MILWAUKEE -- We're going to announce a new and very different direction for this business in the next edition of Site Stuff.
It's not a change in coverage. It's not a change in content. It's not a change in staff. It's not anything of the kind. And yet, it'll undoubtedly be the most daring decision we'll have made since launch nine years ago.
I'm not being coy here, I swear, or keeping it secret for some theatrical effect. We just want to make sure we've got everything 100% lined up before announcing, and we fully expect to have all the information we'd need by early in the coming week. Once we do, and I share everything, we'll be fully equipped to answer any question anyone might have. It's just a matter of being prepared. Right now, we're not.
So, why say anything now?
Simply put, I want to first share our collective motivation: We're beat. We're toast. Dali and I manage the business on top of everything else, with no HR department, no payroll department, no advertising, no ad sales, no promotions, no social media, no customer service, no retention or anything. And if we were to reallocate existing revenue toward any of those, we'd be doing so at the expense of coverage, which wouldn't be popular. Worse, if we farmed out something as precious as customer service -- which my daughter Dara runs -- we'd lose that vital personal touch.
Dali and I are going 15 hours a day, no days or even time off, we're caring for both of our kids in college, time just blurs by, we no longer have hobbies, we no longer do anything together ... and enough's enough.
To repeat, there'll be no change in coverage or content or staff. Nor in the platform. Nor in the writing. Nor in the multimedia. Nor in what I bring. Rather, it'll be a change to the structure of the business itself.
Which is where you come in: We love and appreciate every single one of you who's been part of these first nine years with us and who, if we're lucky, will be part of the next nine and beyond. Once we lay this all out, it'd mean the world to us, to our staff, to this company, if we can all pull in the same direction once this change occurs.
It'll be uncomfortable for some, I'm sure. Change always is. But I'm here to tell you that ... again, we're beat. We need to lessen the load, or we need to drop the entire thing, and neither of us has any interest in doing the latter. Whereas, the more we discuss what we're about to effect, the more we've gotten excited about it. Because it'll come with countless pluses ... especially as related to our workload.
MILITARY DRIVE: 284
Our annual Military Drive, aimed at connecting 1,000 veterans of our Armed Forces to a one-year subscription, saw 17 subscriptions bought for the week leading into a new total of 284. We're still in good shape toward the goal of getting it done by Veterans Day Nov. 11.
Thank you!
Here's how it works: We sell a military subscription for $20, covering a full year for any veteran. That's one-third of the regular price. However many you'd wish to donate, even if it's just one, email me directly at DK@DKPittsburghSports.com, and Dali will do the processing.
WEEKLY FUN APP HINT
This isn't fun at all, but we had to turn our ads back on and, in turn, that stupid blank video player will rear its ugly head on occasion. When you see it, simply tap the X in the top left corner, and it'll be gone for the duration of that usage.
Sorry about this. It's the only way anyone can fix it. They have to see it.
BACK TO BUSINESS
• Our page-view numbers for the past week were 808,878, with 36,048 different users over those seven days. Our most-read original piece was my column from PNC Park about the Pirates being run badly, at 13,053. The Pirates were tagged within 58.9% of our content, the Steelers 45.9%, the Penguins 39.1%, percentages that include overlap elements such as our home page or Friday Insider.
• On the multimedia front, our podcast downloads for the past week were 170,390, and our YouTube video views for the past week were 105,531.
• Our company social media accounts are at 50,220 followers on X, 39,374 on Facebook, 23,538 on YouTube, 14,868 on Instagram ... and already 2,198 after just a month on the new Threads app!
• We make mistakes. If you see one, email: Typos@DKPittsburghSports.com
• We're often asked about our HQ/shop merch being available online, and yes, it's right here.
• Anything you need, email: Help@DKPittsburghSports.com
