Stoli with a twist...

Whew! The Sochi Olympics are history now and we got through the Games without a major incident. Unfortunately, the terrorists made their impact and kept a lot of international visitors away. The construction is still going on around the city and it is expected to continue for some time. But in spite of the many drawbacks, at the end of the Games, the sun was shining.

The best news is that in the final days the Russian organizers heeded our advisory committee's urging and focused on the athletes. The Olympic Park was a fortress and security was at the highest level possible. Once inside, you were about as safe as you could be in these circumstances.The crowds in the final days were mostly nearby Russian visitors and they had much to cheer about.  The athletes all received excellent benefits from their community hosts and the organizing committee. There was little they weren't afforded and it showed. Ultimately, it's the athletes who are the test. If they're happy then everyone feels good.

So our group suggested a twist for the closing ceremonies. I could say "spin" but there are bad connotations to that term in the PR world. The Games needed a positive close after a very rough start so we suggested to our Russian Olympic friends that they should carefully craft any statements about the success of the Games that were made publicly by the officials. We call them "qualifiers"...by adding or excluding words that keep you from overstating the situation.

Because of the clear athlete focus I just mentioned, "These were the athletes' games" became our key message for the closing. We were confident that the athletes would back up that statement. And as far as the event itself was concerned "Russia delivered what all it had promised" was the strongest claim we could make because you can argue for a long time about what those promises were and who made them. But there's no doubt that the Russians pulled it off.

The head of the local organizing committee Dmitry Chernyshenko and IOC President Thomas Bach reinforced those messages in their very calculated remarks at the closing ceremony. Chernyschenko is a native of Sochi and was very emotional about the transformation of his city from a barren field to an awesome Olympic Park by the sea in seven years. That shows a human side of the Russian personality that is not always out front. Russia and its leaders still have lots to prove on the world stage but on the sports field, they've gained our respect...right down to their medal count win, which they deserve.

With over 3,000 journalists in attendance, no stone could really go unturned. And there was a faction that wanted the Russians to fail. There were plenty of rocks being thrown during the entire process, from the construction problems ahead of time to security, cell phones, protests and even the weather. All in all though, the Games were well played. Even if their president went to any length necessary to make sure these Games happened there, the Russian people had much to be proud of and I am pleased to say that my committee helped them express that to the world.

Work on my 11th Olympic outing was really a roller coaster ride. From a very tense and confused beginning to an exciting celebratory finish, every day we encountered new and challenging situations. Coming up with answers and suggestions in front of my new computer on Skype made me feel a bit like a local reporter giving updates on the devastating east coast storms from the "news center" just 15 feet away from the anchor desk. But thanks to this new world of communications we live in, I was there.

Playing even a minor role in the messaging for this Olympics makes me proud.  I'm wearing my Sochi ball cap now but I'm told there is a Ushanka (one of those black furry Russian hats)on its way to me that I will cherish and promise to wear when it snows. Having this edition of the global games be a safe one was a very heart-warming experience. Now for that ice-cold Stoli...with a twist.

Outside Agitation

Pussy Riot...there's an Olympic topic worthy of  hours of discussion. Seriously, the shoe is now on the other foot for our Russian Olympic friends. They have been pushing hard on their own agenda in our meetings since before the Sochi Games began. Now they want to keep their heads down and stay out of the line of fire.

Outside agitators are what those who disrupt major events have come to be called. The Pussy Riot confrontation was definitely made worse by the Cossacks, a citizens group that has been allowed to help with security in Sochi during the Games. Sort of like the Guardian Angels, several hundred of these volunteers recently arrived to assist police and they followed and then roughed up ousted members of Pussy Riot, allegedly performance artists, when anti-Putin singing and chanting began within sight of Olympic banners (which are hard to avoid anywhere in Sochi and the surrounding area.)

We've spent the last few of our discussions sorting out the good and the bad in this situation along with the attention that the rioting in the Ukraine is bringing to the Games. Our conclusion is that none of this activity is directed at the Olympics and that security and the organizers are being baited into association by proximity.

