Dejan Kovacevic, an award-winning sports writer, has covered the Pittsburgh sports scene since 1990. Kovacevic left his job as sports columnist at the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review and started his own subscription-based Pittsburgh sports website entitled DK on Pittsburgh Sports in July 2014.
DK on Pittsburgh Sports is a website that plays host to columns regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Panthers and other topics revolving the world of Pittsburgh sports.
Kovacevic started his website because he wants to generate content at a faster pace than the newspaper business. He acknowledges that some people view his project as risky, but he hopes he can make an impact in sports journalism with his new business venture.
On Thursday, Nov. 13 the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing will present a speech from Kovacevic pertaining to “the new age of sports journalism” at 1 p.m. in the Lawrence Hall Ballroom.
“The mission of the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing is to provide students of Point Park University with direct access to sports industry professionals, and Dejan Kovacevic is a perfect example of a sports industry professional,” said Mickey Haney, a graduate assistant of the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing.
Kovacevic is a well-known commodity in the Pittsburgh sports media. He boasts over 59,000 followers on Twitter, which is more than any other Pittsburgh sports writer. He spent time covering sports for both of Pittsburgh’s major newspapers, the Tribune-Review and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The Pittsburgh Center of Sports Media and Marketing believe his career is compelling, and it is relatable to students. Tom McMillan, who is a co-director of the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing, attempted to have Kovacevic speak at Point Park for a number of years.
“I always wanted Kovacevic to come to Point Park, because of his experience in the Pittsburgh sports media,” McMillan said.
Furthermore, McMillan deems Kovacevic as an even better prospect to speak at Point Park now that he is also part of the business side of sports.
“Kovacevic is an entrepreneur and part of the business aspect of sports now, which should interest a wide range of students,” McMillan said.
DK on Pittsburgh Sports has garnered over 5,200 subscribers to date. An Android app is currently available for the site, and an app for Apple users has just been released. The website is subscription-based and costs $4 for one month, $24 for one year and $54 for three years.
Up until the launch of his website, Kovacevic worked solely as a writer. Now, his job description has changed.
“Now, I’m a columnist and a CEO, as silly as that combination might sound, and the breakdown of my day is probably about 30/70 in those regards, respectively,” Kovacevic said.
Kovacevic’s job has become much more demanding.
“Not going to lie: it’s been pretty much around the clock for four months now, but also amazingly satisfying,” Kovacevic said.