Nick Denton continues to consolidate Gawker Media brands under the Gawker.com roof, this time folding in formerly for-sale Defamer.com. In a post Sunday afternoon, Denton explained: “In December, Gawker Media sold Consumerist to the Consumer Association, publisher of Consumer Reports. At the same time we announced we’d had a bid for Defamer and were exploring a sale of the site. Ultimately, the brand was worth more to us — as a section of the Gawker site.”

Denton describes Gawker.com as a “national gossip now” with three-fourths of its 3-plus million visitors a month coming from outside New York. The site has expanded political coverage (since the dumping of Wonkette, now an indie site), the inclusion of Silicon Alley coverage from Valleywag, which he folded as a standalone site late last year, and now the addition of Hollywood coverage by Defamer, which will be Gawker’s “entertainment column.” The current Defamer team is leaving; a Gawker reporter will be assigned and Gabriel Snyder, the managing editor of Gawker now responsible for Defamer, is hiring another reporter.

• Consumers Union To Buy Gawker’s Consumerist.com
• Where’s The Ad Market Headed Next Year? Nick Denton’s Dire Prediction
• Gawker Media Lays Off 19 Ahead Of Coming Storm—But Keeps Hiring
• Denton Slims Down Gawker Media: Gridskipper, Idolator, Wonkette Leave The Fold