• Sports Business Journal, Tuesday, November 17, 2009 10:27 PM

ESPN's move to launch local Web sites is prompting Comcast to beef up its news operations at five of the company's regional sports networks. Comcast is interviewing journalists for its online news operations in Chicago, San Francisco and Washington. The effort is similar to the situation in Boston, where Comcast spent millions of dollars earlier this fall to launch a news operation from scratch.

This year, ESPN launched local sites in Chicago, Boston and Dallas, with launches planned in New York and Los Angeles next year. The implications for Comcast are significant. In markets where it operates regional sports networks, Comcast does not want to cede local sports news to a national entity like ESPN. The Comcast sports networks believe they have a competitive advantage thanks to their relationships with the local teams and their fans.

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