We’re getting ready finally to launch paidContent:UK, the UK-focused site we have been promising for a while now. The site will focus on UK, and to some extent on Europe; like our other sites, paidContent:UK will cover the economics of digital media, both online and mobile. Look for it the first week of September; subscribe to the newsletter and you’ll be the first to know when the site launches. This will be the fourth news site in the ContentNext Media network, after paidContent.org, mocoNews.net and ContentSutra.com.

Joining us in this new endeavor are two UK-based journalists and a business executive:
-- Robert Andrews, who has been freelancing for us for a few months, is coming on full time as the editor of paidContent:UK. A former BBC News journalist, Robert has written about technology, digital media and culture for more than a decade. He is a regular contributor to Wired News and Blogging4Business, previously reported online journalism and e-commerce for Journalism.co.uk and E-consultancy, and has written for titles including New Media Investor, Digital Home, PC Plus and New Media Express. He has appeared in Time , Los Angeles Business Journal and on BBC radio, has taught online journalism to university students and has worked to develop social media for marketing and business communication. You can contact him at robert AT paidcontent.org

-- Ingrid Lunden has joined us as a contributing correspondent, and primarily be writing on mobile for MocoNews.net and paidContent:UK. Most recently, she was the editor of Total Content + Media and before that an editor and reporter for Total Telecom. She is a Russian-born American currently based in London. You can contact her at ingrid AT moconews.net.

-- On the business side, Raj Kotecha has joined as our Director of European Sales and Business Development. After completing his MSc in Technology Management at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in 2003, he moved to Toronto to establish one of the first third-party mobile content portals, working closely with carriers and the entertainment industry.  Recently in the UK he has been working with clients Warner Music Entertainment, NBC Universal and Pathé in devising their mobile offering for movies such as Hot Fuzz and Outlaw .  As a long time music collector and DJ, he is familiar with working nights, which is great as 9 a.m. Santa Monica time is 5 p.m. London time, he opines. If you are interested in coming on as a charter launch sponsor to be part of the buzz, e-mail him at rdkotecha AT contentnext.com.