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Kordell Stewart Believes In Bleav

Now there’s a human element in this space because there’s more athletes getting involved with television, radio and podcasting. If [they] can believe in what they know and know what they believe in and give it to the audience, [fans] are going to love that player that they once loved.”

Derek Futterman

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On the football field and in the sports media landscape, changes have occurred since Kordell Stewart roamed the sidelines. A new archetype – the mobile quarterback – has been created, showcasing the style of many young stars in the league today, such as Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen.

The mobile quarterback, however, was not readily accepted in the mid-90s when Stewart entered the league. Stewart was drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 60th-overall pick after a successful college career at the University of Colorado. Stewart always wanted to be a full-time quarterback in the NFL but had plenty of people and entities doubting him, making it difficult for him to win the starting job.

Entering the 1997 season though, the Steelers moved on from Mike Tomczak as the starting quarterback and gave the role to Stewart, allowing him to fully display his talents on the field regularly for the first time.

“The media has their way of creating narratives – ones that fit their narrative,” Stewart said. “It’s not the narrative, but it’s their narrative and causes the followers to buy into that narrative.”

Stewart was quickly referred to as “Slash,” a nickname given to him by the team’s color commentator Myron Cope. The name referred to the slash punctuation mark (“/”) placed between the different positions he could play (quarterback/wide receiver/running back) and highlighted his unique and extraordinary versatility on the gridiron.

His talent on the field helped the Steelers reach both the AFC Championship Game in 1997 and allowed them to return to it in 2001. Stewart was a Pro Bowl selection in that 2001 season, posting 3,109 passing yards and 14 passing touchdowns along with 537 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns en route to a 13-3 overall record.

“I like to look at [it] as saying that I’ve been blessed with a tremendous amount of talent,” Stewart explained. “I don’t want to be, if you will, suppressed in how I move [or] think because of someone else’s inability to identify all in which I can do on the field and even in the media. You have to have that someone who has confidence in you to give you that chance on their platform or [have] it in yourself.”

Stewart put that versatility on display in the world of sports media when he began appearing across ESPN programming in 2009 on shows such as First Take, NFL Live, College Football Live and Mike and Mike in the Morning. Additionally, Stewart worked as a sideline reporter for the network’s coverage of the United Football League airing on the then-Versus Network, interviewing athletes, coaches and other personnel throughout the game and working alongside Doug Flutie, Anita Marks and Dave Sims.

By October 2012 though, Stewart made the move to 92.9 The Game in Atlanta to host GameTime, an afternoon drive show with Carl Dukes. He remained with the station for 19 months, amicably leaving in May 2014, but learned a considerable amount of what it took to be a radio host during that time.

Working for Terry Foxx, the station’s program director, who is now the director of program and audience at 90.9 KUT in Austin, a considerable differentiator of the program was in Stewart’s perspectives and opinions as a former professional football player, and the ethos it garnered.

“Transparency was always my thing and still is,” Stewart said. “You give [the listeners] the inside scoop – your experience – which I think they have a tendency to like a lot. It’s not like you’re just talking; it’s connecting them to a moment that maybe they can remember [or] they can research.”

Being succinct in the points you make as a host was another aspect of the job that Stewart learned from Foxx, largely due to the preponderance of listeners tuning in from behind the wheel of their cars. Obviously since Stewart’s move out of radio, the landscape of audio consumption has considerably shifted towards digitally-based platforms, including on-demand listening and podcasting; however, the same principles apply when trying to keep listeners engaged, especially with the amount of choices readily available to them.

Nonetheless, the concept of utilizing resets, albeit trite in essence, remains a fundamental part of attracting and retaining listeners when imbued with cognizant and concise dialogue.

“It’s kind of like rebooting the system when having the conversation within 30 seconds on speaking about something,” Stewart said. “It’s a technique. It’s not easy, but you have to put yourself in the listener’s position. If you can do that, then you can do some good radio and good podcasting without having to look at the replay of the show.”

The nature of that dialogue for radio programs, according to Stewart, cannot be too recondite in scope, for it is imperative that you tailor the extent in which you discuss something to the general acuity and intellect of the audience. Being aware of his audience as early as his days on the gridiron, Stewart has found ways to both connect and relate to them from the perspective of a former starting NFL quarterback, and it has led him towards opportunities and success across multiple broadcast platforms.

“To be able to not just play the game but to articulate it and give it to a fan base that’s willing and eager to get the inside scoop about the game and just [what] sports in general is about and what it takes per se to be a professional… was what I liked and loved to do,” Stewart said. “It became really easy to transition from playing the game to actually doing commentary.”

Stewart made the transition towards digital when he departed 92.9 The Game to join TuneIn, an internet radio platform accessible to listeners on mobile devices, computers, and on other technologies. Joined by Brian Webber, Stewart co-hosted the weekday program NFL No Huddle from 4 to 7 p.m. to discuss sports and entertainment. Just over a year after the show’s 2015 debut, the show added a podcast to its weekly content, allowing it to reach a broader audience and adapt to the digital age.

It was also during this time when Stewart took two summer classes at the University of Colorado to finish earning his communications degree, which he had started in the ‘90s before joining the NFL but came up three credits short. He was motivated to complete his degree to set an example for his son and also make his late-father proud. While returning to study at the university, he was able to broadcast his show remotely from the college campus.

