Letters and e-mails drafted when emotions are raw are rarely a good idea. Within a couple hours of James decision, Gilbert decided to unload on the team’s departing superstar. Some of my favorite passages:

“This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his ‘decision’ unlike anything ever ‘witnessed’ in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.”

“You simply don’t deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.”

“This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown ‘chosen one’ sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And ‘who’ we would want them to grow-up to become.”

And definitely the most over-the-top comment: “Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.”

ESPN anchors were so stunned by this outburst that some questioned its legitimacy. But with the letter posted to the front page of the Cavaliers Web site, there was no doubt it was intended for a public audience.

As public relations professionals, we’re taught to get your story out early to to control the message. This was an example where a cooling down period would have been far more beneficial. I’m not sure if Gilbert ran this letter by the team’s communications department, but he would have been well served to take 24 hours and consider if this was the message he wanted to send. If nothing else, he should have opted for a different font than the childlike Comic Sans that so many have skewered.

James decision is a major blow to Cleveland, but sports are a business and free agents departing at the end of their contracts is a part of that business. That doesn’t make James a coward. Athletes are criticized when they chase the dollars above all else. LeBron passed on the biggest payday, which would have come from staying in Cleveland, and went to the team where he thinks he has the best opportunity to win a championship. Although his announcement was tacky, the decision is a respectable one. Gilbert’s decision to blast LeBron on his way out the door doesn’t put him or his team in a better light.

Many have blasted the poster as sexist, and while I don’t disagree, I’m more troubled by how far the Tribune’s standards have slipped. I’m not a fan of over-the-top, rah-rah coverage of the home team, but newspapers are struggling and if a poster of Patrick Kane boosts the bottom line, I understand that decision. Still, would “Go Barack Go!” posters have been considered acceptable in support of a local candidate running for President? Why does a different standard apply to the sports section? Obviously the coverage is going to be pro-Blackhawks; that’s simply catering to your audience. But that coverage needs to look like it still comes with some objectivity.    

Openly mocking a professional athlete, however, brings the Trib to an even sorrier place. A newspaper’s role is to report on the games and provide analysis. If they want to needle the opposition, that’s the role of their sports columnists. Suggesting that Pronger “looks like Tarzan, skates like Jane,” is childish and pathetic. What if Pronger were to land on the Blackhawks roster someday? The Tribune will have already poisoned their relationships with him.

In an era when newspapers are struggling to maintain relevance, it’s sad to see one do so by resorting to third grade humor.

Last year I met Baichwal when WLS covered the arrival of Porter Airlines first flight from Toronto to Chicago Midway. Having previously worked in Toronto for Canada’s top national news outlet, CTV, Baichwal was perfectly suited to cover the new connection between the two Great Lakes cities. Ravi was kind enough to share some thoughts on the relationship between broadcast journalists and public relations practitioners in this edition of “Five Questions.”

Q: What goes into the daily decision making process at WLS in choosing which stories the team will cover?
A: The key questions we ask of ourselves focus on what’s of greatest importance to the most people. That’s why weather and crime are often in the lineup. Our job is to tell the stories of interesting people doing interesting things in the world we all share. Where we can find those stories, and where the impact or implications from those narratives hit home with wide swaths of people, that’s where we tend to direct resources. And we try to focus on events that are somehow out of the ordinary – where the video is exceptionally good, and the story in the visual medium is easy to tell. That’s why television news is especially suited to emotional, people-based stories rather than process stories. Our medium just conveys the message in the pictures that much more effectively than anything else.

Q: When PR people have a segment idea, what’s the best way to pitch that story to your news team?
A: Find individual reporters and build a relationship with them. Do this by offering stories that are arresting visually. Any pitch from a PR agency is going to engender suspicion in a newsroom. It has to; that’s just in the nature of our journalistic duty to be skeptical. That said, knowing that the PR person you are dealing with is an honest broker who understands how a TV story gets put together helps. We want to know that you know what deadlines are, how important it is to offer local experts and b-roll opportunities, and that if we can’t do it, you don’t take rejection personally.

Q:What separates “good pitches” from “bad pitches?” What types of things are you looking for in a pitch that will make it a story you’d cover?
A: A good pitch has to have good video that is at the core of the story’s appeal to broad spectrum of people. It is amazing how many interview “opportunities” I am offered for satellite interviews with people pitching products that I just don’t care about. The principal in the story has to be in Chicago otherwise I can tell you it is highly unlikely the story will be covered.

Q: When you’re on location shooting a segment, how can PR people best assist you and your team?
A: If you are working with a big company on a breaking story, making spokespeople available is number one. Having background statistics that are relevant and help us develop context is good, too. This is especially helpful on big public policy stories involving such subjects as health care and community development.

Q: What’s your most memorable story or experience as a broadcaster?
A: There are so many. The time when my son was born and I was anchoring Canada’s number one national broadcast for the first time and I went on air with no sleep for nearly 48 hours comes to mind. That was a special broadcast for a lot of reasons. Our lead story that night was word that a cult in Quebec had succeeded in cloning a human being. The story was subsequently debunked, but I am sure my son will get a laugh out of it in the years to come!

“Please don’t take this as a “Don’t you know who I am?” ego rant, but the outside PR firm rep for Talecris didn’t know I cover pharma @ CNBC.”

“Nearly 6 hours (6 hours!) after Sanofi $SNY issued PR on H1N1 vaccine study corp comm gets around to emailing me the PR. What’s the hurry?”

It’s important to keep in mind that what may once have required too much effort or trouble for the media – calling out bad pitches – is now made quite easy through Twitter. And this is true of both journalists and bloggers.

