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How Harry Teinowitz’s Story Met The Stage

“I started out with a movie and then five days later I thought, why am I making up a story when there’s one inside of me that’s been burning a hole because it needs to come out?”

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It was March 4, 2011. Harry Teinowitz, then one of the afternoon hosts on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, was arrested for driving under the influence. While it may have contributed to him losing his gig with the station a couple of years later, the incident forced him into rehab and ultimately may have saved his life. 

Teinowitz had been a fixture in the Chicago sports landscape. He combined a ‘rain man’ like memory for details of games and uniform numbers with a unique voice and unique takes. With a comedy background, Teinowitz was the guy with the off-the-wall commentary. I’ve worked with Harry on a few occasions and you have to be ready for anything, which is actually kind of a cool thing. He challenged you, in a good way, to be on your toes and think quickly on your feet. 

Media: November 2021 • “When Harry Met Rehab” : Illinois Entertainer

After a long career in radio in Chicago, he found himself without a job in the industry. Opportunities weren’t coming as they normally did. Teinowitz took it upon himself to create entertainment from a piece of himself, to share with the audience what it was like for him to go through all that he did.

Thus, When Harry Met Rehab was born. The stage play is currently running in Chicago and has been met with rave reviews. Teinowitz was able to secure the services of Dan Butler, who played Bulldog on Frasier, to play Harry. Melissa Gilbert also stars in the play as ‘Barb’, Harry’s therapist. Of course, you remember Gilbert from Little House on the Prairie

I caught up with Harry this week to chat about the play and his past life and present.

Andy Masur: What was your life like, before you went into rehab?

Harry Teinowitz: It was fun. A little hectic, and unfulfilled, but fun.

AM: How difficult was it to come to terms with what was happening to you?

HT: I never realized I needed to come to terms until I was a month into rehab.

AM: Did your job in Sports Talk radio contribute to the stresses?

HT: You know it did. My first real job was working for my dad in commercial real estate. It was there I figured out deals aren’t always made in a conference room. They’re made at ball games, in restaurants, and in all kinds of bars. Working for an FM rock station, “The LOOP” (97.9 FM Chicago), was the first time I was going out and doing appearances for the station. They would pick me up then when it was over, they would drive me home, so I could be the life of the party and everybody else there could be at a kick-ass soirée.

In sports radio I had many more of those appearances where I’d say come watch the game with me, I’ll be in this town at this bar. But in order to make our show different a lot of times we would go to a game so we could talk about it from our perspective the next day. Well, you can bet there was alcohol consumption at all these games and when I finish there I know there’s a good chance when the game is over I’d go out afterwards as well.

AM: When did you first get the idea to write a play about your experience?

Glenview's Don Clark, Evanston's Teinowitz join forces for new play 'When  Harry Met Rehab'

HT: I have been out of work twice in radio, both times it wasn’t my agent who got me my next job it was me. Just by calling different stations and setting up a meeting with the program director where we could connect and both times, I found a job. Once after four months once after six. However, the third time, nothing was happening.

At a certain point it became clear to me they were just as happy to go with young people who would work for less than I would and that didn’t have a D.U.I. that was in the newspapers four days in a row and even once made it as the second story on the 5:00 news. I was spending so much time trying to get work and I felt like I was wasting my days so I decided I had to create something tangible. I started out with a movie and then five days later I thought, why am I making up a story when there’s one inside of me that’s been burning a hole because it needs to come out?

AM: How difficult was the process of getting all your thoughts together?

HT: It wasn’t that difficult. First, I went from memory, then I went through all the homework that I had done while I was in rehab. Yeah, they give you homework in rehab.

Then I researched the hell out of it and just sort of settled in with the idea because I knew nothing about it and how important it was in getting me on the path to sobriety my story had to be from start to finish about rehab. With the exception of the opening D.U.I. scene that’s exactly what it is. Also, I knew I wanted to have these other characters, I was in there with, be in my play, but I hadn’t written one in the show. Spike (Manton, a former radio partner and the eventual co-writer) asked me if he could read it and after he consumed the script, he said this can’t be a one-man show. We have to bring all these characters to life, so that’s what we did. 

About a week after that I asked him, “What do you mean, we?”

AM: Emotionally, what is it like to see the finished product on stage and being acted?

HT: Throughout rehearsals, as I watched it, I felt like it was important I was there. I could make changes and Spike was there watching so he could make changes. We could get the story even better. But, to sit there in the audience for these shows, it’s so bizarre.

A big part of my getting sober was going to these meetings that we go to and I still go to. It was being honest in rehab so I’ve learned to not have any secrets when I’m around other people. They’re in the same program but it’s another thing when they get brought up on stage and everybody kind of goes, “Wow, he did that?”

