In a move that has been expected for a while Coomcast SportsNet has launched a sports website dedicated to Baltimore sports.
The comprehensive new site provides exclusive Baltimore-area sports coverage featuring the Ravens, Orioles and the University of Maryland Terrapins.
The CSNbaltimore.com which joins CSNwashington.com as part of Comcast SportsNet’s locally-focused online sports coverage of the region, is designed as a destination for news and information as well as a social community for Baltimore fans.
Newly-hired CSNbaltimore.com lead writer John Eisenberg, a veteran Baltimore sportswriter, serves as the site’s Ravens Insider, while also contributing to coverage of the Orioles and other local teams. Eisenberg is an award-winning former columnist for the Baltimore Sun. He is also a successful author who has written seven sports-themed books.
Through an exclusive content-development partnership with PressBox, the Baltimore-based sports media company, CSNbaltimore.com features original content from a variety of local sports experts. PressBox’s local writers who will regularly contribute to the site include Stan Charles, Joe Platania and Pete Kerzel.
Comcast SportsNet’s television news operation feeds CSNbaltimore.com’s extensive video content, largely produced from the network’s bureau in Baltimore, and features reports from Comcast SportsNet Baltimore correspondent Brent Harris. A Baltimore native and lifelong resident of the area, Harris has been covering area sports for Comcast SportsNet for six years and previously worked for other stations in the market.
Additional CSNbaltimore.com content and features include top local team pages, local college and high school coverage, national sports stories, real-time scores and schedules and “Word on the Street,” a section devoted to the latest rumors and developing reports. The site’s interactive features include the “Piece of the Action” fan photo-sharing, reader comments, social media portals and a fantasy sports page, all areas dedicated to fan participation and opinion.
CSNbaltimore.com utilizes the dynamic format and user-friendly design employed by CSNwashington.com, which launched in July 2009. Since its inception, CSNwashington.com has delivered significant growth, earning continuous double- and triple-digit monthly gains in traffic. During the second quarter of this year, the site earned a 244 percent increase in visitors, a 178 percent growth in unique visitors and a 145 percent gain in page-views compared to its first three months of operation. The network’s digital efforts are led by Vice President of Digital Media Mark Lapidus, and supported by Comcast Sports Group, which oversees regional sports sites in leading markets across the country.