Ticklehewire.com is a first-rate, daily news site for federal law enforcement news that aggregates the best stories from around the country from news outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Politico, Associated Press, Reuters, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and Fox News.
It also includes original content and commentary from former law enforcement officials.
The site was founded in 2008 by Allan Lengel, a former Washington Post reporter who has reported on major events including the anthrax case, public corruption, terrorism and the Chandra Levy disappearance. He has also worked for the Detroit News, ABC’s Brian Ross investigative unit and served as an intern for the late investigative columnist Jack Anderson.
Besides the website, ticklethewire.com puts out a weekly newsletter that includes commentary and links to the stories in the past week.
The site’s readers include current and former agents and officials from the FBI, ATF, DEA, Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, the Justice Department, U.S. Attorneys offices, Homeland Security and TSA. Readers also include criminal defense attorneys and former prosecutors.
The site reaches key decision makers in the various agencies who work on policy, budgets or purchasing.
Every year, ticklethewire.com names a “Fed of the Year.”
The name for the site, ticklethewire.com, comes from a law enforcement term, which means to create a situation that will encourage targets of a probe to talk on a wiretapped phone.
Reader Stats
Unique Visits Per Month – 17,000
Visits – 21,000
Age
18-24 – 12%
25-34 – 16%
35-44 – 25%
45-54 – 16%
55-64 – 18%
65+ – 12%
Gender
Male – 62%
Female -38%
Top 10 States
California
Iowa
Virginia
New York
Texas
Florida
Georgia
Oregon
Illinois
Washington
Rates
728×90 -Top Banner ad $1,200 a month
300x 250 – $500 per month
160 x 600 – $650 per month
1440 x 240 – $1,500 per month
Sponsored Content Stories – $750 per article
Stories written by companies or agencies. They must be pre-approved by ticklethewire.com and marked as “Sponsored Content.” It can also include a video.
Newsletter
The weekly newsletter goes out every Monday to more than 800 readers. The average open rate is 45%.
Ad for 4 newsletters — $600
Exclusive sponsorship of newsletter — $900
Anyone with questions can contact Editor/Publisher Allan Lengel at Allan.Lengel@gmail.com.