My assumption was that the local established writers / reporters have an inside track on information and relationships with teams, and for example will attend (

My assumption was that the local established writers / reporters have an inside track on information and relationships with teams, and for example will attend (almost?) every game, pre-season, press conferences, have a presence in the locker rooms etc etc. But your point makes sense that as a business, the local media has the disadvantage of using resources in other areas of "news", vs. focusing exclusively on sports. So, "targeting" these cities would have to include recruiting these people already working there. Otherwise, initially I would always be able to get up to date and "inside" information from the established sources. I'm just thinking out loud, but essentially, this all depends on what the meaning of "focusing on" means, as the local sports media individuals are certainly focused on their local teams.