DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

If you missed KDKA-TV’s announcement on Twitter, I’ll be rejoining the panel of the ‘#1 Cochran Sports Showdown‘ beginning tonight. The show, a fixture on the local sports scene since 1996, airs every Sunday at 11:35 p.m. and is hosted by Bob Pompeani.

Also on tonight’s panel: Paul Zeise of the Post-Gazette, Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan.

PHOTO-ILLUSTRATION: ALEX MESSMER

DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — A weekly look at what’s new and what’s coming on our site …

• The new login system I mentioned last week is just about ready. Didn’t think it would be too smart to activate it on the NFL’s opening weekend, so we’ll give it a bit longer. As always, you’ll be kept fully informed before, during and after.

• Another new feature is coming, also based on customer demand, in the form of accepting straight credit-card payments via Stripe. It’s exactly what it sounds like: Nothing but a credit card gets entered. It’s an increasingly popular alternative to PayPal, and we’ll be happy to add it here soon.

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

A look at the week ahead on DKonPittsburghSports.com:

• Monday: This morning and afternoon, I’ll cover the Steelers’ first practice of opening week. An accompanying column will go online Tuesday morning.

• Tuesday: Tuesday Twelve Qs from Steelers HQ, minutes after Mike Tomlin’s press conference. I’ll also cover Paul Chryst’s press conference earlier in the morning. A Pitt football News/Views feature will go up later in the day.

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PHOTO-ILLUSTRATION: ALEX MESSMER

DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

A weekly look at what’s new and what’s coming on our site …

• We’ve heard you, and we’re acting on it: The login system will change.

We’ll be switching at some point, probably in the next week or so, to a more conventional username/password login. This will make entering the site simpler and, maybe more important, keep you logged in longer. The latter has been a problem more on mobile than anything, but it’s a problem that needed to be addressed. When the change comes, we won’t blindside anyone.

There will be plenty of advance warning, as well as highly specific instructions on the new system.

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

A look at the week ahead on DKonPittsburghSports.com:

• Monday: At noon, I’ll cover Paul Chryst’s final press conference before Pitt’s opener, then stop over at Steelers HQ for the 12:30 p.m. player availability, then by nightfall make it to PNC Park for the first game of the pivotal Pirates-Cardinals series. There will be a column on the latter.

• Tuesday: Tuesday Twelve Qs from Steelers HQ, minutes after Mike Tomlin’s press conference.

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PHOTO-ILLUSTRATION: ALEX MESSMER

DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

A weekly look at what’s new and what’s coming on our site …

• Thrilled to announce that we’ve signed a one-year agreement to buy pictures from Getty Images, which in my opinion produces the best live sports photography in North America. You’ve already seen seven such photos here. The difference now is that we’re under contract, and you’re assured of seeing their work accompanying columns on a regular basis. That will happen mostly off live games. We were going to wait a while before taking this step, but your remarkable support has us off and running.

• We’ve also signed a contract with Brisk Mobile of Canada to develop our app. Here again, Brisk is top of the line. They’ve built apps for Disney and NBC, among other prominent entities. There will be much more about this as time passes, but the goal for the launch of the iPhone version — Android will follow — is Oct. 9 to time with the Penguins’ opener. Yes, the app will be free. And if you’ve subscribed here, it will carry over there.

• The exact one-month point for the site passed at midnight last night, and here’s the most important figure of all that data: We’ve got 2,825 subscriptions, and this in the context of a full-year goal of 10,000. This blows my mind. I can only guess where we’re headed, but I’m sure right now that we’re off to a tremendous start.

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

A look at the week ahead on DKonPittsburghSports.com:

• Monday: There’s a Pedro Alvarez column up on the site this morning, and I’ll also produce a ‘News with views’ feature tonight from PNC Park and the game with the Braves.

• Tuesday: Tuesday Twelve Qs from Steelers HQ, minutes after the Mike Tomlin press conference on the South Side. And yes, that number is 12, not 20. I found that the 20 format was taking an awfully long time and, if possible, covering too much ground. Wasn’t comfortable with it. By going to 12, I can feel better about giving more detailed answers to good questions. And for other Qs, hey, I’m here in comments all week long!

