ESPN yesterday revealed an online plan to target local markets in Los Angeles, New York and Dallas, highlighting the local sport markets where flailing newspapers have left coverage gaps, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.

The strategy is developed on a pilot programme trialed in Chicago that generated a significant online following within four months. The programme includes local versions of the figurehead show SportsCenter, and developments of locally established ESPN radio stations.

The localised productions will be available online and also on wireless devices.

"We can make a strong case for local advertisers and super-serve local sports fans," said Marc Horine, ESPN's vice president for digital partnerships, who has led the project. "We think this is a really smart way to pull all of our resources together."

Horine said it was not ESPN's intention to fill the role of traditional media outlets. However, others were not so subtle about the objective of the new ESPN product.

"Around the country you have communities where the local newspaper is going out of business, but people are still interested in local sports, particularly a significant portion of the men," said Mike Vorhaus, a top executive with media consulting firm Frank N. Magid Associates. "So people are going to try to fill the vacuum, and that seems to be what ESPN is doing."

The Dallas site will be launched in October and the Los Angeles and New York sites will open in the first half of 2010.