When it comes to sports media, four letters dominate the conversation: ESPN. Over the past 30 years, ESPN has grown from a scoffed at start-up cable network to one of the most influential brands in sports and media. As a senior director with ESPN Communications, Bill Hofheimer helps oversee media relations efforts for the “worldwide leader in sports.” Among the ESPN properties Hofheimer handles is ESPN’s coverage of Monday Night Football. Recently I posed five questions to Bill about the work of ESPN’s communications squad.
Q: What are the goals of the ESPN media relations department?
A: ESPN’s mission is to serve sports fans, so at the end of the day it all comes down to that ultimate purpose. In our department specifically, we view ourselves as the company storytellers. Much of our day-to-day efforts are focused on securing placements that drive viewership and awareness of ESPN content and products. That includes the networks and everything from radio and dot com to broadband, ESPN The Magazine, etc. From a broader perspective, our department goal is to be an advocate for the company and to help tell the positive stories we have as an organization, both internally and externally.
Q: What types of stories does your team try to pro-actively secure? Is it difficult to break through the cycle of coverage that simply reports ESPN Nielsen ratings and schedules of upcoming programming?
A: We proactively pitch a lot of stories that offer behind the scenes access to bring this perspective to sports fans. What’s it like in a production truck at a Monday Night Football game, in the pit at a NASCAR race or in the half-pipe at the X Games? Who are all the people — not just the on-camera personalities — working on the telecasts and what do their jobs entail? We work closely with our production staff in offering these kinds of opportunities to media and I think our efforts are appreciated because not all networks seem as open as ESPN. Fortunately, there is a lot of interest in ESPN because the company is involved in a variety of businesses and always trying new things.
Q: As a network, ESPN has always been very brand conscious. What role does the media relations team play in promoting the overall ESPN brand?
A: Fans have a very personal relationship with ESPN and that is not taken for granted. We understand how situations can play out in the media and in the public eye. If a program or initiative seems to go against the brand image, our department is quick to raise the flag. We try to bring this critical eye to everything we do. Another important function is to clarify misconceptions about ESPN. So much is written about ESPN by both traditional and non-traditional media. When a writer or a fan doesn’t have all the facts, or even “gets it wrong,” we want to make sure the information is corrected. We try to be very proactive in this regard and it all goes back to protecting the ESPN brand.
Q: Sports bloggers often like to have some fun at ESPN’s expense. What is your department’s policy towards bloggers? Are you actively engaging with any of them or do you take a grin and bear it approach to many of them?
A: We work very openly with bloggers. You have to have this approach. They are becoming increasingly influential. There are a handful we work with on a regular basis and I think we have established very good relationships with them. We encourage them to contact our office if they have questions and we hear from them often. They reach out to us when they are writing something about ESPN and give us an opportunity to respond. They have access to materials we make available to traditional media. We also arrange interviews for them and invite them to events. You understand that there is going to be some level of humor and snark in what bloggers write, and not everything will be positive, but the fact that we have dialogue with them shows their willingness to be fair and to present ESPN’s side of an issue. That’s great.
Q: Now in its 30th year, ESPN has evolved from a single cable network into a global media presence. Where do you see ESPN heading over the next decade?
A: I have been here myself for less than four years and I am amazed at how much ESPN has grown during this time. It’s an exciting place to work. In the next decade, digital media will be a major area of focus. ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband network, delivers more than 3,000 live events per year and that number is sure to grow in the years ahead, as will the amount of ESPN content you will be able to get on mobile devices and ESPN.com. With 15 original versions of SportsCenter produced around the world in nine different languages, ESPN also understands the global popularity of sports. International growth will be another key area with various ESPN networks and the company’s interest in such sports as cricket, rugby and soccer/football.
