Coastal Buzz.

For more information on advertising or to submit news to The Coastal Buzz, email press@thecoastalbuzz.com.