Comcast SportsNet Expands Online and Multiplatform News Team

Comcast SportsNet, the home of “Authentic Bay Area Sports,” continued the expansion of the network’s news team with the addition of Matt Steinmetz and Mychael Urban to CSNBayArea.com and CSNCalifornia.com, the region's most comprehensive and dedicated online local sports destination. John Crowley joins the network as the Senior Managing Editor for the websites. The announcement was made by Jen Franklin, Senior Director of Digital Media, CSNBayArea.com/CSNCalifornia.com.

In their new role as a CSNBayArea.com Insider, Steinmetz and Urban will serve as multiplatform reporters covering the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, San Jose Sharks, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, San Jose Earthquakes, Cal, Stanford, and more for CSNBayArea.com and CSNCalifornia.com, and will contribute on-air to SportsNet Central, Chronicle Live, and various pre- and postgame shows.

Matt Steinmetz was previously the senior NBA writer for AOL’s FanHouse.com and covered the Golden State Warriors for nine seasons as a beat writer for the Contra Costa Times, where he earned The Associated Press Sports Editors first-place award for Best News Story of 1997 (circ. 50,000-175,000) for his reporting of the Latrell Sprewell-P.J. Carlesimo choking incident. Steinmetz received a Northern California Emmy Award for his on-camera work on Comcast SportsNet’s Warriors telecasts as a pre- and postgame analyst. From 2004 through 2007, Matt Steinmetz was part of the Warriors radio and television Roundtable programs, often serving as the co-host along with Tim Roye. Matt lives with his wife and three daughters in Oakland, Calif.

Mychael Urban, a Bay Area native and University of San Francisco graduate, has covered every major professional sport and the Winter and Summer Olympics during his 19 years in local sports journalism, the past 10 of them as a national writer/A's beat reporter for MLB.com. Also an author, Urban wrote "Aces," an inside look at the A's "Big Three" of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito; the book made the San Francisco Chronicle's best-seller list shortly after it was released. In addition, Urban has been a regular presence on local radio since 2004, and he's hosted KNBR's weekend edition of "SportsPhone 680" before and after every San Francisco Giants broadcast since 2007. Mychael lives with his wife and two daughters in Livermore, Calif.

Follow Matt Steinmetz and Mychael Urban on Twitter @MSteinmetzCSN and @MUrbanCSN.

Overseeing the day-to-day editorial operations of CSNBayArea.com and CSNCalifornia.com is Senior Managing Editor John Crowley, a 20-year veteran of both online and traditional publications and broadcast news outlets. Crowley’s digital media experience includes ESPN.com, Yahoo.com, NBCBayArea.com and CBS5.com. He was the Assistant Sports Editor for the San Francisco Examiner and also worked at the Contra Costa Times and Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Jen Franklin said, “CSNBayArea.com and CSNCalifornia.com are committed to being the region's first destination for local sport news and analysis. Matt and Mychael's experience in covering the Bay Area sports scene is a valuable addition to Comcast SportsNet. Their deep knowledge of and strong local ties to the local teams enable them to share unique insights with our audience.”

Comcast Sports Group Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer Eric Grilly added, “We are making a substantial investment in each of our markets to build a news team that can serve local sports fans with the best local sports coverage across platforms. Our strong relationships with local teams, video production expertise, journalistic credibility and commitment to technology differentiate our coverage, and today’s announcement reflects the strength of the news team we are building in Northern California.”

CSNBayArea.com and CSNCalifornia.com feature complete content, applications and community features for Northern California sports fans, including:

• Live weekly chats, Q&A sessions, and exclusive online video featuring CSNBayArea.com Insiders Matt Steinmetz and Mychael Urban;
• The most extensive local source for exclusive behind-the-scenes video, including player and coach interviews, press conferences, and content from Comcast SportsNet signature shows such as SportsNet Central, Chronicle Live, and CSNBayArea.com Look Ahead, a daily online report previewing the day ahead in Bay Area sports;
• Unparalleled coverage of every local team, including the Giants, A's, Warriors, Kings, Sharks, 49ers, Raiders, Earthquakes, Cal, Stanford, and more, with locker-room access to top players, coaches and other team officials;
• Breaking news and analysis, including web-exclusive reports, from the region's most informed local lineup of award-winning reporters, analysts, and personalities;
• Community applications, including blogs, game-day e-mail alerts, live game chats, and fan message boards.

Comcast Sports Group operates 10 sports networks that deliver 2,400 sporting events annually and sports news and analysis to 40 million cable and satellite homes. Comcast Sports Group’s networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, SNY, The Mtn. – Mountain West Sports Network, and CSS. Comcast Sports Group also manages New England Cable News (NECN), the nation’s largest regional news network, and The Comcast Network, based in Philadelphia and Washington, which delivers community-oriented programming. For more information, see ComcastSportsNet.com.

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