With his communications degree in hand and experience working in both terrestrial and internet radio, Stewart was approached by the Bleav content network to take his talents to the podcasting space. The network, which was founded by Bron Heussenstamm, has sought to produce premium content for all types of sports fans. It has shows for each NFL and college football team with a host and at least one former player, along with those that cover the game at large including Stewart’s podcast titled On The Edge with Slash.

The platform also has shows pertaining to Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League among other sports entities and produces over 1,000 hours of new content per month. This content is distributed both on Bleav’s platforms, along with SiriusXM, SportsMap Radio, and TuneIn, giving it the potential to find large groups of listeners and a chance to continue to expand.

“All of the parties that are connected in some capacity have a chance to be a part of it,” expressed Stewart. “You end up finding yourself being able to have some fun with it and know that you just want to be mindful that everyone’s listening.”

Stewart officially joined Bleav last month and described his podcast as one that will be “tough but fair” keeping with his belief in transparency. Being “on the edge” describes the trajectory of his career, according to Stewart, largely due to his desire to become a quarterback after initially joining the Steelers out of the draft and playing largely as a wide receiver. Now, he hopes to apply that same mindset in order to craft a podcast sound that stands out among the multitude of others available to consumers today.

“When I say ‘tough but fair,’ I’m going to apply it in a way that’s not going to be so diplomatic and politically-correct if you will in following the narrative of what everyone is talking about,” Stewart said. “I’m going to talk about the truth of what it is I see; what I think is fair or not fair; good or not good, and I don’t care who it is.”

Stewart hosts the podcast with Joe Ceraulo and together, the duo seeks to improve the show with each new episode. Moving from working in radio to podcasting, many of the same principles apply and Stewart does not recognize there to be too many differences between either medium.

Yet podcasts are continuing to gain more popularity in terms of aural content and can reach more people than terrestrial radio, even though many stations are now producing original podcasts and/or putting full-length shows or smaller segments on-demand as podcasts.

“Radio was the wave at one time [but you had to] make sure you have enough towers in the air so you get enough reception so it can go as far as it can go with enough satellites,” Stewart said. “[With] podcasting, I can reach anywhere…. Podcasting is the new wave now – it’s the hot ticket today – but radio will always exist; I don’t think it will ever leave.”

In addition to his regular podcast, Stewart recently joined a new sports betting podcast with Ceraulo and sports handicapper Brandon Lang titled Bleav Me. The movement of sports betting into sports media has been quite pronounced in the last year, not only because of the legalization of sports betting in certain states around the country, but also because of genuine fan interest in it and the new revenue streams created from various sportsbooks.

Now, the implementation of sports betting into all types of programming, whether it be studio shows or live game broadcasts, and also the creation of new programming with it as the central topic, is becoming something more commonplace by the day.

“It’s truly a joy to have a chance to be in this space because… this is the lay of the land now when it comes down to how this thing is created and made,” Stewart said of his move into podcasting. “….It’s fun. It gets you back out there in a different way and more of a modern way because not everyone can catch you on television but a lot of people can actually catch you through the media outlets to give you an opportunity to be heard.”

Bleav describes itself as an omnichannel content network for professionals and produces sports and entertainment content in the form of podcasts and other original programming. Stewart believes the platform is set up well for sustained success because of the talent it has brought on to produce compelling and appealing multiplatform content distributed to various outlets.

“If you give [the audience] good quality content that they can utilize in this space of podcasting and television if you will or live streaming, then the Bleav network is believable,” Stewart affirmed. “….I believe in the opportunity that they’ve given me and the platform that they’ve given me, and it’s my opportunity to show my style, who I am on the networks and give them as much as I can so those who are listening can believe me and believe in what I’m doing.”

Many athletes have moved into the sports media space over the years, and there are plenty of recent examples of athletes who have started in the industry while still remaining active players. According to Stewart, it takes believing in oneself to enter into the space and remaining true to your own experiences and opinions within the various mediated communication platforms.

Yet it is essential to remember that many fans want to continue to hear from their favorite players, especially when they retire, and working in media is one way for athletes to do that and preserve the connection to those fans.

“Back in the day it used to be about the helmet and not who the person was,” Stewart said. “….Now there’s a human element in this space because there’s more athletes getting involved with television, radio and podcasting. If [they] can believe in what they know and know what they believe in and give it to the audience, [fans] are going to love that player that they once loved.”

For Kordell Stewart, his journey in sports media is far from over as he seeks to grow his new podcasts with Bleav. Being able to genuinely be himself by discussing his career and displaying his versatility in media is his way of continuing to live up to his nickname “Slash,” as he uses his past experiences and exudes his passion for football to position himself to become a compelling listen to new consumers and expand his reach.

At the same time, he serves as a source of inspiration to the next generation of athletes and media professionals finding ways to amalgamate their talents in whatever endeavors they seek out – even if they are told by others to just stick to what they are best at.

“Sometimes when I’m out here working, those who are the bosses sometimes like for people to do what it is that they’re good at to allow that void or that space to be solidified so they can create more spaces,” Stewart said. “In my mind when I really think of it, it’s almost like they say ‘A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.’ If you can do more – the more, the merrier…. You don’t want to minimize yourself.”

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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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