Sochi to Kiev is about 650 miles. That's a 10 hour drive by car and an hour in a jet airliner. It may sound close to some but the two places are world's apart. The protesters in Kiev are becoming very violent and so is the reaction on the part of authorities. Word today is that some sort of an agreement may be reached. But what does any of  it have to do with the Games? Nothing, really. It's just turmoil in another part of the world that we Americans don't understand very well. But world news here continues to be thin in scope and that's another story.

The Pussy Riot situation is most perplexing. It was a bad public happening from every viewpoint. The performers who were trying to protest in Sochi have been disavowed by the original founders of the dissident punk band publicly and seem to be trying to gain attention for themselves and not for a cause. The Cossasks clearly overstepped their bounds and have been mildly chastised by the police. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has raised their hands and said NOP (not our problem).

So what is the problem? My committee's summation is that the Olympics have become a global magnet for groups of all sizes, shapes and ideologies to vent their frustrations. And with literally thousands of media in attendance, stories will be told or at least acknowledged. Attempting to keep the focus on the athletic competition is becoming increasingly difficult. The IOC can't control what happens outside the grounds. The local government has a difficult job to mitigate the flare ups. And world just keeps watching.

Outside agitation continues to grow.  We have four days left to finish these Games in peace. Our advice to the Russians is, indeed, to keep their heads down. Focus on the competition and those visiting the event in person. Thus far, those folks are being kept safe. This amazing sports gathering supersedes the problems of the world. Whenever world politics have been injected into the mix, wildfires have occurred. Our Russian hosts are definitely feeling the heat now. All of us involved want to the sun keep shining on the Olympics into next week...but it's a full time job.

More to wrap up later...

You'd never imagine...

You would never imagine that your good friends from high school and college could become radical anarchists and kidnappers. But life is full of surprises.

I'd never heard of Patty Hearst when the news reports said that she had been kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). And what kind of an army is that, by the way?

With Patty Hearst celebrating a significant birthday this week, it got me thinking about those years in mid-70's when she was kidnapped and all that happened until she was found. Several of my friends and I were dragged into the debacle by association and it became quite an unbelievable ordeal.

Not too much information was released after the kidnapping. It was all about Patty and her family. But when she was spotted in a bank robbery where a woman was killed, the situation heated up considerably. Eventually a shoot-out with police occurred and the house that the SLA was hiding in was burned to ground. Most of the key members of the organization were identified then and we realized that one of those killed was Angela Atwood, who we knew as "Angel" DeAngelis, a sorority sister of Jane's and a member of a popular campus singing group, including Jane Pauley, that I performed with and helped manage.

It had been a couple of years since we'd been with Angel and, obviously, her life had taken a dramatic turn when she moved to California. She had been the voice of the SLA in all the calls and recordings that were part of the kidnapping. Bewilderment was the feeling that came of us when we learned she had been killed.

But that was just the beginning, because when we heard the next piece of news, it came even closer to home for me. Patty Hearst had escaped the fire with two other SLA members, Bill and Emily Harris. The first reports called him "William" but I soon realized it was Bill, a close friend in high school whom I had recruited at the university as well. He had been in the Marines after graduation and returned to campus to study for a master's in drama when I last saw him about a year before the fire. We both had a penchant for acting in high school and were in two productions together, including the Diary of Anne Frank where he's pictured here, on the far left, playing my son.

Our association became front page local news as the story played out. It wasn't too long before I was initially interviewed by the FBI and our mail was routinely opened and then stapled shut with an "FBI Search" stamp on the envelope.  Several of our college chums were shadowed also and one former classmate was approached by Bill for refuge at her apartment in the middle of the night.  She refused him and felt very lucky to report the encounter to authorities.

In an ironic twist of fate, the agent in charge of the case was an old Army buddy of mine. We were both recruited while we were in the service by an agent stationed on our base. He took the bait and joined up and I went on to other things. We had a good reunion after the debacle was over but it was all business at the time.

I was writing as a correspondent for a daily newspaper in those days and my ruminations on this situation while the Harrises and Patty were still at-large got a fair amount of attention. When they were captured a year later, I heard the news on the car radio driving back home from a business trip.  I remember being relieved that they were taken alive.  The piece I wrote after their arrest got quite a bit of national play and even the editor of TIME magazine sent me a kind note wishing that someone had answers to the questions I had raised about how a person can become so overtaken by an ideology that builds on and promotes violence against a certain social strata.

