Ravens Hosting N.Y. Summit To Showcase Team To Media Buyers

By Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large

The Ravens are in the N.Y. area to play the Giants this weekend, and Friday some team execs are taking their game to the N.Y. media market with a summit to showcase the NFL club to the Manhattan crowd of agency types and media buyers. Around 34 agencies and more than 50 people are expected at the team's first summit outside of its home market. "The Ravens have gained a lot of national visibility as a sports brand, so we're trying to showcase our brand and get the New York crowd more familiar with all of our media offerings,'' said Kevin Rochlitz, VP/National Sales & Partnerships for the Ravens. Like so many NFL teams, Baltimore's attendance is strong enough that the team's biggest challenge is creating and selling media properties and events attached to the team. This season is the first time the Ravens control all of their local radio and TV rights, through WBAL-NBC, and radio stations WIYY-FM, and WBAL-AM. Aside from the sales pitch, NFL Films raconteur Steve Sabol is scheduled to address the crowd.