St. Paul-based web technology and content company Internet Broadcasting has sold its national ad network to Cox Digital Solutions, the companies announced Thursday. Chief Operating Officer Jeff Kimball says a couple of local employees were let go, but approximately 10 employees will keep their jobs with the new owner.

In the mid-'90s (the web's Pleistocene Era), IB was responsible for Channel 4000, WCCO's first web site. Since then, the company has grown to provide web platforms, content and ad products for local news sites nationally, though none in this market.

Recently, the road has been rocky. President/CEO David Lebow, a high-profile hire from AOL, resigned in May, and the local media landscape is full of refugees from the content side, including former Senior V.P. and WCCO veteran Nancy Cassutt, who recently moved to Minnesota Public Radio.

Kimball confirmed that two national editors were recently let go in a reorganization; the site provides local-news clients (including partner Hearst Television) with national, world, breaking and entertainment news, along with quizzes and other high-traffic-generating items. 

Kimball says the ad network was a peripheral business that was easy to spin off; IB determined that big players like Cox would ultimately win in that arena, so the sale cut to the chase.

Though IB made some bad technology bets during Lebow's time, and there's increased pressure for clients to take more operations in-house, the company is concentrating efforts on its platform that simplifies client sites' business and content.

Kimball notes that Cox's stations, the Cox Media Group, are already IB customers. "We're pleased to be able to keep working with them," he said.