Bill Harris served his time.  We corresponded while he was in prison and his letters were full of vitriol against society. He now works as a legal aide to one of the lawyers who defended him. On more than one occasion, he has returned to his hometown and seen some of our old high school and college friends.  I haven't seen him myself but I'm told he looks well and seems "rehabilitated".  There still are no answers to why he took that radical turn in his life. I cannot imagine that a "Richie Cunningham" childhood could become so dark and sinister to do the things that Bill Harris and the SLA did back then. I truly hope we're all getting better at living together. We simply have to.

FINALLY...

It's Day Number 11 of the Sochi Games and the talk in our twice daily strategy sessions with the local organizers has turned to something other than complaints about the treatment of visitors. Most the problems with venue and infrastructure are less of a focus now because international visitors are not attending in the numbers that were anticipated and the local Russian audience is growing but not staying over. What we would call in the event promotion business "walk-ups" are swelling the attendance numbers but still the traffic through the gates and the hotels is down considerably over advance estimates.

Concerns over security and treatment of guests aside, these Games are buttoned up to an extreme. If you're inside the compound, you feel relatively safe. The checks are extensive and done daily...at the main gates, at the hotels and restaurants and at the venues.  Cars are thoroughly searched at the entrance and again at hotels and multiple physical "pat-downs" are the norm.

So what are we talking about now? Well, first the issue of cellphones just won't go away. One Russian official issued an edict before the Games started that cellphone photos would be prohibited during the event. Fat chance! Can you imagine trying to police that, short of taking all cellphones away. And we know that can't happen.  We argued heavily in the committee and the edict was rescinded. American travel sources recommend against bringing cellphones, tablets or laptops, if at all possible.  And we agree.

Hacking is also a prime topic. It seems it takes less than a minute for the Russians to hack into a phone, laptop or tablet and capture all the information. Tapping the device for listening is the next step and you can pay for that. What can be done about this? Little is the prevalent answer. Cyberspace is problematic over there. Our committee had some problems in Beijing but nothing like Sochi. The Russians seem to be the best in the world at maneuvering through this minefield.

The other subject lately is merchandise. Counterfeiting was prevalent before the Games started but a very stern crackdown seems to have calmed that storm. The Russians are making the "official" merchandise out of the reach of many visitors. $60 for a stocking cap and $100 for a t-shirt certainly aren't bargains for Americans. We've talked pricing and it all boils down to Russian capitalism.  Margins are significant and the black market makes them even bigger.

And that brings us back to the "Russian Way". They don't budge very much on doing things "their" way. Advice from almost any source is viewed very skeptically. Even on the operations front, they were advised to stock up on salt which could be used to loosen and then freeze the mountain runs in case of warm weather.  They opted out of the advice and guess what?  Their quickly running out of salt and you know the rest of the story on the slopes.

At least now, we're seeing some great competition and bringing these Games back to the athletes in this second week of competition. Things are safe and sound for now and we're hoping to keep it that way.

More to come...

Put on a happy face...

Here we are at day number nine of the Sochi Olympics and two really important things have happened. First, there have been no major problems in or out of the competition (Spring weather on the slopes aside). And secondly, none of the infrastructure and venue problems have gotten any better. Our Russian friends are still not taking advice well and regardless of the difficulties, the response to the criticism is something that can be loosely translated as "Put on a happy face."

Twice a day, a group that includes members of the local organizing committee, Olympic staff and advisers like me come together to discuss and strategize the possible public communications around prevalent issues. We've talked about the weather, the accommodations, travel, transportation, the athlete village, the doors to the bathrooms and media accommodations. Today the subject was surveillance or as I would like to call it "spying".

It's been made very clear by the media in attendance that there is complete lack of privacy once you enter the grounds. The Russians are touting what they profess to be the most sophisticated audio tracking system in existence.  They can hear anything, anywhere, any time. And even US officials don't seem to be arguing that point.

Of course, the system is to combat potential terrorist threats (which are being received on a regular basis, and immediately being dismissed in most cases). However, there is some consternation from visitors and, especially athletes, who feel being unable to have free and open discussion in the privacy of their rooms is overstepping the bounds. You'll notice that the NBC crew is not now taking too many shots at the negatives in this situation.  I wonder why?

