Chicagosportswebio.com is "changing the Chicago media industry"


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Posted by chicagomedia.org on June 12, 2009 at 07:01:15:

Chicagosportswebio.com is changing the Chicago media industry

Kenneth Zenger
Chicago Business Examiner

June 10, 10:43 PM

Chicagosportswebio.com is making a name for itself as a premiere content provider of Chicago sports talk and they are trailblazing changes in the media industry while doing it. This new website is filling a niche by delivering quality content designed to be accessible for people on the internet. With a lineup of notable sports talk talent broadcasting on weekdays from 6 a.m – 6 p.m., Chicagosportswebio was launched in April. The site has quickly found a fan base and is now achieving 7,000-10,000 hits per day of dedicated sports fans. Awareness of the website was gained through a very effective integrated offline marketing campaign that included billboards, television, and radio spots. Spectrum Entertainment Group, which manages the site, is forging a new way of creating content for talk radio and they are reaping the rewards of being an early adopter.

Radio stations have been streaming their content over the internet for several years but chicagosportswebio.com has a different business model. They are looking at the business from a different perspective by focusing on internet-based broadcasting instead of terrestrial broadcasting. This allows the company to operate with much lower operating expenses and to begin broadcasting without the initial expenses of purchasing a radio signal, leasing air time, or managing through the complexities of government regulations and licensing. Instead, they are able to focus on developing talent, creating shows, and focusing on competing with great content and interesting marketing plans.

As consumers grow more comfortable with internet-delivered media, fans of sports talk radio will seek sites like chicagosportswebio.com and sire hits will grow. However, this is just one outlet for the content and there are numerous opportunities to increase revenue sources. In a recent interview with Ed Sherman, Spectrum Entertainment Group CEO David Hernandez stated that they are already exploring opportunities to license their content for delivery on several AM and FM stations in the market. As new outlets come on line to deliver Chicagosportswebio content, the website will grow even larger and the hits per day will continue to increase. Expanding into other outlets is a strategy that will not only produce new revenue streams but will also expand the fan base for the site. This site expansion and hit growth will allow the company to increase its advertising revenues.

The speed of growth and quick expansion of chicagosportswebio.com is a good indicator that the world of media is changing and there is room for small nimble content creators. Chicagosportswebio.com has made a great splash in the industry and they have ample room for growth. They can expand their programming hours into the evenings and weekends, expand their delivery mechanisms through licensing deals, expand into mobile content delivery, and expand into satellite radio. Additionally, Spectrum Entertainment Group can expand their successful business concept into other cities and regions around the country.

Chicagosportswebio.com has successfully launched their service into the Chicago market. The business model is dynamic and allows the company to focus on content first and delivery second. As existing competitors react and new competitors emulate the model the question is will Chicagosportswebio.com make the right decisions and continue to carve their own niche and successfully change the hyper-competitive media industry? If early performance offers insight I would say that Chicagosportswebio.com will continue to be successful and will not only make good decisions but will surprise us. They are changing an industry and I believe will ultimately establish Chicagosportswebio.com as a mainstay in the Chicago media industry.


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