Multinational PR firms have long used their geographic reach and breadth of services as a key tool in winning competitive pitches.

It used to be selling cars involved nothing more than selling cars. You talk up the engine, the paint job, and the tires. You toss in some chrome tailfins and fuzzy dice, and you have a deal.

NEW YORK: Marty Tankleff, a Long Island man who was recently freed by new evidence after spending 17 years in prison for his parents' murder, was aided in his quest for freedom by years of pro bono work by Soury Communications.

When OtisMed sought to boost public awareness of its new "OtisKnee" knee replacement product, which is built to be customized to individual users, it faced a market crowded with competing products, all a bit different.

With public awareness of green issues at an all-time high, environmental nonprofits have to adapt their communications strategy to reach various audiences.

Who says the media and PR are so different? If you consider "pundits" to be part of the media - and they damn sure consider themselves as such -then both sides are full of self promotion, factual manipulation, and an eager willingness to say any old crazy thing in order to get on television.

In navel-gazing media news this morning, the forgotten CBS News writers kerfuffle comes to an end as the two sides agree on a contract after more than two years without one.

NEW YORK: The Economist is set to kick off its third online debate this week as it works to expand its Web site into a quasi-social networking tool to harness the prestige of its readers. The Oxford-style debate, called Debate, will center on education before it moves on to other topics.

BOSTON: Ogilvy PR has signed a partnership agreement with BzzAgent, making it the first PR agency in the US to formally partner with the word-of-mouth powerhouse.

The HBO drama series The Wire is best known for its unflinching portrayal of murderous drug dealers, boozing cops, and crooked politicians that infest the urban pathways of Baltimore. This season, (the show's last), much of the action will also center on "The Baltimore Sun," a fictionalized version of the city's real-life publication.