Here is where our hosts can't seem to grasp the difficulties brought on by the situation. Long discussions follow where several of us outline scenarios that would make surveillance an impediment to the competitive nature of some sports. "Really?!" is the response from our Russian counterparts. Why don't they get it? We wonder if it's ingrained in the culture.

Two media visitors submitted this example of the surveillance techniques. They checked into a room in one of the media hotels and, as they were settling in, one said to the other, "We have most of what we need here but a good sized work table would sure be helpful in getting our writing done." Fifteen minutes later, there was knock at the door.  "We understand you need a table in your room. We have one for you right here." There was no phone in the room.

And this doesn't begin to address the issue of surveillance cameras...everywhere and I mean everywhere. I guess we have to find comfort in knowing that anything strange is going to be noticed and, hopefully, that will impede something really bad happening.

Our hosts don't seem to want to budge on these public issues. They are obviously going to handle things their way. Our group is making tiny steps toward transparency, but it's not easy. I'll talk more about cell phones, the transportation to the venues and security guards.

All this is not to say that you can't have a good time.  The Stolichnaya is 120 proof and the rock and roll is loud and you can dance to it. So what's left...enjoy the 60-degree weather and put on a happy face.

More later...

"Guaranteed to be safe"

Sounds like a TV ad for an oven cleaner.  But it's the message that the Sochi Olympic Organizing Committee wants to distribute as the opening ceremonies are literally underway."Guaranteed to be safe."

Part of our daily gatherings (I'm sitting in on Skype for security reasons) is to talk about messaging.  What is the story about the games that we want to get out to public each day? The longest portion of today's call was focused on the safety of those attending.  The numbers are down dramatically.  If any event at most Olympics is sold out, it's the Opening Ceremonies. Thousands of tickets are either unsold or unused for that event this time. Hotel rooms are vacant and airline seats are being cancelled.

This event is having a very rough start. Infrastructure, venues, transportation and security are all in disarray. And now that media has arrived from around the world, all the problems, little and big, are becoming public.I argued vehemently against the committee making a "guarantee" statement. Even if there is no problem, and no one wants that to be the case more than me, guaranteeing safety is a challenge to the threats. I gave them several other options to put in the messaging. "Maximum security measures are in place." "The safety and well-being of all attending is our primary concern" But the public pressure is just too strong for the Russians to low key this.  They feel that they have to make a bold statement. And I'm afraid this is going to be it.

The athletes are my main concern. They now have less freedom than the animals in most zoos. They're stuck in their rooms until their competition. Then there is an armed escort for them to and from. There is some movement around the village but it's limited. This event should be the time of their lives...not "jail" time.The Olympics is about them. What a shame.

Also remember that this is a media event for the millions of us watching from afar. The media should therefore be catered to in the best way possible. Right now, many of them don't have hotel rooms and few have internet or computer access in the media center. They're on their own...and that's not good.

This could all change, if the organizers start listening and trying to put themselves in the place of those attending. Messaging becomes a crucial element of the strategy now that the Olympics are up and running. Thus far, I can tell you that the Chinese in Beijing were better listeners. I'm not the only one giving them advice and the majority of us strategists are on the same page. Hopefully things will calm down a bit over the opening weekend. Just remember, there are no guarantees. We can only hope for the best. And don't miss NBC's 30-minute lead-in to the opening ceremonies.  It's an eye-opener. And there's a faux-pas that's all the talk online already.

Carrying the flag

Weather doesn't affect brainstorms. It's ideas that determine their impact.

The week before the National Football Conference championship game, we had a brainstorm. Subject: What could the Space Needle do to help rally our city behind the Seattle Seahawks bid for a Super Bowl Championship? Sure, the Hawks had to win the NFC but if we waited until they'd done that to brainstorm, we would lose a day or two of the two weeks, which is all we had before the Super Bowl.

We packed the conference room with our best minds and even brought in some brain food to stimulate the conversation. You have to be fast to get the meatball subs. They go first.

Once you begin a brainstorm, it takes a while to let reality sink in.  What can we really do in two weeks time from a flat-footed start? The answer is we have to play our best cards first. Don't hold back. What have we done that  has really captured the community's interest? Answer: Fly the big 12 Flag.  And I mean BIG. 25' X 35' to be exact. None bigger...nor more revered. It has become the symbol of every Seahawk lover who can see the mountains and the Sound.

