In the 41-minute sports media podcast, ESPN original and the retired head of ESPN’s communications, Chris LaPlaca is the guest on “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand.”
Through the years, ESPN transformed from scrappy underdog to The Worldwide Leader in Sports to the middle of American politics’ divide. LaPlaca was the right-hand man to ESPN’s leaders like George Bodenheimer, John Skipper and Jimmy Pitaro. He goes into detail on specific situations and controversies, while explaining the goals of ESPN communications over the years and in the future.
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What’s on tap:
What was ESPN like when LaPlaca joined ESPN in the early days
The Mom & Pop aspects of the business
ESPN went from the underdogs and cool to the leaders in scrutiny
What is the head of ESPN’s communications trying to accomplish
LaPlaca says you never lie as a PR person
How do you deal with the politics and with commentators, like Jemele Hill, etc.
How ESPN handled calls from the White House for Hill to be fired
Why did suspensions to people like Bill Simmons make sense
How ESPN handled the Dan Le Batard politics situation
How you deal with social media and whack-a-mole
Understanding a crisis vs. an issue
Stuart Scott and his critics
How Stephen A. Smith has a thick skin
LaPlaca remembers losing his temper with Marchand
Marchand says he would rather argue with PR people before a story than after
Bodenheimer told LaPlaca he needed him always available
Pitaro has said he never called LaPlaca where LaPlaca didn’t pick up
Why LaPlaca, Adrian Wojnarowski and Mike Vaccaro love St. Bonaventure so much
The old days fighting in Rudy Martzke’s column with Vince Wladika’s, Lou D’Ermilio, Dan Bell, Greg Hughes, Leslie Anne Wade and more
The truce with Wladika that Abe Madkour couldn’t believe
How Josh Krulewitz has done succeeding LaPlaca
Sponsor: WSC Sports … Tell them Marchand sent you
On Deck Tuesday (or earlier): Marchand & Meterparel
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