WEEI.com unveiled a complete re-design of the website for the nation’s top-rated sports radio station. The re-design makes it significantly easier for visitors to consume the WEEI Sports Radio Network’s hyper-local content and access it from almost anywhere.
“Simply put, this is the ‘sports page’ of the future. There is no other place where fans and observers of the Boston-area sports scene can find this quality and quantity of unique audio, text and video content in one home,” said Tim Murphy, WEEI.com VP/GM. “Visitors can find our fresh, compelling content above the fold of the home page and can get anywhere they want to in no more than one to two clicks. Nobody has more Boston sports content that we do, and now it is even easier to navigate.”
The new WEEI.com has a vastly different look and feel than the previous site. The centerpiece of the new WEEI.com is an eye-catching scrolling menu that showcases the top stories of the day. The site’s layout contains multiple tabbed widgets that allow users to access WEEI.com content through different prisms such as “most popular,” “shows” and “teams.” The five widgets on the homepage will give access to 40-50 pieces of hyper-local WEEI.com content every day. The new scoreboard at the top of the page gives users the option of viewing national scores from each sports league or strictly Boston scores from each sport.
As part of a larger digital content distribution plan, WEEI.com allows today’s web audience to consume WEEI content how and when it wants by leveraging Podcast, RSS and Widget Centers.
WEEI content is also now available on mobile devices. Consumers can stream the station live on Blackberries or iPhones via a partnership between WEEI and Flycast. There is also a mobile version of the WEEI.com website optimized for handheld devices.
The new WEEI.com also provides advertisers with a visual medium to connect with audiences. Pre-roll video gives advertisers a 15-second video commercial prior to the beginning of audio clips. “By making rich media such a prominent part of the new site, we’re providing advertisers more ways to communicate their message than ever before,” said Murphy.
The launch of the new WEEI.com will be presented by Verizon FiOS. Verizon has ownership of all homepage ad units yesterday and today. Verizon will also “power” a newsletter that will be sent to promote the re-launch. Throughout the remainder of the week, Verizon will maintain a consistent presence throughout the entire site and will be featured on internet radio.
In addition to the changes on the home page, each show on the WEEI Radio Network has received a makeover of its page formatted to match the personalities of the hosts. Each show’s content is also streamed online in real time and is available on-demand. The customized show pages offer advertisers additional opportunities to reach audiences through audio and visual means.