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

LATROBE, Pa. — Just to share some plans for the next handful of days as we build the site in the background: I’m heading right back to Latrobe today to cover the Steelers’ practice. That will result in a full Sunday column, topic of which is not yet known. I’ll have the site’s first Penguins column Monday, head right back out to Latrobe later that day. After that, we’ll have some focus on the Pirates at the trading deadline, then follow up on a possible Pitt surprise here.

I’ve also booked the first couple of flights out of the travel budget, thanks to your overwhelming early response to the site, both Steelers-related. That was fun.

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS

He did whaaaaaaaat?

Yeah, he really did.

The guy with the job of his dreams as a Pittsburgh sports columnist, one who was handsomely paid, who was winning national awards, who got some of the highest-profile assignments, who worked with a dedicated and talented staff of reporters and editors … just walked away from all that to start his own web site.

To start from zero, paycheck and all.

Why oh why would anyone, shy of momentary madness, even contemplate such a thing?

The answer, to me, is simple: This is what’s at the other end of the tunnel.

(No, not that tunnel, as magnificently captured by local photog Dave DiCello.)

I’ve done sports writing of all kinds, at all levels, in all locations, made and lost a few friends, won and lost a few awards. A complete bio, for you newcomers, can be found here. The past three years at the Trib have been especially satisfying, as they were my first in writing columns, or opinion pieces. I covered all of Pittsburgh’s sports, to varying degrees, and had a blast digging into them deeply enough to offer what I hope was passionate, informed opinion.

DKonPittsburghSports.com will have all that and more once it formally launches Wednesday.

I’ll continue to have full access to the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, Pitt and more, thanks to the enthusiastic cooperation of all those entities in this endeavor. I’ll write the standard three or four regular-length, newspaper-style columns per week. I’ll break news. I’ll offer views on other news, and quickly, no matter where it breaks. I’ll film videos of interviews with athletes and coaches, as well as reviving my old Things That Make Pittsburgh Great feature in visual form. I’ll report from practices and games. I’ll travel, too. I’ll be at every Steelers game, all playoff games for all teams, out in Latrobe and Bradenton and beyond.

If all that sounds ambitious, you’re beginning to see the point: I want it to be ambitious.

I want to be able to bring you the Pittsburgh sports scene at the pace that the online community expects rather than the one that follows print schedules. I’ve always, always placed top priority on my online endeavors, whether it was the old Penguins Q&A that was among the first Internet features of its kind, or the 3.3 million page views over the past year-plus on my blog, or all the obsessive social media in which I engage. Sports tend to happen at night. Readers don’t want to hear that a night game can’t be covered because of a print deadline. Or that writing only occurs on designated days of the week. They want their reading material as timely and relevant as possible.

It’s going to take time — and your feedback — to figure out exactly what that looks like here, but I can’t wait to see that myself.

I can’t express how much it would mean to me if you were part of this.

Our long-standing blog community, some of which feels like family as it’s carried over from both of my newspaper employers, is back. Of course it’s back. I’d never have that any other way. But we’re always looking for more, to be part of our daily discussion or to chip in occasionally or to just read. I want to hear from you, criticism and all.

But I’m also looking forward to your being part of the general coverage here. Let me know what you want to see, hear or read more often or less often. I’ll be responsive to the point of being annoying.

I’m ecstatic — and that might be understatement — to have a major corporate sponsor supporting this startup, the details of which are coming very soon. But the financial foundation of the site ultimately will be the subscriptions, which means it’s up to you. The site offers three options: $4 for a month, $24 for a year, $54 for three years. That last one breaks down to $1.50 a month. I’d never presume to tell anyone what’s affordable or not, but I can promise you I’ll work around the clock to give you at least six quarters a month worth of value!

A lot of people will think this is nuts. And I’ll agree, at least regarding the perception. But that doesn’t mean it won’t work.

Here’s how to subscribe.

And thank you, as always, for reading.