It sure can feel at times like we're two companies rather than one:
1. The reporting/writing 2. The video/podcasts
And maybe not in the way one might think.
It's not about time management. Because even though the reporting/writing take a ton of time, any form of broadcasting's a comparative breeze. Just press record and go. So the former's canceled out by the latter.
No, it's about resources and revenues.
If some smart business person came in and took us over, he or she would blow this thing sky high and start over. If only because our multimedia revenues are now close -- not quite there, but close -- to those of our writing operation, while the writing operation accounts for about 90 percent of our total expenditures.
Crazy, right?
Kinda dumb, too?
Well ... I'm not so sure. See, one of the many benefits of being wholly independent is that, if we choose, we can be dumb. And because I'm a writer first and foremost, I'll always put that first and foremost here, at least for as long as anyone would care to read it. In fact, taking that further, if there's ever an opportunity to add to staff/coverage, I'm always thinking primarily of the reporting/writing component.
There'll come a day, I'd presume, when this hits a hard fork. Because the other truth in this, which should be obvious from the mathematical framework above, is that we don't charge anywhere near enough for the reporting/writing, which is why we have to push revenues across from the multimedia to make it work. But even then ... how much could we ever reasonably increase it? Setting aside that we hadn't had an increase in forever, there's still only so much anyone would be willing to pay for the product.
Just sharing. Nothing's up at all. Stuff I think about.
SPECIAL-WORKER DRIVE: 746
There were 31 new contributions this week to our special-worker drive, all from one individual, so our new total's 746!
Thanks to everyone! That's our biggest week in some time!
We're seeking reader help building a fund of 1,000 discounted subscriptions for teachers, police, fire, nurses, other emergency workers and, of course, anyone who volunteers in any capacity. They're $20 per contribution.
• Seriously considering adding buttons for team statistics and schedules, both within the team feeds. At least one button would have to go, and I'd imagine it'd be the seldom-used 'Forum.' But open to suggestions here. This isn't imminent.
• With the Steelers off the grid for another month, we'll try to get vacations out of the way. That'll include my own, July 11-17, back over to Serbia again to spend time with the family, this time taking Dara with me. She's been there before, but very briefly and not in any depth. This, I hope, will change that, as it did when I took Marko a couple years ago. I'm born and raised in Pittsburgh, but I'm intensely respectful of our family's roots.
• Chris Halicke will be taking his just before that, heading back to Texas for a spell. Taylor Haase will take hers at some point after the NHL Draft, the Penguins' development camp, free agency and all that summertime stuff.
• If you're not ad-free, it's only for paying subscribers. If you aren't subscribed yet or if your subscription's expired: This is our subscribe page. From there, make sure you're logged in, tap on the link, and thumb down to the bottom for the SUBSCRIBE button to buy/restart at the monthly or annual level. We also offer mega-discounts for students and seniors.
• Feel free to add a good review on our Google business listing, our Appleand Spotify podcast channels and, arguably most important, our own official app pages, whether it's the Apple or Android version. It really makes a difference.
BACK TO BUSINESS
• Our page-view numbers were 758,596, with 39,359 unique users over the most recent full seven-day span, June 13-19. Our most-read original piece was Greg'sGriffin report from Greenville, at 11,836.
• Our video views for the past week were at 264,200. I'm going to pause putting out the podcast numbers until we can get figures that are far firmer than what we have.
• Thanks for reading and, as ever, for your support of this proud independent venture.
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THE ASYLUM
Dejan Kovacevic
5:50 am - 06.22.2025DowntownSite Stuff: One company or two?
It sure can feel at times like we're two companies rather than one:
1. The reporting/writing
2. The video/podcasts
And maybe not in the way one might think.
It's not about time management. Because even though the reporting/writing take a ton of time, any form of broadcasting's a comparative breeze. Just press record and go. So the former's canceled out by the latter.
No, it's about resources and revenues.
If some smart business person came in and took us over, he or she would blow this thing sky high and start over. If only because our multimedia revenues are now close -- not quite there, but close -- to those of our writing operation, while the writing operation accounts for about 90 percent of our total expenditures.
Crazy, right?
Kinda dumb, too?
Well ... I'm not so sure. See, one of the many benefits of being wholly independent is that, if we choose, we can be dumb. And because I'm a writer first and foremost, I'll always put that first and foremost here, at least for as long as anyone would care to read it. In fact, taking that further, if there's ever an opportunity to add to staff/coverage, I'm always thinking primarily of the reporting/writing component.
There'll come a day, I'd presume, when this hits a hard fork. Because the other truth in this, which should be obvious from the mathematical framework above, is that we don't charge anywhere near enough for the reporting/writing, which is why we have to push revenues across from the multimedia to make it work. But even then ... how much could we ever reasonably increase it? Setting aside that we hadn't had an increase in forever, there's still only so much anyone would be willing to pay for the product.
Just sharing. Nothing's up at all. Stuff I think about.
SPECIAL-WORKER DRIVE: 746
There were 31 new contributions this week to our special-worker drive, all from one individual, so our new total's 746!
Thanks to everyone! That's our biggest week in some time!
We're seeking reader help building a fund of 1,000 discounted subscriptions for teachers, police, fire, nurses, other emergency workers and, of course, anyone who volunteers in any capacity. They're $20 per contribution.
If interested: DK@DKPittsburghSports.com
INSIDE THE WORKS
• Seriously considering adding buttons for team statistics and schedules, both within the team feeds. At least one button would have to go, and I'd imagine it'd be the seldom-used 'Forum.' But open to suggestions here. This isn't imminent.
• With the Steelers off the grid for another month, we'll try to get vacations out of the way. That'll include my own, July 11-17, back over to Serbia again to spend time with the family, this time taking Dara with me. She's been there before, but very briefly and not in any depth. This, I hope, will change that, as it did when I took Marko a couple years ago. I'm born and raised in Pittsburgh, but I'm intensely respectful of our family's roots.
• Chris Halicke will be taking his just before that, heading back to Texas for a spell. Taylor Haase will take hers at some point after the NHL Draft, the Penguins' development camp, free agency and all that summertime stuff.
• If you're not ad-free, it's only for paying subscribers. If you aren't subscribed yet or if your subscription's expired: This is our subscribe page. From there, make sure you're logged in, tap on the link, and thumb down to the bottom for the SUBSCRIBE button to buy/restart at the monthly or annual level. We also offer mega-discounts for students and seniors.
• Feel free to add a good review on our Google business listing, our Apple and Spotify podcast channels and, arguably most important, our own official app pages, whether it's the Apple or Android version. It really makes a difference.
BACK TO BUSINESS
• Our page-view numbers were 758,596, with 39,359 unique users over the most recent full seven-day span, June 13-19. Our most-read original piece was Greg's Griffin report from Greenville, at 11,836.
• Our video views for the past week were at 264,200. I'm going to pause putting out the podcast numbers until we can get figures that are far firmer than what we have.
• Our company social media: 61,903 followers on Facebook, 58,000 on X, 50,847 on YouTube, 16,812 on Instagram, 6,070 on Threads, 5,760 on TikTok, 2,686 on Bluesky
• We make mistakes. If you see one, email: Typos@DKPittsburghSports.com
• The Downtown HQ/shop's open Tuesday-Saturday, 12-6 p.m., and our company merch can all be had in our online store.
• Anything you need, email: Help@DKPittsburghSports.com
• Thanks for reading and, as ever, for your support of this proud independent venture.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
We’d love to have you!