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December 14, 1998 Issue of PRWeek

IPR publishes guidelines on Internet in response to PRSA plans

GAINSVILLE, FL: The Institute for Public Relations is set to release its guidelines on 'measurement and evaluation of PR' on the Internet - a response ...

Big firms favor PR as faith in ads dwindles

NEW YORK: America's leading manufacturers, disillusioned with advertising, are turning to PR and specialist marketing to increase awareness of their brands.

Castrol moves for Alan Taylor as in-house policy fails to deliver

WAYNE, NJ: Admitting its in-house PR efforts have been ineffective, Castrol North America has hired Alan Taylor Communications as its first-ever full-time PR agency.

General Motors to hire new head of communications

CHICAGO: General Motors is searching for a new head of worldwide communications, retaining the New York-based executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates to look at ...

Novelli bags Porter post

SAN FRANCISCO: Porter Novelli has named Kevin Patsel as the new general manager of its San Francisco office.

Zeiger takes GM task at Shandwick

DETROIT: Rob Zeiger, former chief communications strategist for leading Detroit Democrat Ed McNamara, has been appointed vice president at Shandwick's office in the city.

Four new clients for Horn

SAN FRANCISCO: The Horn Group has landed four new clients in the fourth quarter of 1998, including its second Canadian account, software development company Trademart ...

BSMG marketing names new MD

NEW YORK: BSMG Worldwide named Brooke Schiller managing director in BSMG's Marketing Communication's consumer marketing practice.

Green light for CrossMedia

CHICAGO: Golin/Harris International has launched CrossMedia, a new division to offer PR on a project basis to existing and potential clients.

Ruder Finn takes on Comsat

WASHINGTON: Comsat has tapped Ruder Finn for its worldwide PR account. Under the leadership of executive vice president D.

MWW plays for Planet

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ: Planet Entertainment Corp. named The MWW Group, based in East Rutherford, NJ, for an investor and financial media relations campaign to raise ...

Urban development

WEST PALM BEACH, FL: The West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority has recommended a joint team of Carey O'Donnell PR Group and Edelman PR Worldwide ...

VP role for Mueller at Barksdale

VIENNA, VA: Barksdale Ballard has hired Ronald Mueller as senior VP.

PRs clash with wires over ticker symbols

NEW YORK: An angry battle has developed between PR executives and the newswires over the practice of using public companies' ticker symbols - some with ...

HK finds litigation battles can create drop in sales

NEW YORK: American companies face more than a legal bill if they get involved in litigation without communication - risk losing 50% of their customers.

BSMG staff axed in Dallas office restructure plan

DALLAS: BSMG Worldwide Southwest has restructured its Dallas operations and made seven employees redundant.

APRF seeks new image with 'Council' name change

NEW YORK: Although only five months old, the Association of PR Firms (APRF) is changing its name and entry requirements once again.

Survey says New York PRs wrestle with their image

NEW YORK: Despite the growing importance of PR among Fortune 500 firms, New York PR professionals remain insecure about their image.

Recent Ketchum merger expands Dallas operation

DALLAS: Ketchum Public Relations' fast-growing Dallas office has picked up three new staff members following a recent merger with Wheeler Ridlon Communications.

Shell taps Borches as new PR head

WASHINGTON DC: Shell Oil has tapped Susan Borches, former director of public affairs for the US Department of Commerce, to head up its communications department.

DC hi-tech explosion creates staff crunch

WASHINGTON DC: The Washington area has become a high-tech hot bed, creating a recruitment crisis for technology-oriented PR firms.

Sempra Energy reevaluating its PR relationships

SAN DIEGO: Sempra Energy is set to review its relationship with its two PR firms, following the appointment of Jerry Florence to the position of ...

Broadcast.com & Medialink sign Web agreement

NEW YORK: Corporate communications company Medialink Worldwide has signed an agreement with Broadcast.com that will give both companies' clients increased Internet PR broadcast and production ...

Broadcast.com & Medialink sign Web agreement

NEW YORK: Corporate communications company Medialink Worldwide has signed an agreement with Broadcast.com that will give both companies' clients increased Internet PR broadcast and production ...

Survey finds IR sites lack information

BOSTON: A new study says Fortune 500 companies' investor relations teams do not put enough information online.

Mastercard appoints new global communications head in wake of Rush exit.

PURCHASE, NY: Mastercard International has promoted David Ruth as its new head of global communications following the departure of Charlotte Rush.

Morgan & Myers nets CRMB comeback task

FRESNO: The California Raisin Marketing Board (CRMB) is back, and it has named Morgan & Myers to launch a $1 million campaign to boost demand ...

