Nov 26
2011


I’M a big shuttle guy, usually traveling from Boston to New York City, Washington, Palm Beach or Miami. So I don’t have those long flights where I can really unwind after producing an event. Plus, in the busy season, I usually have to get to Cape Cod about three times a week from Boston. That’s a puddle jumper flight, so there’s not much time to do anything.

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I recently asked my 17-year-old godson what he thought he might want to do when he grew up. He replied that he definitely wanted to do something that involved lots of travel, implying that he thought all the travel I do is pretty cool. It is, but it’s also work.

I like to say I get married 10 times a year, and I really have the good fortune to run into a lot of former wedding clients, or their families or friends. It’s also great when they give you a shoutout at the airport or on a plane and tell you how much they enjoyed that special day.

My entire team of workers will really try and accommodate people. I get a lot of last-minute calls from people who may be slightly freaking out before their weddings, which makes for some strange carry-ons.

One time I had to transport 300 pairs of flip-flops to a wedding in Jamaica. Who knew they packed so neatly? Another time I had to take the top of a wedding cake from a Palm Beach wedding back to New York for the happy couple. It sat on my lap the entire flight. Another time a bride forgot her wedding dress, and asked that I bring it to her.

I never really had any security issues with any of the stuff that I carry for weddings. I did have issues with one of my belt buckles.

I collect belt buckles and someone gave me one shaped like a fish hook. It’s about four inches wide. When I was traveling from Washington to Paris, I was wearing it and had no problem. However, I had some problems with it in Boston, which I found weird, since I had no issues traveling overseas wearing it. The agent did tell me he really liked the buckle. But it was, nonetheless, a potential risk, and I had to check it.

The most precious package I ever carried with me was a ketubah, a document that’s an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage. I insisted it shouldn’t be shipped because it was too important to the couple. Plus, I thought I was going to drive from Boston to New York City for the wedding, so I could easily carry it.

But because of some other obligations, I wound up flying from Boston to Miami, and then to Washington and finally, New York. The document was in a cardboard tube, and I figured, how hard would it be to carry a cardboard tube?

I placed it under my seat, but during the trip it rolled back to coach. I didn’t know that until I went to grab it. I should have learned my lesson.

On the second leg of the trip, I put it in the overhead bin. When we landed I opened the bin to grab the tube. Again, it wasn’t there.

This time, I started sweating and my heart was slamming out of my chest. I was opening other bins, looking under the seats. I was like a crazy man.

After three hours, I finally found it at the airline’s lost and found. I didn’t realize it, but one of the attendants took it from my compartment, put it in a compartment in the back of the plane, then took it from there and put it in the first-class closet. When no one claimed it, it was taken to lost and found.

Since then, I have never let anything out of my sight. My heart wouldn’t be able to take it.

By Bryan Rafanelli, as told to Joan Raymond. E-mail: joan.raymond@nytimes.com.

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Nov 26
2011

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) – A Virginia State Police spokeswoman says troopers worked two fatal accidents this holiday weekend.

Sgt. Michelle Anaya said both accidents happened on October 9, one in Newport News and the other in Accomack County.

At 1:20 am 29-year-old Adam Joseph Coster was traveling eastbound on I-64 at mile marker 247 when his 2000 Acura Inspire veered off the road.

According to a release, Coster, of the 1500 block of Grove Street in Hampton, overcorrected and struck the guard rail. He died at the scene.

Over 12 hours later at 1:31 pm troopers were called to a two vehicle accident on Southbound Route 13, east of route 691.

A police investigation revealed that a 2001 Infinity G20 was traveling southbound on Route 13 when a 2010 Dodge Caravan traveling northbound on the same road failed to stop at a red light.

The Dodge tried to make a left turn onto Route 691 causing the Infinity to crash into the caravans passenger side.

Anaya said the driver of the Infinity, 72-year-old Harry Lionel Killmon, Jr., of Jamesville, Virginia, was taken to Peninsula Regional Medical Center where he later died.

The driver of the Dodge was charged with failure to obey a traffic signal. Anaya added that more charges were pending against the driver.

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Nov 26
2011

ESPN has a new skipper.

Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger on Tuesday announced he was elevating John Skipper to lead the companys sports programming juggernaut. For the last six years, the former Rolling Stone and Spin magazine executive has been in charge of programming and production across ESPNs phalanx of media platforms, including its TV channels, radio network and the Internet.

