There's no substitute for live programming. Not for the people watching or listening. Not for the participants. There's an unparalleled connection that takes place, an unparalleled sense of urgency, of reality.
So, hey, we're doing it live.
As of this month, almost all of DK Pittsburgh Sports' multimedia programming will go out precisely as it's being recorded. That began with our recently created family of 24/7 videos that cover the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and it extended within the past week to the popular Ramon Foster Show. In fact, the only exceptions to going live within our most frequent content are my Daily Shots, Matt Williamson's Scout's Eye and Cory Giger's Memory Lane, all of which need to be recorded.
What prompted this?
Well, in addition to what's above and that Ramon really, really loves it, one thing we've noticed in our multimedia endeavors is that the iron's best struck when it's sizzling. Meaning when fans are at their most emotional and most eager to engage. The numbers are enormous compared to any other period, from that very episode's viewer/listener count to gaining new exposure that builds a bigger audience over the longer term. People will go to their device after an event, type in one of our teams' names, and boom!
From there, ideally, we'll build onto the subscription base right here. Our app's super-friendly for videos and podcasts, but if someone downloads and pokes around even a little at our written content, there's a healthy chance they'll like what they see and sign up. It all works together.
It's been a logistical challenge and a half making it all click. We've had hiccups. But we've also wound up, we feel, with the best video/audio combination we've ever had, in large part because we've pushed ourselves to be able to execute in the moment. Danny Shirey and I did a lot of experimentation on the Penguins' recent California trip, trying some stuff that worked, others that didn't, others that were an outright surprise. We seek out places within a venue that have good optics, that show you that we're on the scene, on the road. We've purchased microphones and software. And above all, my goodness, we've searched high and low for the sharpest WiFi. That's a never-ending battle unto itself.
From there, it's all fun. We've had excellent interaction, with 150-plus live participants pouncing almost immediately. That allows for quick questions, comments and other fare to cross the screen -- we control what shows to keep it safe -- even as we're speaking.
As we get more comfortable with the format, we'll make the presence of these sessions way more visible on our own pp and site, so our own subscribers can conveniently partake. Some of that'll roll out in the coming week. You'll be alerted in advance when we've got a live session, as well as all related particulars once that file's opened.
Never stop evolving, right?
GOLF = FOOD
Our awesome partners at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank are introducing a celebrity golf event they're calling the Million Meal Outing, set for Aug. 28 at the Olde Stonewall Golf Club in Ellwood City, Pa., and they'd love to have you on hand.
More than 30 local sports figures and media personalities will be there, so it's right in our subscribers' wheelhouse. It'll be limited to 27 foursomes, all including a celebrity golfer. Other attractions include pre- and post-round celebrity lounges, a four-team championship shootout, scorecard poker, a par-3 celebrity DJ, a helicopter golf ball drop, live broadcasts and more!
To support the Food Bank’s mission, register or donate here.
INSIDE THE WORKS
• We've fixed the function that allows commenters to get notified when there's a response to something they write. Give it a try, please, and email if there's still any trouble.
• In the interest of finding more completely new subscribers, we're offering an introductory deal of $1 for each of the first four months. That's nuts, I know, but this is part of our ambition to achieve 1,000 new signups in 2023. After that brief period, everyone pays the same price.
• Travel on tap: Taylor Haase and I will double-team the Penguins' double-dip trip to Manhattan next week, in which they'll face the Rangers twice at the Garden. The following week, Taylor will take Denver and Dallas. ... Alex Stumpf will fly back to Florida this Monday to finish off spring training. ... Both Alex and I will be in Cincinnati for the Pirates' season opener March 30 ... Chris Halicke will fly to Phoenix for the NFL owners' meetings March 26-29. ... Corey Crisan's still got Pitt basketball, wherever that team ventures next. We'll learn that Sunday night, of course.
BACK TO BUSINESS
• Our page views for the past week were a year-to-date high of 522,471, with our weekly goal being 500,000. Our most-read original piece was my Tristan Jarry column, at 9,016. Broken down by team traffic, articles on the Penguins brought 30.1% of our readership, the Pirates 12.7%, the Steelers 9.2%, Pitt 4.0% and Penn State 1.2%.
• On the multimedia front, our podcast downloads for the past week were 127,158, with our weekly goal being 150,000, and our YouTube video views for the past week were 103,794, with our weekly goal being 150,000.
• Our company social media accounts are at 49,294 (+132) followers on Twitter, 39,080 (+63) on Facebook, 20,722 (+173) on YouTube, 14,870 (+32) on Instagram, 449 (+19) on TikTok.
• We make mistakes. If you see one, email: Typos@DKPittsburghSports.com
• Anything you need, including lost/forgotten passwords, email: Help@DKPittsburghSports.com
