Wess Moore Goes Digital With Moore Sports

Wess Moore (Provided)

In the world of Arkansas sports coverage, less isn’t more. In fact, you might say, Wess is more.

Longtime Fox 16 sportscaster Wess Moore launched a new digital sports product over the weekend, Moore Sports.

Arkansas Business caught up with him to discuss the project just before Friday’s high school football games and before the Arkansas Razorbacks’ 52-7 victory over Alabama A&M in Fayetteville on Saturday.

Moore Sports will focus on “high school sports, Razorbacks and all things Arkansas,” Moore said.

“It’s going to be a digital channel on YouTube, and you’ll also be able to watch it on Facebook and Twitter,” Moore said, obviously excited. “I’ll have live shows, usually in the evenings, targeting the hours between 6 and 9. That seems to be the most watched time on social media.

The great thing about YouTube, Moore said, is that shows go into an archive to be watched at viewers’ convenience. “That’s kind of what I like about it. You know, with local news, it’s appointment TV. You either catch my show at 5:30, 6:30 or 9, and if you miss it, you miss it.”

Fans will also be able follow Moore on social media for updates, behind-the-scenes content, and episode drops, he said.

New Flexibility

“The way we consume sports is changing, and I’m excited to connect with fans in new ways,” he said. “This format lets us focus on the games, athletes, and communities we love — and gives me the flexibility to spend more time with my family.”

Moore has set up a studio in his Little Rock home and expects to create 90% of his content from there, mixing in live and pre-recorded segments and interviews with coaches and athletes across Arkansas. He’ll also offer weekly recaps and game highlights.

Moore likes the flexibility of shifting to a digital product, which he hopes to monetize by gathering a core of four or five major sponsors.

He also likes the timing of the move.

YouTube boasts more than 2.5 billion active monthly viewers around the world, and 85% of U.S. adults say they use the platform. That’s a higher share than any other social media site measured by the Pew Research Center. Collectively, users watch more than 1 billion hours of YouTube video daily.

A Handful of Sponsors

“I’m targeting four to five sponsors at the most,” Moore said. “I want to find sponsors who are passionate about Arkansas sports, high school sports, and want to be part of my show. Then I can turn around and give them the love and attention that they deserve. Technology allows me to run their commercials during the show, along with their logos.

“I don’t want 10 sponsors because that would result in a show full of me talking about sponsors,” he continued. “I want to focus on Arkansas’ athletes, the fans and the coaches.”

He’s centering his sponsor search in several industries. “I’m targeting the automobile industry, hospitals, banks and the restaurant business. I expect those will be my primary sponsors at different levels of support.”

Moore said he enjoyed his years at Fox 16 in Little Rock, which gave him free rein to develop a popular high school sports program, “Fearless Friday.”

“You always want to leave something better off than it was when you arrived,” Moore said. “And there’s zero doubt in my mind that we have created a niche for Fox 16.” Friday’s episode was his last at the station, but he expects the show to go on.

“We’re all replaceable,” he said. “Somebody else is coming in and they’ll take it and run with it. That is my hope, that it just continues to thrive.”

Local Heroes

Moore said national digital sports programs have done well for years, “and now it’s filtering down to the local level.” The approach will allow him to focus on whatever the big topic is at the moment. “I’m not just Razorbacks and high school sports,” Moore said. “If A-State is rolling, or UAPB, UCA, we’ll talk about it. We already know about Harding.”

Harding University in Searcy completed a perfect 13-0 football season in 2023, winning the NCAA Division II championship over the Colorado School of Mines. Last year, the Bisons went 12-2 last season.

A Texas native and graduate of Texas State University, Moore began his broadcasting career in 1994 and has covered everything from Friday night football to PGA Tour events, the Super Bowl and NCAA Tournaments. He co-hosts “Out of Bounds” on 103.7-FM, The Buzz. He will continue in that role.