Yahoo Inc.?s planned acquisition of Associated Content Inc. is a move that validates the importance of providing high quality, locally relevant mobile content for consumers and advertisers, according to the Examiner.com?s top executive.

Acquiring Associated Content is part of Yahoo?s push to enhance its social, mobile, local and media offerings by combining Associated Content's approximately 380,000 contributors with Yahoo's partnerships with content brands and its team of editors.

Mobile Marketer?s Dan Butcher interviewed Rick Blair, CEO of Examiner.com, Denver, CO. Here is what he had to say:

What is Yahoo?s strategy behind the acquisition of Associated Content?
This is an exciting time for the media world, as there is clearly a need and thirst for content that speaks to consumers? lifestyle interests.

From our viewpoint, when you couple that with deep local perspective, it?s a powerful proposition. 

We view this as another strong indicator that a market opportunity exists for those who want to step forward and fill the void that traditional media has created, but in a new social media orientation.

Content is and will continue to be king and, in our opinion, this move further advances Yahoo's editorial offerings and validates the use of low-cost, crowd-sourced content.

What challenges will Associated Content address for Yahoo and its partners and customers? What are the synergies?
From what we have read, AC has a good model that allows depth into several topical areas in scalable format.

Whereas Examiner.com has gone deep into local as well as topical, the need for all major news providers is to have more content that gives consumers authentic information appealing to their needs.

As a leading media network with local, professional/amateur writers?we call them Examiners?generating more than 3,000 articles a day centered on consumers? interests within and about their communities, we have a unique perspective on this industry and unmatched local reach.

By its acquisition, it initially appears Yahoo has solidified that our industry has appeal and value at a high level.

In my opinion, one of the major challenges for Yahoo will be maintaining quality standards of the content as the business expands.

Here at Examiner.com we have implemented a stringent application and vetting process to ensure we meet that standard as well.

We have a system that enables Examiner.com to tier Examiners and identify, program, display and distribute the best content, as well as train and develop Examiners so overall quality of content improves.

We combine technology with human touch points throughout our entire process, starting with the contributor application, which garners a 45 percent acceptance rate.

We are all interested to see how Yahoo approaches this with AC.

We are extremely happy for Luke Beatty and the AC team. They have been working hard at creating a strong product, and it appears those efforts have paid off.

How will Associated Content help Yahoo create new services and revenue streams?
The strength of a system like AC, similar to our own, is the ability to produce custom content, whether it is for a brand or cause, on a grand scale.

As everyone is still seeking the best way to connect brands to consumers via online content, I assume Yahoo will utilize AC to expand their advertising networks around topically relevant content.

How will this affect Yahoo?s mobile initiatives and the mobile space, in general?
From what I have read, in the past few months, Yahoo has made significant strides in how it approaches mobile advertising, and with local content from AC now in the mix, they will be able to target and provide new value to their overall mobile strategy.

From my perspective, the acquisition of AC will continue to advance Yahoo?s mobile initiatives, and will shed light on the opportunities available to capitalize on the two, local content and mobile, for the entire mobile community.

At Examiner.com, we also recognize the value of our local content, and the inherent opportunities the mobile device can provide, as we?ve been laying the groundwork for some extremely innovative applications and mobile integration that will set the bar high.