Online sports media giant Bleacher Report has since 2008 relied upon citizen journalists. But it will hire twenty professional sports writers, reports paidContent, to complement the content by “rabid fans [who] churn out buckets of barstool-style sports chatter.”
A Bleacher Report spokesman described its typical writer as “a guy who works by day and is a 49ers fan by night.” That may have created a tailgate-party appeal to sports fans, but it alienated some top advertisers. CBS Interactive chose not to renew a year-long contract, reported AdAge, supposedly turned off by such content as photos of scantily-clad women, and “insensitive editorial pieces.” CEO Brian Grey at the time pledged to clean up Bleacher Report’s act, and these new hires are part of that effort. Bleacher Report contributors are unpaid, like CNN iReporters, which fosters a few bits of superior journalism among a lot of silliness.
These newly-hired writers will be dedicated to specific fields (e.g. hockey and basketball), and will be in charge of filtering content and guiding contributors toward better content.
Even with its rough reputation, Bleacher Report attracts brands like TiVo’s Premiere Elite DVR, And Starz “Spartacus Vengeance.” Bleacher Report lists its demographics as:
- 71% Male
- 69% 18-49, 40% 18-34, 83% 21+
- 45% household income of $75k+, and 26% at $100k+
- The 5th most-visited digital sports property, with 9.0 million monthly unique visitors per comScore stats