AM: What do you think of sports radio today? Do you still listen?

HT: That’s a good question. It’s hard for me to listen. I never took one day on the air for granted. I appreciated every day that I got to come to work for that fantasy job. Then because of a really bad decision on my part, it was all taken away from me. 

Harry Teinowitz and Spike Manton on WGN Radio's "The Game" 87.7 FM.

Currently, I have a wonderful publisher who has tasked me with a glorious opportunity. I’ve got a dream producer for the play and he’s focused on this show and has all kinds of plans for it. The possibilities are exciting. The feedback from the audience has been humbling. The critics who have reviewed the show are picking up on everything and I’m so appreciative of all of them for walking into the theater with an open mind and not saying ‘oh great here comes another one of them damn battles with alcoholism stories.’ Obviously, the great reviews mean a lot to me and help drive ticket sales but the specific things they each say invigorates me. So, I’m looking forward to what happens with, When Harry Met Rehab, but my dream scenario is the next thing that I write. Whether it’s with Spike, someone else, our family cat, or one of the kids in the neighborhood, that I would have another opportunity to work with (producer) Don (Clark).

However, I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t think about getting back on radio. 

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How to Help Your Clients with Low Website Conversions

Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

Jeff Caves

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Graphic for how to increase website conversions
Credit: WPDesigner.Biz

Are your clients dealing with low website conversions? Whenever a marketing campaign is run, and the goal is to convert website visitors into leads, the temptation is to blame low traffic, amongst other issues, for low form fills or appointments being generated.  Just spend more money, you may think! Sometimes, you must look at at least four other potential issues to tackle poor conversion rates. Here are some actionable steps using the IT services industry to increase website conversions.

IT Solutions specializes in providing products, services, or solutions related to technology, particularly in areas such as software development, hardware sales, IT consulting, cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, and digital transformations. They faced challenges with their website conversions. Despite driving substantial traffic through Google Ads and other SEO tactics, they struggled to convert website visitors into form fills for appointment requests. A 2% to 5% conversion rate could be considered reasonable. Of course, conversion rates can vary based on various factors, such as the competitiveness of the local market, the quality of the website (and radio stations help most to fix that) and its user experience, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and the reputation and offerings of the IT solutions business. Focusing on improving the quality of leads and providing exceptional customer service can be just as crucial as achieving high conversion rates. Don’t blame EVERYTHING on the marketing tactics! 

The Diagnosis

Upon thorough analysis, several critical issues were identified with IT Solutions’ website:

1. High Bounce Rate: Nobody was checking out the business. If 70% or more of website visitors only visit the landing page, that is an issue.  It could be slow loading times, irrelevant content, poor user experience, or unclear calls-to-action that prevent them from wanting to know more about IT Solutions. You can check the bounce rate on the Google Analytics page for the website in the left-hand sidebar, click on “Behavior” to expand the menu, then click on “Site Content,” and finally, click on “Landing Pages.” You’ll see a list of landing pages and their respective bounce rates.

2. Complex Navigation: It was hard to move around the website to find relevant information about IT services, and it was unclear who they were initiating contact with and for what purpose.

3. Unclear Calls-to-Action (CTAs): The website lacked clear and compelling CTAs guiding visitors toward requesting an appointment. Simply stating “click here for an appointment” is like asking for a meeting whenever or without establishing value. Here are 28 CTAs for free.

4. Lengthy Forms: The appointment forms were long, without qualifying information, and requested excessive information upfront, deterring potential leads from completing them.

Action Plan

1. Optimize Landing Pages:

   – Redo high-traffic landing pages with clear messaging and compelling CTAs.

   – Showcase IT Solutions’ services as benefits, making it easier for users to request appointments, thereby increasing user engagement and conversions.

2. Simplify Navigation:

   – Reorganize the menu and add more action-oriented links.

   – Provide additional options for users to access relevant information, such as “Get a free IT Solutions 15-point checkup NOW” and “Take this 5-question survey to diagnose your IT issues,” motivating them to book appointments.

3. Enhance CTAs:

   – Utilize concise and persuasive messaging throughout the website.

   – Encourage visitors to take action, whether requesting a free download about “5 things you can do to solve your IT issues on your own” or “get a free pizza for booking an appointment.”

4. Improve the Form Fill:

   – Add a further line about the number of employees who qualify for incoming leads.

   – Highlight the value of leads based on company size, prioritizing forms with higher potential impact.

