mindset.

[The Consumerist] will become part of a new division of Consumers Union, and the current editors will remain. No plans are under way to change the coverage or to begin charging for the site. “We don’t want to acquire the Consumerist and then squelch it in some way,” said Kevin McKean, vice president and editorial director of Consumers Union.

Consumerist is popular, with about 1.8 million unique visitors a month, according to the online measurement service Quantcast, but has had trouble attracting advertising because the site often criticizes companies. Consumer Reports does not accept advertising, and once the sale closes on Jan. 1, neither will Consumerist.

The editor of Consumerist, Ben Popken, will become co-executive editor of the site, sharing the title with its current senior editor, Meghann Marco. Mr. Popken said that two Consumerist contributors who had been laid off this year, Chris Walters and Carey Greenberg-Berger, would resume blogging in January.