FanHouse
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports media, Sports blogging |
| Founded | September 2006 |
| Defunct | 2011 |
| Fate | Integrated into Sporting News and discontinued |
Key people | Randy Kim (executive producer) |
| Owner | AOL |
FanHouse was a sports-focused website under the ownership of AOL. It debuted in September 2006 and discontinued its services in 2011. Throughout its existence, the platform ranked within the top 10 most frequently linked sports blogs on the Internet.
History
When it launched in 2006, FanHouse distinguished itself as the first sports blog to compensate numerous bloggers with payment per article.
In January 2009, FanHouse grew by bringing on board seasoned print journalists such as Jay Mariotti (Chicago Sun-Times), Kevin Blackistone (Dallas Morning News), and Lisa Olson (New York Daily News). The site also attracted contributors from publications like the Orlando Sentinel, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Contra Costa Times, while continuing to feature prominent bloggers including Michael David Smith and Elie Seckbach.
The editorial direction of FanHouse was overseen by executive producer Randy Kim. Former executive producers moved on to leadership positions at organizations such as Yahoo! (Jamie Mottram), Yardbarker (Alana Nguyen), and NBC (John Clifford Ness).
End of operations
In January 2011, Sporting News partnered with AOL to take over editorial management of FanHouse; subsequently, the site was integrated into Sporting News before being discontinued.
Awards and recognition
Between April 2007 and July 2010, FanHouse was consistently listed among the Internet’s top 10 most linked sports blogs, as reported by aggregator BallHype.
At the 2008 EPPY Awards, FanHouse earned the title Best Sports Blog and was once again a finalist in 2009.