Rory Strunk, owner of Resort Sports Network (RSN), a
company that owns five TV stations at ski resorts and
provides programming and ad sales at another 30, is ready to
take his company "to a higher level," according to Clarke
Canfield of the Portland (ME) PRESS-HERALD. Media Metrix
noted that RSN's Web site, located at http://www.rsn.com,
"has grown to be the 12th most-visited sports Web site."
The site features such advertisers as Kodak, AT&T, Visa and
J. Crew. Strunk is planning to use a $5M investment from
Boston-based investment company Pilot House Associates to
"integrate" the TV and Internet ends of the company by
upgrading the "digital capabilities of his TV stations so
their programming can be shown on the Internet." Strunk:
"We want to dominate the alternative winter lifestyle
market. Five years from now we hope to build this company
to a $70 million-a-year business." U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Association VP Tom Kelly said that the U.S. Ski Team chose
RSN "as its Internet partner after initially teaming with
Sprint and CBS SportsLine." Since joining with RSN, the Web
site "has quadrupled" its visitor count. Kelly: "It's been
a very productive partnership" (Port. PRESS-HERALD, 8/10).
