Writer Fired? Headlines At The New Sporting News/FanHouse Are So Meta

Yesterday was the first day of the new FanHouse, which really meant it was the first day after the last day of the FanHouse where many of our friends used to write.

What’s interesting about the new merger with Sporting News is that we were sold on the fact that Sporting News “bought” the FanHouse brand from AOL in part to keep the name alive and in hopes that the AOL traffic would keep the SN doors open just a wee bit longer. By the looks of the new partnership, it sure as heck feels like AOL acquired Sporting News, doesn’t it? Did Sporting News pay for FanHouse or just pay its way onto AOL’s servers?

At the very least, the day after FanHouse officially dumped all but four of its writers and other staffers in the merger, it’s good to see that someone at the company has a sense of humor. So meta.

Now, the article on the new AOL.SportingNews.com with the quick link “Writer fired” actually goes to a story about NASCAR writer Tom Bowles losingREAD MORE

DL531: Madness, DWTS as B/R, FanHouse, Bordain, Sheen & Is Being What It Is

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Somehow today’s show includes the following topics:

• Villanova’s free-fall and whether or not they’re playing themselves out of the NCAA Tournament,

• Dancing with the Stars including Sugar Ray Leonard and the idea that Bleacher Report would be smart to adopt a DWTS model to enhance its profile AND the profile of its writers,

• The death of FanHouse, whatever Sporting News is calling FanHouse now and if anyone will even remember it — or any of this — in a decade,

• Anthony Bordain v. Charlie Sheen last night at 9pm, what watching one instead of the other might say about you, and them and why it’s okay to turn off our brains to watch the occasional car wreck play out on TV.

Thanks for listening.

Sporting News And AOL Sports Join Forces. Bloggers, Other Fired Writers Rejoice!

Rejoice? No, what’s the opposite of that?

From SportsBusiness Daily, a partner with Sporting News:

Sporting News is making an aggressive push to become a top-10 sports website with a broad content-providing arrangement with AOL Sports. Executives were scheduled to inform staffs at both organizations of the agreement later today. The deal will create Sporting News on AOL within the next 60 days and give the venerable sports brand instant digital relevance. “We’ve made a lot of headway as far as adding video and developing a social media strategy,” said Sporting News President and Publisher Jeff Price. “Adding scale was the last thing advertisers were asking for, and this deal allows us to deliver that.”

Sports content for AOL has been under its internally developed Fanhouse brand for the past two years. Starting in March, Sporting News will provide and develop a majority of the content for the site from its current staff based in Charlotte. Sporting News will license the Fanhouse brand from AOL and use it as a home for the site’s “voice,” or its columnists.READ MORE