CSN Mid-Atlantic Launches CSNBaltimore.com

Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic has launched CSNbaltimore.com today in advance of the Baltimore Ravens 2010 training camp. The new site provides Baltimore-area sports coverage featuring the Ravens, Orioles, and the University of Maryland Terrapins.

The CSNbaltimore.com team includes local multimedia reporters backed by the network’s video and news-gathering resources. The site joins CSNwashington.com as part of Comcast SportsNet’s locally-focused online sports coverage of the region.

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.

CSN Mid-Atlantic’s television news operation feeds CSNbaltimore.com’s video content, largely produced from the network’s bureau in Baltimore, and features reports from CSN Baltimore correspondent Brent Harris. A Baltimore native and lifelong resident of the area, Harris has been covering area sports for CSN Mid-Atlantic for six years and previously worked for other stations in the market.

Additional CSNbaltimore.com content and features include 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.

CSNbaltimore.com utilizes the format and design employed by CSNwashington.com, which launched in July 2009. Since its inception, CSNwashington.com has delivered significant growth. 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 VP of Digital Media Mark Lapidus, and supported by Comcast Sports Group.