I swear I was thinking about this question before I saw this related thread. But since that one doesn’t seem to address my question, here goes:
What would be the price tag if I wanted to buy the SDMB outright? Realistically.
(Koxinga takes checkbook out of vest pocket, puffs on cigar and fingers watch chain expectantly. He fixes you with a steady, penetrating gaze.)
Take your time.
I’d buy that for a dollar!
I was thinking just about this much.
writes on paper, folds it over, and cooly slides it across the table
Is the SDMB even a postive cash flow concern?
How much does it really cost to keep this thing going? I’m not talking about profit–strictly operating costs. Anyone have a ballpark figure? How long would the current subscription kitty pay for it…and would people be willing to pay/donate enough to keep it running?
About $3.50
(Koxinga maintains level gaze, unfolds paper without looking at it. Eyes flick down to paper briefly, then back level again. Gives just a touch of a sardonic smile, then puffs once more on cigar.)
Come now. We are both serious men; enough with this child’s play.
Really, what is your offer?
I would think it is worth around $50-60k, based on a few thousand subscribers and it being barely cash flow positive.
But I’m quite sure the owners would not sell it for that unless they are forced to. They clearly have “big plans” for this place, so they’re betting on the future value to be much higher – hopefully high enough to save the entire CL! 
Yes. It generates approximately $250,000 per year. I understand a Mr. Samuel J. Wurzelbacher from Ohio is preparing to make an offer.
I’m sure it won’t cost anything at all.
The US government will formulate a plan to bail out the board, like they do with everything else (except Lehman Brothers). If the Democrats win the election I expect John Kerry to take over from Ed Zotti and Caroline Kennedy will probably get TubaDiva’s job.
Mind you, if the Republicans win the day we might see Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sarah Palin here instead.
Interesting times lie ahead.
Well the board has, in the past, refused to give out numbers so it’s all finger in the air time. I did make a guess at bandwidth storage a while back but that’s all changed.
Ballpark figure, I’d say the board should cost no more that $5000 a year to host/run but that might be over or under. I don’t know how much they’re paying.
I don’t know how much they make from ads (very little I expect given the poor targetting of most of them).
I’d imagine the board is probably scrapes to break even, and they’d want a bit of money for it. The problem is that the Straight Dope name is pretty valuable and they wouldn’t let part of that get annexed off. I’m guessing you’d have to come to some complex deal to preserve the name and the rest of the website too.
For some reason I’m hearing the thread title as spoken by John Belushi as Jake Blues: How much for the messageboard? Your forums…I wish to buy them. Sell them to me…
Well, you see its not really about the total cost, is it? What we are talking about here are your monthly payments, am I right? Now, with your trade in, I think we can get you down to just over $300 a month. But I am going to have to talk to my manager about that.
Why don’t we just go over to the finance guy and you can get that started while I am talking to my manager?
Dammit, monster! Stop asking me for the tree fiddy!
I hope that $300 includes undercoating. I don’t want things to rust out on me.
Good lord that’s a lot of money! How much for half a message board?
I gave em a dolla…
Is that anything like that one impression of Soros that was done on SNL a few weeks ago when they had that fake CSPAN coverage of the bailout?
My completely uneducated and uninformed WAG: $25,000 and its yours lock, stock and barrel.
If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.