When Ohio State's Jim Tressel announced his resignation on Memorial Day, the team at FOX Sports Ohio and FOXSportsOhio.com sprang into action to cover the story and become the “go-to” for all things Tressel.
The coverage resulted in a record breaking day:
Memorial Day was the largest single day in FOXSportsOhio.com history, with unique visitors surpassing the mark set just the previous month by 30%. - Those users stayed longer on the site, read more articles, and looked at more photos than ever before: an increase of 82% from in page views from the previous single high mark set in April.
- FOXSportsOhio.com was kept at the center of the story with new analysis and features throughout the day, providing not only the initial news, but statements from the team, a timeline of Tressel's career, and analysis of the team's next steps.
- The web writers were featured on more than a dozen local and national radio and TV, including The Dan Patrick Show, The Jim Rome Show, ESPN College Football Live and more.
- Coverage was integrated into Cincinnati Reds production “Web Minutes” segment and promoted with Gameflow and in-game broadcaster discussion.
From feature stories to videos to social media hits, FOXSportsOhio.com's Bruce Hooley, Zac Jackson, Jeff Seemann, and Barry McBride attacked the story and created diversified content that fed upon the emotions of Buckeye fans and rivals. With their support, the site pumped out more than 25 articles on the Tressel saga that are still driving visitors to the site today. Many of their articles were featured as lead stories on MSN.com and FOXSports.com.
Hooley and Jackson made various media appearances to drive web traffic. Both writers appeared on the Dan Patrick Show, and Hooley alone made more than 17 appearances in a 3-day period, including ESPN College Football Live, the Jim Rome Show, ESPN Outside the Lines, and more. (click on links below to see or hear interviews)
ESPN College Football Live
ESPN Outside the Lines WKKX Wheeling
1080 ESPN, Orlando
104.9 The Horn, Austin
Paul Finebaum Show, Sirius/XM 91
The Odd Cast with CBS Sports Gregg Doyel
Fan 590 in Toronto and RogersSportsNet across canada
Sporting News Radio (Sirius 94, XM 208)
College Football Nation (Sirius 91, XM 91)
Jackson on Dan Patrick Show FOX Sports Ohio production and social media also supported the effort:
- Promoted coverage as part of the “Web Minutes” segment during Reds Live pregame show
- FSOhio Reds broadcasters Thom Brennaman and Chris Welsh discussed in-game
- Gameflow support during Reds game
