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ESPN Los Angeles web site: Coming in 2010
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As an encore to the success of ESPN Chicago, the World Wide Leader announced plans to extend its reach to the Los Angeles sports market.
From BizJournals.com:
ESPN is planning to launch a localized version of ESPN.com focused on Los Angeles sports in the first half of 2010, the network said Monday.
The move will mirror ESPN's efforts with ESPNChicago.com, which launched in April. In addition to Los Angeles, ESPN will launch local sites in New York and Dallas.
ESPNLosAngeles.com will be built off of the Web site of 710 ESPN, the ESPN Radio owned-and-operated station in Los Angeles. ESPN Radio also has ONOs in New York and Dallas.
It's funny, when ESPN Chicago first hit the web I remember thinking, Why Chicago? Out of all the markets to devote a separate site to, why there? Sure, the fans are top-notch and anyone with a pair of eyes can locate Chicago on a map, but what about the other coverage-worthy cities littered with die-hard fans?
I should've known ESPN was merely taking their new venture for a test-run.
But what exactly does this mean for local news outlets, such as the LA Times? Will they be forever lost in the shadows that ESPN LA will presumably cast?
From the New York TImes:
Chicago news outlets, which have some experience competing directly with ESPN, acknowledge that the threat is real.
“We are taking ESPN’s marketing push seriously, and we are looking forward to the local sports turf battle in the weeks and months ahead,” said Bill Adee, The Chicago Tribune’s editor for digital media.
In less than three months, ESPN Chicago has become the city’s top sports site, attracting about 590,000 unique visitors in June, according to data from comScore, an Internet measurement company. Second place went to The Tribune’s online sports section with 455,000 unique visitors.
ESPN Chicago does not seem to have cut into The Tribune’s online sports audience as much as it has slowed its growth, according to a review of the traffic data.
A new ESPN site directed at the typical LA fan may take priority over the LA Times, but ultimately the loyalists who live and breathe every word that, say, columnist Bill Plaschke writes will remain steadfast. (Although it should be noted that Plaschke has a foot in both camps). However, the "slowed growth" portion of the above snippet may cause concern when you consider that newspapers are currently gasping for air.
At The Los Angeles Times, which is about to face ESPN head-on, the associate editor, Randy Harvey, said: “It would be foolish to underestimate ESPN, but it comes down to resources. I don’t see them being able to replicate what we do.”
I suppose Mr. Harvey's optimism should be admired, but whether that statement is realistic is questionable. If anyone has resources, it's ESPN. And boundaries have never been a problem for the WWL.
Now don't go thinking the local sports scene is immune from all this:
Once ESPN establishes itself in local markets, it plans to move deeper into local sports — down to the high school level and perhaps beyond — by using social networking and other technology to inform its journalism.
Just as CNN offers news from everyday people through its iReport service, ESPN could augment its local coverage by tapping sports fans. Picture fathers uploading scores from their daughters’ soccer games.
So ESPN has once again broadened its focus. Hardly surprising. The purists who relish the morning activity of thumbing through the sports page can still do so -- for now. But the average fan knows damn well that the sports media world is rapidly changing. We can barely keep up.
That being said, don't consider this overhaul a life-changing sign from above. Just realize that bigger, stronger and faster is appealing these days. ESPN embodies all three attributes and is putting them to good use.
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