Review landing pages, navigation, CTAs, and form experience to address website conversion issues. Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

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‘NHL on TNT’ Gives Hockey Fans the ‘NBA on TNT’ Treatment

Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

John Molori

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NHL on TNT studio

Let’s play a little word association, sports media style. If I say TNT, what is your response? Chances are it will be a three-letter abbreviation of your own, namely, NBA. Over the years, TNT has built a reputation as arguably the premiere network to telecast the National Basketball Association.

The NBA on TNT pregame and halftime shows have become the gold standard with stars like Ernie Johnson, Jr., Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal. Still, it’s not just this quartet of roundball royalty that has fortified TNT’s hoops coverage.

The rep was also built on tremendous play-by-play announcers like Bob Neal and Kevin Harlan, color analysts like Doug Collins and Reggie Miller, and courtside reporters like the late Craig Sager and current sideline star Allie LaForce.

Indeed, TNT and the NBA have become synonymous, but I have some news for you. This network is not just about professional basketball. This past week I went off the grid with TNT looking at their in-game and studio coverage of the NHL.

On March 24, the NHL on TNT provided coverage of the Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche matchup. Kenny Albert did play-by-play with Eddie Olczyk on color. Albert is not as noted as his legendary broadcasting father Marv Albert, but he has certainly staked his claim as one of the best in the business – able to cross over to multiple sports with equal aplomb.

Hockey is a strong suit for Albert. His rat-tat-tat, drama-building style draws viewers in and keeps us on the edge of our seats. Similarly, Olczyk is one of the top four or five NHL game analysts in the business. His style is understated, providing calm and clear analysis of key plays. They work really well together.

Albert eschews any kind of hackneyed and trite catch phrases for his goal calls. An emphatic, “He shoots and scores!” is plenty enough.

Hockey is a different beast when it comes to play-by-play. Unlike basketball, baseball, football, or even soccer and tennis, there is a minimum of breaks in the action. With hockey, a play-by-play announcer has to know the names of the players like he or she knows her kids’ names.

To me, it is the hardest sport for play-by-play and equally difficult for a color analyst. In basketball, after a team scores, the play-by-play announcer will keep silent and give the color analyst time to talk until the play crosses center court. In baseball and football, there is ample room for commentary.

Hockey does not offer such space, but Olczyk gets the most out of the minimal amount of time. Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

Coming back from a break in the game, Albert and Olczyk provided on air commentary and then tossed to ice level reporter Brian Boucher who has grown into a tremendous asset to the TNT broadcasts. Boucher provided real talk about Colorado’s objectives of staying on top of their division and vying for the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Penguins, squarely in a rebuilding year having dumped talent at the NHL trade deadline, surprisingly jumped out to a 2–0 lead in this game, and the TNT between periods studio crew was all over it. The excellent Liam McHugh hosted alongside Colby Armstrong, Anson Carter, and Keith Yandle.

Armstrong was especially entertaining. With Pittsburgh outshooting the Avs 16-4, Armstrong noted that it’s the best he’s seen Pittsburgh play in a long time. His reasoning was that teams get geared up for playing Colorado even if it’s out of fear. Great stuff.

Both teams tallied two goals in the second period giving Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead heading into the final frame. When Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon set up Jonathan Drouin for a goal to make it 4-3, Albert and Olczyk showed their strengths.

Albert called the pass from MacKinnon and one-timer goal from Drouin, and immediately noted that MacKinnon now had a point in all 34 of Colorado’s home games this season. On the goal replay, Olczyk showed how the play developed pointing out how McKinnon allowed Pittsburgh’s Evgenii Malkin to come in close before making the past to Drouin.

The TNT production team then showed a graphic displaying that McKinnon is now second all-time in longest home points streaks trailing only Wayne Gretzky. This was a sublime sequence of symmetry between talent and technicians like a songwriter, musician, and singer creating beautiful music.

What was supposed to be a blowout win for Colorado had now become a hockey barn burner, and the TNT crew was up to the task. Every goal and key play was followed up with replays from multiple angles showing the genesis of the action.

TNT has certainly taken to the velocity of the hockey broadcast with movement that challenges directors, graphics professionals, and videographers.

When there were breaks in this non-stop action, Olczyk was at his best. No hockey analyst draws on his experience as a player and explains that experience better to viewers. The TNT broadcast also lets Boucher freewheel and join in the flow of discussion without having to be introduced.

TNT does not merely rely on the traditional wide shot of the entire rink. We see close-up shots of each goaltender after a great save and the sweat of players on the bench or in the penalty box.

When McKinnon tied the game at 4-4 with 4:38 left in the third period, we got a series of tremendous crowd shots showing the Colorado fans going absolutely berserk. The sage Albert and Olczyk wisely remained quiet for several seconds, letting the cheers do the talking.

