The most important public relations lesson I've ever learned.

​'More Sports & Les Levine'​ had been a fixture on Radio or TV virtually every weekday 1991 - 2021. Photo courtesy of Classic Teleproductions

​The greatest public relations lesson I've ever learned came fully to light after my father passed away February 3, 2021: Be Kind.  Les Levine has been called a broadcasting legend.  A trailblazing media juggernaut that found success across five decades in Radio, Television, Print and the Internet.  In some circles, he is arguably considered the 'father of sports talk in Cleveland'.  These are not my designations. To me, he is simply my dad.

​I have been extraordinarily blessed to learn from him over the years.  From a very young age, exposure to radio and television studios, a peek behind the backstage curtain at festivals and concerts, countless remote broadcasts, play-by-play calls, authored articles, programming hours and personal conversations have helped shape my professional event production endeavors and provided me with valuable keen insight into the media and marketing world.

​Retrospectively we've only begun to understand his true impact locally and beyond.  My family has been positively overwhelmed with the outpouring of public and private support.  We figured after a stellar 50-year career in media he would get a mention 'here or there' after he passed.  Stopping the entire sports talk cycle in Cleveland for over 24-hours three days before the Super Bowl was not something any of us anticipated.

​The theme heard repeatedly and thread of connectivity among media members sharing stories from his career has been remarkably consistent.  Although Les was inherently talented and could be defined in part by a dedication to his craft - it was his compassion for helping and mentoring others in the industry that resonated with competitors and counterparts alike.

​So therein lies the ultimate public relations advice: Be Kind.  In the world of marketing, no matter how many press releases one may send out.  No matter how many awards and accolades ones company might receive.  No matter what message is delivered to the press to try to shape a narrative.  At the end of the day, what cut through all the noise, yielding a bounty of unimaginable media coverage, is a life well lived.  Of someone who tried to help others achieve the best version of themselves.  Someone who saw young people not for who they are, but rather for the potential of what they could become.  Someone who stuck to his convictions as "The Voice Of Truth & Reason" but treated people fairly, with kindness and compassion. 

That is how you win at public relations, that is how you win at life. Thank you dad.

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This story was taken from the February '21 Newsletter Marketing Matters w/ Jeremy Levine

​"Of all the articles I've ever written...
This is the most recent"