Boise station KTVB (Channel 7) has sold its free online classified-ad website to a group of Boise business people.

The new company, called ZIdaho LLC, will continue offering free classifieds and plans to add forums where people can vent concerns or obtain simple legal advice, CEO Terry Richards said. Richards, a part-owner of ZIdaho, is also part owner of Elite Homes and Property, a real estate business in Eagle.

KTVB and ZIdaho declined to disclose the sales price.

ZIdaho began as an entertainment portal for KTVB when it bought the domain name in 2000, said Doug Armstrong, president and general manager. Classifieds became a part of the site in 2005, and in recent years it has been purely classified ads.

Armstrong said the site has continued to grow and had between one milllion and 1.5 million page views a month by the time the station sold it.

He said KTVB decided to sell ZIdaho because it was outside the station’s core business, which is local news.

Bill Roberts: 377-6408