Multimedia rights holder Outfront Media Sports is acquiring Rockbridge Sports Group in a move that will reunite three fixtures in college marketing.
Doug Paschal will continue to oversee Outfront’s sports division as general manager and vice president. Rockbridge principals David Johnston and Rich Klein will come aboard as part of Paschal’s senior management team, joining Bill Cartwright at Outfront and along the way recreating the old CBS team that was a small but worthy challenger to the industry giants, Learfield and IMG College, in the 2000s.
Getting the old gang together again became possible when Klein and Johnston agreed to sell for an undisclosed amount after close to nine months of talks with Outfront Media Sports, a division of the outdoor advertising giant.
“This gives us a chance to really accelerate on the steady growth strategy we have,” Paschal said. “We’ll also look to evaluate some opportunities outside of the college space. We’ll never abandon college, but Rich and Dave certainly give us the ability to cover more ground.”
Outfront’s premier properties include LSU, Maryland, Utah and Virginia, among others, and it is wasting no time in pursuing new properties. Outfront is believed to be in the mix for the multimedia rights at Auburn. The deal with Virginia is set to expire in 4 1/2 months, but an extension is expected.
Most of those client schools were signed initially by CBS when Paschal, Johnston and Klein worked together through the 2000s. But in 2011, Johnston and Klein left to form Rockbridge Sports Group, while the CBS division under Paschal eventually became Outfront.
By acquiring Rockbridge, Outfront’s client list will grow to 19 properties in all. With Rockbridge will come the rights at Oakland University in Michigan, St. Bonaventure, Stetson and Troy, as well as the Western Athletic Conference. Johnston and Klein also guided Rockbridge into the high school space by marketing and selling the rights for the Arizona Interscholastic Association and the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
With the addition of Rockbridge, Outfront Media Sports now has 75 employees across its different properties.