The good news? It’s an excellent reason to step up our game.

OK, “damaged the credibility of his network” might be an overstatement, but surely CNN executives were wincing last Thursday as they watched one their most visible personalities completely fall apart during an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy! Blitzer didn’t just finish a distant third to Tonight Show sidekick Andy Richter and actress Dana Delany, he stumbled home with a deficit of $-4,600 after Double Jeopardy. Not surprisingly, the blogosphere had a field day with the poor showing by the host of The Situation Room.

When the three contestants were first introduced, I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking Blitzer would cruise past the Desperate Housewife and Conan’s cohort. And while he struggled through the opening round, I was willing to chalk it up to a man who was simply slow with the buzzer. But when Wolf started to chime in late in the game, confusing fettuccine with mostaccioli and making an absolute mess of the “E Times 3” category, it was clear that this test of random knowledge was not for him.

So was the Blitzer blowout a black eye for CNN? It certainly doesn’t help. While there are no shortage of TV news personalities who are hired to be a pretty face that reads a teleprompter, Blitzer comes across as an intelligent man with thoughtful insights. That intelligence betrayed him during a 30-minute game show appearance. For a few weeks, many CNN viewers will see Blitzer and be unable to shake the comical image below. As time goes on, the incident will fade into a mere mention on his Wikipedia bio. But don’t expect CNN to encourage Anderson Cooper or Larry King to join Alex Trebek on the Celebrity Jeopardy! set anytime soon.

Q: Can you give us an overview of the role Octagon plays in pairing celebrities and athletes with companies?
A: We created Octagon First Call because we felt the model/relationship between brand, marketing agency and celebrity was broken. Obviously each have different objectives in putting a deal together but a program really works if they have the same final goal. Thus, we consult with brands and marketing agencies to help determine if a celebrity could help amplify their program via advertising, PR, social media, hospitality and more. Finding the celebrity is the easy part, the challenge is creating a program that works for the particular celebrity chosen. There’s no cookie cutter approach as each celebrity has their own strengths, assets and weaknesses, too.

Q: What are some of the common traits you see in the most effective celebrity endorsers and spokespeople?
A: A person and program that is relatable to the target audience, is genuinely believable and one that can be used across multiple marketing channels, including traditional media relations, online video, and the celebrity’s own assets, such as their personal website.

Q: In the past decade, reality shows and niche cable networks (HGTV, Food Network) have created a new wave of celebrities and expert spokespeople. How has the emergence of this group impacted the industry?
A: It has helped the industry because brands have more to choose from. The increased supply of talent has given brands additional leverage in the marketplace. Also, they are able to pick people that are truly relevant and experts to their brand. Years ago, brands would use football players to promote the grilling season. Now one can choose a chef. While it seems obvious, these chefs did not have big followings/fans before the advent of the Food Network.

Q: How can clients who don’t have the budget for a “marquee name” maximize their investment in a spokesperson?
A: Marquee names do not dictate success. The program and leveraging the celebrity dictate success (along with the fee you are able to negotiate). Social media (for the most part) is free, take advantage of that. Also, if your tactics include online video, find a celebrity that is talented/funny so that people want to see the video. Remember, there is no such thing as viral video. There is only video that is successful so it becomes viral. Also, as we mentioned above, find celebrities that come to the table with more than just their name/likeness. Find people that have strong followings on Twitter or have upcoming projects where your brand can be organically associated with.

Q: What do you see as some of the important industry trends to watch over the next few years?
A: Without question, the internet and mobile devices is and will change the future of these deals. No longer can a brand truly control territory and term and it will be interesting to see how these “legal words” are changed in the coming years. And I would expect to see more brand integration into celebrities’ TV shows, movies, books, web presence and other assets.

In addition to the First Call blog, you can follow David on Twitter: @david_schwab.

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.

According to the project’s blog, “NewspaperProject.org was launched in 2009 by a small group of newspaper executives to support a constructive exchange of information and ideas about the future of newspapers.” While surely part of the future of newspapers in inexorably tied to the financials, let’s also not forget the role newspapers play in shaping the fiber of our communities.

• AdAge (Jan. 26): Few CMOs Think They’re Effectively Tracking Social Media, Word-of-Mouth
• Reuters (Jan. 26): Leaders flock to Davos to discuss economic crisis
• CNET (Jan. 23): Internet users worldwide surpass 1 billion
• Newseum (Jan. 21): Today’s Front Pages:769 front pages from 74 countries (President Obama)
• Mashable (Jan. 21): 40 of the Best Twitter Brands and the People Behind Them
• Poynter Online (Jan. 19): New York Times‘ Policy on Facebook and Other Social Networking Sites

What the study doesn’t tell us is what online outlets make up this “new majority.” It could very well be that “online” includes reading nytimes.com or washingtonpost.com, or looking at cnn.com or foxnews.com. But it certainly has huge implications for the hard-copy newspaper business, which has not had anything positive to report about its own business model in quite a few years. And it has implications for our business as well. When clients want “impactful” stories, they are going to have to accept that “above the fold” is becoming a more and more archaic description of a successful placement.

In addition, where (physically) a story appears is going to matter less, but driving stories that are searchable and enticing will matter more. With a hard-copy newspaper, a front-page placement or and upper-right-corner placement on an inside page matters because even if a reader isn’t looking for your story, they can still be drawn to it. Online browsing is much more targeted to a readers’ interests, which will put the additional onus of “search engine optimization” on any materials that a communicator releases.

Traditional newspapers aren’t dead yet, but we may have just heard the beginning gongs of their death knell.