Skipper, 55, will become ESPN president and co-chairman of the Disney Media Networks, replacing George Bodenheimer, who has been running Disneys most profitable division for 13 years. Disney said Bodenheimer, 53, who has worked at ESPN since 1981, wanted to step back from day-to-day management but will remain with ESPN in the newly created role of executive chairman. His contract would have expired at the end of 2011.

The executive shuffle, effective Jan. 1, is significant because its the first change in more than a decade at the top of a remarkably stable division. Bodenheimer will continue to report to Iger. Skipper, who has been with Disney for 22 years, will report to Iger and Bodenheimer.

We have been focused on succession at all levels of Disney for some time now, and consistent with that approach, George initiated conversations last spring that led to [this] announcement, Iger said in a statement.

Nearly two months ago, Iger himself signed a new five-year agreement that will keep him at the helm of the media colossus through 2015.

ESPNs US television channels generated more than $8.2 billion in revenue and $2.4 billion in operating income last year, according to consulting firm SNL Kagan. ESPN, based in Bristol, Conn., boasts eight US television networks, five high-definition services, 48 international networks, a 3-D TV channel and 750 radio affiliates. Burbank-based Disney owns 80% of ESPN, and the Hearst Corp. holds the remainder.

There are 13 international editions of the networks sports news program SportsCenter, which observers say has changed the face and quickened the pace of TV sports newscasts. Its Monday Night Football franchise consistently ranks as cables most popular program. On Monday, more than 12.3 million viewers tuned in.

They have become this generations MTV in terms of their influence, said David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at USC. ESPN has done an extraordinary job of distributing their content throughout ESPNs various platforms.

As executive chairman of ESPN, Bodenheimer will provide strategic direction and support a seamless transition to Skipper, Disney said in its statement. He also will continue to oversee the ESPN board of directors.

Both Bodenheimer and Skipper declined interview requests. But the former head of programming for ESPN acknowledged Bodenheimers desire to turn over the day-to-day reins.

Nobody can understand how big and demanding that job is, said Mark Shapiro, currently CEO of Dick Clark Productions. Its grueling. He has tried very hard to balance work and life, and that had a lot to do with his decision to step aside. He felt now is the time, and he had to be convinced to stay on as chairman.

The shift was also significant because Skipper came up through the content production side, unlike Bodenheimer or Sean Bratches, another well-respected ESPN executive, who has been in charge of ESPN distribution for more than a decade.

For anyone who has been watching ESPN closely, you will have seen John Skippers influence and fingerprints all over ESPNs big decisions and programming direction for a number of years now, Carter said. This should be a smooth move.

A native of North Carolina, Skipper earned bachelors and masters degrees in English literature. He worked for 10 years at Straight Arrow Publishing, owner of Rolling Stone, including eight years at the magazine. He also served as publisher of Straight Arrows US Weekly magazine and publishing director of Rolling Stones rival, Spin magazine. Skipper joined Disneys magazine publishing group in 1990. In 1997, he moved to ESPN as general manager of ESPN the Magazine, overseeing its successful launch.

Since 2005, Skipper has been responsible for the creation, programming and production of all ESPN content. A key member of Bodenheimers team, he helped negotiate major rights agreements with the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, and this summer he served an ace by winning the rights to the Wimbledon Grand Slam tennis broadcasts, a franchise that NBC had owned for decades.

I am humbled and excited to be given the opportunity by Bob and George to lead this terrific company, Skipper said in a statement. I will dedicate all of my energy to follow Georges lead in both empowering and supporting my 7,000 ESPN colleagues who do such great work every day.

Skipper will share the role of co-chairman of the Disney Media Networks with Anne Sweeney, who runs Disneys entertainment channels, including the ABC broadcast network, the Disney Channel and ABC Family from Burbank.

For sports business executives, it will be difficult to envision ESPN led by someone other than Bodenheimer, a Connecticut native who began his career in ESPNs mailroom before taking a job driving a rental car around Texas trying to persuade small cable TV operators to carry the fledging network, then known as Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.

I often use George as an example of an executive who doesnt fit the mold, said Neal Pilson, former head of CBS Sports who teaches a graduate level leadership class at Columbia University. He doesnt yell or jump around or dominate a conversation. But if you spend more than a few minutes with him, you will realize that hes very knowledgeable and understands the process of sports entertainment.

meg.james@latimes.com

Times staff writer Joe Flint contributed to this report.

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