When Drouin scored the game winner at 4:06 of overtime, Albert exercised controlled enthusiasm, raising his voice on the call of the goal, but not becoming the show and overshadowing the play itself. He is definitely in the mold of Dan Kelly, Gary Thorne, and Sean McDonough, announcers who enhance but do not supersede the game.

Putting a cherry on top of this hockey Sunday, TNT showed a graphic that the Avalanche now led the NHL in comeback wins this season with 25 and that they were riding a 9-game winning streak. In analyzing the goal, Olczyk opined that the altitude of playing in Colorado was prevalent as the Penguins seemed to tire as the game progressed – really interesting insight.

In the postgame show, Anson Carter made a great point that the chemistry between Drouin and MacKinnon stems from the fact that they have been playing together going back to junior hockey. McKinnon joined in from the arena for a postgame interview. The analysts asked solid questions and even did a funny MVP chant together as the interview ended.

The NHL on TNT takes no back seat to its elder NBA sister. The broadcast provides viewers with flash, dash, and serious hockey talk from every angle – in studio, from the broadcast booth, and on the ice.

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Kim Mulkey Now Has Everyone Anticipating Washington Post Story

I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it.

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photo of LSU women's college basketball coach Kim Mulkey
Credit: Dailymail.co.uk

The Washington Post, you might’ve heard, has a story coming out about controversial LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey. The reason you might’ve heard is because Kim Mulkey told you. The Tigers coach read a fiery prepared statement just before her team started the Women’s NCAA Tournament. In the statement, Mulkey threatened to sue The Post for defamation before the first word was even published.

Now, I’ve never run a public relations firm but that did not seem like a good idea. The Washington Post story on Mulkey is one of the bigger stories in sports right now and nobody even knows what’s in it. The reason the story, apparently unflattering to Mulkey, is even on anyone’s radar screen is Mulkey herself.

It all started with an innocuous social media post by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde right in the middle of the most anticipated two days in sports, the NCAA Tournament Round of 64. On his X account, Forde posted: “Hearing some buzz about a big Washington Post story in the works on LSU women’s hoops coach Kim Mulkey, potentially next week. Wagons being circled, etc.”

You know what generally will go unnoticed at 4:00 on the first Friday of the NCAA Tournament? A post on X about a women’s basketball coach. But don’t tell Mulkey, she saw Forde’s post and decided to fight fire with nuclear weaponry. The result: the average person like me now is really interested in what has Mulkey so incensed. By “average person like me” I mean that I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it. Maybe:

“LSU Women’s Coach Discovers Ark of the Covenant”

Or:

“Mulkey Reveals True JFK Assassin(s)”

Perhaps:

“Famed Women’s Basketball Coach Reveals the Mystery Behind Slow Drivers in the Left Lane”

Literally any of those catch my attention more than whatever will likely be the Washington Post headline about Mulkey. But now Mulkey is “Mad as Hell and is not going to take this anymore” so I now have an interest I would never before have had in this story. It has been fascinating to watch the online speculation about the subject of the article and all we really know, as of now, is that it will be written by Kent Babb. This is a dream come true for Babb; he writes an article that is, presumably, not flattering about Kim Mulkey and, before it is even published, she gives the article the greatest commercial anyone could give it. Babb couldn’t have entered into a business agreement with Mulkey and had this turn out better for him.

For those who don’t follow Babb, he is a former NFL reporter who now is an award-winning writer for the Washington Post. In his 14 years with The Post, he has written sports features and authored a couple of books. One of those sports features stories was a deep dive into what he viewed as a large inequity in the level of pay for LSU head football coach Brian Kelly and his LSU players. It is this piece Mulkey described as a “hit piece” and, based on that piece, referred to Babb as a “sleazy reporter.” Babb, and many others, resented the fact his story was labeled as a hit piece. In fact, Babb essentially confirmed he was the author Mulkey was referencing when he shared the original article on X with the comment: “Hit piece?”

Whether a printed piece or a recorded interview, I can’t imagine a better promotion for it than the subject of the interview threatening a libel/slander lawsuit, especially before it is even released. That simply screams “This piece is salacious!!” Also, libel and slander suits get settled all the time, right? Of course they don’t, they seem to never even get filed. That little thing called discovery is a scary thing for most public figures.

The NCAA Tournament has been very entertaining, and I think the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will be terrific. For only the fifth time ever, the top two seeds have advanced to the third round which sets up for a remarkable weekend. For me, I guess it will now include a Washington Post article, not a sentence I’d normally say.

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