Three years ago, FOXSports.com was on the wrong end of a lot of criticism when it announced that the majority of its writing staff would be let go as it “pivoted to video.” The phrase became a symbol of everything that was wrong with relying on Facebook’s proprietary algorithms.
Andrew Marchand writes that FOXSports.com is now “pivoting back” to more diverse content. Former ESPN executive Kevin Jackson has been brought in to oversee FOXSports.com. His focus is hiring diverse talents that can create written, video, and personality-based content.
Jackson did not tell Marchand how big his staff would be, but the hires he has already made are impressive. Charlotte Wilder, Martin Rogers, Bob Pockrass, Mark Titus and Jason McIntyre are currently on staff. It is a team that Jackson believes will be able to help FOX get the most out of each story.
“Coming out of the gate, we want to be a daily destination for fans that becomes essential,” Jackson told Marchand. “To do that, we are going to need to grow out our voices and we are going to have to add to a pretty substantial roster that we already have.”
Jackson left ESPN six months ago. There, he served as executive editor for the brand’s digital products. During his time in Bristol, Jackson launched ESPNetSportzone.com, which eventually evolved into ESPN.com. He also oversaw the launch of Page 2, which helped launch the careers of personalities like Bill Simmons, Bomani Jones, and Wright Thompson.
He told Marchand that his hope is that fans will find something on FOXSports.com to connect to in a unique way the way the audience for Page 2 did.
“We want to serve them with something that is smart and we want to serve them with something that is surprising and unexpected so they feel like they want to come back the next day.”
