Independent Media Start-Up Idea

I thought Jeff Jarvis brought up a valuable point when he outlined the important factors to consider when pitching a business plan for a media start-up in that it's more than okay to for your potential media platform to be immersed in a competitive marketplace.

In class, we've talked about the significance of establishing a niche within one's blueprint for a media start-up. A media platform that gives a distinct voice to either a novel topic or an issue that isn't being discussed enough is absolutely a great idea, particularly for attracting a readership who also voices the same opinion and/or views that one's media platform is conveying.

My plan for my independent media pitch is to construct a plan for an independent sport publication. As I prepare for my pitch in the coming week or so, I've thought of two ideas for potential independent sports outlets.

My first potential pitch would be for an independent media outlet that reviews food served at Major League and Minor League baseball stadiums in the United States. As an avid baseball fan, I realize that one aspect of a ballpark experience that is unlike an experience at any other professional sporting event is the food. Baseball is synonymous with hotdogs, peanuts and Cracker Jacks. But in sports such as basketball and hockey, food and snacks aren't major staples within the fan experience. Football is known for its tailgating, so the outlet could review tailgating food, especially if there are well-known tailgaters that attend NFL games, along with MLB and MiLB.

In the meantime, however, the main focus would be on baseball, mainly because there are several ballparks that sell some outrageous food. I mean, the Seattle Mariners sell fried grasshoppers at Safeco Field. The Texas Rangers offer delicacies such as a two-foot long tamale, which was just added to the already artery-clogging menu at Globe Life Park for this season. The Milwaukee Brewers serve "Bratchos on a stick" at Miller Park, which consists of fried cheese, ground beef, crushed up Doritos, sour cream on a six-inch toothpick. There is an old adage of baseball that says anything can happen in the sport. Well, same goes for the types of food served at the ballparks. One can dream up just about any concoction of food and at least one of the thirty ballparks will more than likely cater it.

Returning to Jarvis' article, the one concern I have with pitching this independent media start-up is that it may be too niche. In other words, will there be enough competition for the type of content my potential outlet would be publishing? I certainly believe that the baseball community would find the content I would produce to be appealing. Yet, because the content is underscoring such a specific sector of the game, is the demand great enough? I've seen some popular websites such as eater.com publish content reviewing ballpark food in specific states such as New York along with a national review. Otherwise, there isn't a true major competitor in such a market. Which, of course, is great, because I would have the chance to set the market myself. At the same time, however, this could be a challenge. The key I think will be the type of content in which I publish and how I present it to my audience. That will be someting I will need to contemplate over the next couple of days.