Dick Ebersol, the real man beyond the business guy

• NBC Sports boss's big win

  "The N.F.L. is more of a guarantee of success than if you got Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Angelina Jolie to do an hour drama series for the network. You can't guarantee that it will be a ratings success."

  -- Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal (GE) Sports, today in a New York Times story about Sunday Night Football's stellar ratings--one of the few bright spots for the woe-begotten broadcast network.

  While MORE

  Patricia Sellers - Oct 6, 2009 12:50 PM ET
  Posted in: Dick Ebersol, entertainment, Jeff Zucker, media, NBC, Postcards, Power Point, sports

• In defense of the expense-account lunch

  I went out to lunch today. Really. Even as you've read this week about the slashing and shrinking inside my company, Time Inc. (TWX), and across the magazine industry (even Conde Nast, the proud, privately-held protector of privilege and perks is axing), I have to eat. I have to schmooze. My job depends upon it.

  Allow me to defend the expense-account lunch. Here are my rules of (lunchtime) engagement, honed over MORE

  Patricia Sellers - Oct 31, 2008 3:56 PM ET
  Posted in: blogging, Cathie Black, Conde Nast, Dick Ebersol, Eddie Lampert, expense account, FORTUNE MPWomen, Hearst, Jeff Zucker, lunch, Martha Stewart, media, Michael Wolff, Michael's, News Corp., Postcards, Power, publishing, restaurants, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Millington, Time Inc.

• NBC's Olympics star stays in the game

  Of all the NBC people working on the Olympic Games, there's no one who has more ego and sweat-equity vested than Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Sports & Olympics. When I spent time with him at the Turin Italy Winter Games two years ago, he left his custom-designed office in the International Broadcast Center (IBC) once in 17 days. For three minutes.

  He's a notoriously hands-on TV swashbuckler, as I called MORE

  Jessica Shambora, Writer-Reporter - Aug 20, 2008 12:05 PM ET
  Posted in: Beijing, CEOs, Dick Ebersol, GE, General Electric, Leadership by Geoff Colvin, media, NBC, New York Times, Olympics, Postcards, sports, Susan Saint James, Turin

• Power Point: Rising above the win

  "The key to having success like Shaun is that he has the highest expectations of himself. There are certain guys who reach that level and lose their motivation. They're like, 'Ah, I'm number one. I'm over it.' But when you have the mentality like Shaun, you get to that stage and you're like, 'What's next?' What else can I do? How else can I push this?' It doesn't matter that MORE

  Patricia Sellers - Jun 23, 2008 6:26 PM ET
  Posted in: Bob Costas, Charlie Ebersol, Dick Ebersol, Don't Look Down, ESPN, Leadership by Geoff Colvin, NBC, Olympics, Personal Power, Postcards, Power Point, Shaun White, Susan Saint James, Tony Hawk, Willie Ebersol