But we've flown it before and we'll be expected to fly it now. That's not so different. Come on.  We can come up with a better idea than that. OK, so let's get someone special to raise the flag. Who can it be? A champion, of course. What kind of champion? A major national team championship. Our last major champions were the amazing 1979 Seattle Supersonics. They won the NBA. Doesn't Hall-of-Famer and Coach of that Sonics team, Lenny Wilkens still live in town?

It's a good thing that I worked with Lenny and his charity a few years ago and had just seen him on a flight to DC with another Seattle hero, former mayor Norm Rice. I just knew I could reach him, if he was in town.

I did, so we've got a flag raiser. Now what? Let's make that flag a gift to the team from the community.  How can we do that? First, let's ask the Seahawks. Great, they love it. Now how about having everyone sign it and then take it on a cross country bus trip to New Jersey? Sign it, yes, but a cross country bus trip to New Jersey? I don't think so. OK, let's put it on a plane. That'll work.

In every battle, someone must carry the flag.  The flag is a symbol of our ideals and our passion. So after the Seahawks had become the National Football Conference Champions and their sights were clearly set on the Super Bowl, we began a journey to carry the 12 Flag that flew atop the Space Needle to the battlefield and present it to the team.

So far so good. However, remember that we're just a player in all this so we've got look at the big picture. There's a rally for the entire city in Seattle Center on Wednesday before the Super Bowl. Let's get those rabid fans to sign the flag and then motorcade it to the airport.

All is going fine but then Seattle's famous rain showed up and we were afraid of losing the crowd. No chance. A little rain can't stop a Seahawks fan. Literally thousands lined up to sign...and our new mayor was first. Before we headed for the airport, we stopped by the Space Needle's next door neighbor, Dale Chihuly, and he put his mark on the flag. He draws a cool Space Needle. Then as quickly as the idea gelled, we were off.  From the Needle to New Jersey. Even the alliteration works.

From the moment our travelling team arrived at the airport, it was a non-stop signing party. Almost 100 hours later, with about 12 hours of sleep (see how that number 12 keeps sneaking in) for the team, the flag had made a truly cavalcade tour through Manhattan and New Jersey. We wowed them in Times Square, in Yankee Stadium, Central Park and ultimately at the Statue of Liberty with an entourage of reporters and photographers who each had a stake in the Seahawks run at the Super Bowl.  The photos and video went around the world.  In the interim, we stopped by the Today Show and hooked up with our mayor again.  Even weatherman Al Roker signed the flag and wished us luck.

Momentum. That's what makes a good idea great. And we had it. Fans found us wherever we were and we toured every party and gathering that we could find with fans running after us to get their signatures on the 12 Flag that flew atop the Space Needle. By the time we delivered the flag full of thousands and thousands of well-wishes to the team, our cross country adventure had taken on a life of its own.

The topper would be a Seahawks win...and boy, did we win. SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS...THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS. Amazing. We saved the best for last during the game when we set off fireworks from the top of the Space Needle after every score...and don't think we weren't a little worried about running out at the rate the team was scoring. We made it, though, and gave it a true victory burst as time ran out on the clock.

Celebrations ensued and the team was no exception. They partied into the night with Coach Pete Carroll singing and dancing while team owner Paul Allen played the guitar. Even Macklemore, our hometown rap star, joined the festivities and performed for the team at the hotel. Man, we are hot!

The big parade is tomorrow. Hundreds of thousands are expected to line the street to the stadium. The 12 Flag came back with the team and it's going to end up in a place of honor to the memory of this city's first Super Bowl Championship. That flag speaks volumes about this city. Our independent nature. Our can-do attitude. Our irreverence for convention. It's all there in the signatures on the flag.

Some brainstorms fizzle out like tropical depressions. Others can bring thunder but not much rain. Brainstorms sometimes become torrential downpours.  Our brainstorm became a reality...and it was a Force 7.

There is only one "12 Flag that flew atop the Space
Needle". That's how it's known now and always will be.Those who touched it with their names and well wishes for this incredible Seattle celebration are part of a special club. They are the heart and soul of this city...and they will be a part of its history...a part of the 12 Flag that flew atop the Space Needle. Sometimes you win.