Microsoft has rid itself of Slate, the online publication it created in 1996 as part of its corporate plunge into the content pool.

I believe Slate and MSNBC are the only ones of Microsoft's content efforts to survive from those heady days  (see the comments below).

Anyways, an excerpt from the NYT story:

he Washington Post Company announced today that it is purchasing Slate, an online newsmagazine owned by Microsoft. The financial terms of the sale were not announced. Microsoft said in July that it was considering the sale of the pioneering media outlet, in part because the company believed that a Web magazine of cultural criticism and political analysis had little business salience in an age dominated by search applications and that the site's small size limited its ability to contribute meaningfully to Microsoft's revenues.

Donald E. Graham, chairman and chief executive officer of The Washington Post Company, said that Slate has been "a pioneer in internet publishing, and it is a fine magazine."

"Founder Michael Kinsley, editor Jacob Weisberg, and Microsoft deserve great credit for creating Slate. We couldn't be more enthusiastic about this acquisition," he said in a statement.

Mr. Weisberg will remain editor of Slate.

Other links:

Washington Post: Washington Post Co. Buying Web Magazine Slate

Slate: Sold!