Kendall Baker of Yahoo Sports on sports newsletters, and Jenni Carlson of SelloutCrowd.com on starting a new sports digital site
Aug 28, 2023
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Kendall Baker, senior writer for Yahoo Sports, talks about impactful sports curation, the importance of newsletters, and his new morning newsletter. Jenni Carlson discusses leaving legacy newspapers, the impact of sports columnists, and the launch of selloutcrowd.com, a new sports digital startup.
Yahoo Sports has launched a new sports newsletter called Yahoo Sports AM, which aims to provide comprehensive coverage of sports news and events.
Kendall Baker, a senior writer and former Axios Sports newsletter creator, has joined Yahoo Sports to lead the company's newsletter and cross-platform strategy, emphasizing the importance of voice and personalization for an engaging and valuable newsletter.
Jenny Carlson, a longtime sports columnist for The Oklahoman, has moved to Sellout Crowd.com, a new sports digital startup focused on covering Oklahoma State, University of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City Thunder, providing a range of content including articles, podcasts, and videos.
Deep dives
Introducing Yahoo Sports AM: A New Sports Newsletter
Yahoo Sports has recently launched a new sports newsletter called Yahoo Sports AM. The newsletter aims to provide comprehensive coverage of sports news and events, covering a wide range of topics. It will be sent to subscribers five days a week, with an aim to arrive in their inbox between 7 AM and 7:30 AM. The newsletter will feature a mix of curated content, original reporting, and personalized analysis, making it easy for sports fans to stay up to date and feel caught up with the latest sports news.
Kendall Baker's Move to Yahoo Sports and the Power of Sports Newsletters
Kendall Baker, a senior writer and former Axios Sports newsletter creator, has joined Yahoo Sports to lead the company's newsletter and cross-platform strategy. With a strong background in sports newsletters, Baker's goal is to provide a must-read experience for sports fans by curating, analyzing, and delivering the most important sports news in a digestible format. He emphasizes the importance of voice and personalization to create an engaging and valuable newsletter. Baker also highlights the benefits of being part of a larger sports newsroom and having access to a wide audience of over 90 million global sports fans.
Jenny Carlson's Transition from Legacy Newspapers to a Digital Startup
Jenny Carlson, a longtime sports columnist for the Oklahoma newspaper, has made a transition from legacy newspapers to a new sports digital startup called selloutcrowd.com. The startup aims to cover Oklahoma State, University of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City Thunder, focusing on sports news, recruiting, and in-depth analysis. Carlson discusses the motivation behind transitioning to the startup, highlighting the increased freedom, innovation, and potential for brand building and monetization provided by digital platforms. The startup has secured funding and plans to offer a range of content, including articles, podcasts, and video shows.
Sellout Crowd: A New Sports Digital Startup in Oklahoma
Sellout Crowd is a new sports digital startup based in Oklahoma that is set to launch on September 1st. The platform will provide coverage of the two major college football teams in the state, Oklahoma State and the University of Oklahoma, as well as the Oklahoma City Thunder. The site aims to offer a range of content including articles, podcasts, and videos, and will prioritize mobile-friendly access to cater to the changing media consumption habits of users. While the focus will primarily be on these three teams, the site also plans to cover other sports and tell human interest stories that may not fit within those parameters.
Jenny Carlson Joins Sellout Crowd: The Liberating Prospect of Building Something New
Jenny Carlson, a longtime sports columnist at The Oklahoma, is joining Sellout Crowd as part of their team. She expresses excitement and a sense of liberation at the opportunity to build something new, rather than being part of an established legacy media organization. Carlson believes that there is still value in the role of sports columnists in today's media landscape, citing the loyalty of readers and the ability to provide analysis and insights that help people understand the sports scene. Sellout Crowd will provide various forms of content, including articles, podcasts, and videos, and aims to establish a personalized connection with readers through alerts and notifications tailored to their interests.
Episode 329 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Kendall Baker, a senior writer for Yahoo Sports who is heading up the company’s newsletter initiative. His first newsletter for Yahoo Sports debuted Aug. 28. He is followed by Jenni Carlson, the longtime sports columnist for The Oklahoman who has moved to Sellout Crowd.com, a new sports digital startup which starts Sept. 1. In this podcast Baker discusses why he joined Yahoo Sports and what he plans to bring for readers; his view of impactful sports curation; the choice to add or not add opinion for a newsletter; the importance of newsletters for sports outlets; his time at Axios; the ideal time a sports newsletter should drop; who else is doing well in the space; whether individuals should have their own newsletter and more. Carlson discusses why she left The Oklahoman after 24 years; the impact a general sports columnist can have on a city or state; what Selloutcrowd.com plans to offer for readers and why it is not subscription-based; the amount of staffing needed for the startup; what kind of runway the new site has to succeed; what they will cover and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more.
