Name: Greg Hughes
Title and Organization: Executive Vice President, Communications, NBC Sports
Graduation Year and Degree: 1986, BA in Broadcast Journalism
While many of us watched the 2024 Summer Olympic coverage from the comfort of our desks or couches, J-School alum Greg Hughes got a front row seat to the action. Thanks to the work of Hughes and his publicity and communications team, this year’s Paris Games massively exceeded expectations, drawing an combined 30.6 million viewers across NBCU’s platforms and marking an 82% jump in viewership compared to the 2020 Tokyo Games. Over the years, Hughes has been involved with Olympics coverage for several games and handles publicity, image management, crisis management and strategy around NBC Sports broadcasts. Hughes shared his proudest moments from the Paris Games and advice for students.
When it comes to this year’s Olympic Games and your role in its coverage, what are you most proud of?
I am very proud of the team that worked with me on our publicity and communications efforts. The dedication, intelligence, creativity, experience and desire to do the best job possible combined to make the publicity and storytelling about all aspects of our effort very loud in the marketplace. Everything from Snoop Dogg, Mike Tirico, our huge audiences, Peacock (especially Gold Zone), sales, marketing, operations, production – all were given a big media spotlight. It was the most fun and positive event I’ve ever worked on in my career. Our incredible people make the difference.
What’s the best advice you have for a J-School student who wants to do what you do?
Only take jobs that will advance you to your goals — don’t get sidetracked by money to do something else — and always do your job to the best of your ability. People notice people who are dedicated and paying attention, even if they may not be working on something “sexy” or high profile. People who work with passion will always do better than people who are only there to ‘do a job’, so find your passion (mine was obviously sports communications) and give it your all every step of the way.
When we say “J-School,” what do you think of?
When I think of the J-School, I think of people like Jim Hoyt — the integrity that he has always displayed, the generosity of his time and connections, and his positivity. And the late Jim Baughman — he brought humor, passion and fun to subject matter that could be mundane. No matter the hangover or time of day, students would always make it to his classes.
Overall, the J-School represents the best of what journalism should be — people care about facts and details, and take time to understand an issue and explain it to the marketplace. That type of thinking and teaching should be more prevalent and would definitely benefit our society today if every school treated things that way. I am always proud to say that I’m a University of Wisconsin J-School alum.