Fischer bid lands Ernst &Young health care deal

LOS ANGELES: Fischer & Partners last week beat out several other firms, including GCI, Paine Associates, Sciens Worldwide and Noonan/Russo Communications, to win the PR ...

CBPL acquires Ingalls PR for new pro ball league.

BOSTON: The Collegiate Professional Basketball League (CPBL), based in Boston, has named Lexington neighbor Ingalls Public Relations as its agency.

Waggener wins web site award

BOSTON: Waggener Edstrom's New Media Group has scooped the Best PR Site in the 1998 WebAward competition.

Siemens settles on Stratacomm

WASHINGTON DC: After a two month review, Siemens Automotive has chosen Washington-based Stratacomm to provide Beltway representation and strategic counseling on automotive regulatory issues.

LSU debuts mass communication doctoral degree

BATON ROUGE: Louisiana State University has launched a new Ph.D program in mass communications and public affairs.

PR Newswire will expand targeted media services

NEW YORK: PR Newswire is expanding its targeted media service by adding healthcare, business, finance and banking contact lists to its existing technology databases.

Smaller firms spend more time on Net, reveals study

NEW YORK: Small and mid-sized PR firms spend twice as much time on the Net as employees of large firms, despite the fact that smaller ...

Vollmer sets up a Dallas office as its anchor account Sabre grows

HOUSTON: Vollmer Public Relations last week unveiled plans to buttress its North Texas and Oklahoma clients by opening an office in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The Harlem Globetrotters.

The Harlem Globetrotters have teamed up with the Paralyzed Veterans of America in a series of television public service announcements on the abilities of people ...

UPS hires Lewis to lobby for fair market practices

WASHINGTON DC: UPS has recruited Nicholas Lewis as public affairs manager in its battle to 'level the playing field' with the US Postal Service.

Fineman food PR strength earns it Weider bevs line

SALT LAKE CITY: Weider Nutrition International has named Fineman Associates to conduct a brand PR campaign to promote the launch of a new line of ...

Edelman targets Panama region.

SAO PAOLO: Edelman is on an affiliate hunt in Central America - with Panama under consideration as a base for the agency's operations.

Ericsson creates 4 regional teams

STOCKHOLM: Swedish communications giant Ericsson is set to create four regional PR teams in a review of its entire global in-house operation.

SZM will promote biotech alliance

SAN DIEGO: The Canadian Consulate has hired Stoorza, Ziegaus & Metzger's to promote the formation of strategic alliances between Canadian and California biotechnology companies.

B-M reduces its Asian presence

BANGKOK: Burson-Marsteller has sold its Thai offices to seven local managers reducing its exposure in the Asian market.

Omnicom negotiating an AMV buyout

LONDON: Omnicom communications group is poised to boost its annual PR fee income by over $16 million to $480 million if it succeeds in its ...

JWT to promote Finland to the Irish

DUBLIN: JWT Communications has won a competitive pitch for a new account to promote Finland as a destination for Irish tourists.

UK firms boost PR budget to 7%

LONDON: UK companies have increased the proportion of their marketing budget allocated to PR expenditure to over 7%, according to a Marketing Forum survey due ...

Four names on Campbell short list

LONDON: Campbell distillers, which owns drinks brands including Jameson Irish whiskey and Pernod, has shortlisted four agencies to pitch for a new UK consumer PR ...

Lasry wins Groupama Gan post

PARIS: Insurance giant Groupama Gan has appointed Anne-Marie Lasry as head of communication and strategy.

GJW to handle BSkyB takeover

MANCHESTER: The board of UK soccer club Manchester United has hired GJW to lobby regulators for approval of its controversial takeover deal with Rupert Murdoch's ...

Citizens appoints Cubitt for Europe

LONDON: US firm Citizens Utilities this week appointed Cubitt Consulting, the financial communications consultancy founded last month by former Citigate Communications managing director Simon Brocklebank ...

Fink and Fuchs wins Bann task

WIESBADEN: Bann Germany, the US/Dutch-based business software company last week hired hi-tech specialist Fink & Fuchs to handle its corporate and trade PR in Germany.

European to close this week

The European, the first ever newspaper aiming to serve the whole continent, is to print its last issue this week.

DDN signs Falcone as director

Discovery Digital Networks has appointed David Falcone as director, advertising and promotion. Falcone will be responsible for building brand awareness.

Shriver promoted at Hearst

Paul Shriver, ex-Whitehouse aide, has been promoted to executive director of marketing communications at Hearst Magazines.

Ancier quits as WB president

WB president of programming Garth Ancier resigned Monday last week in order to pursue his ambition of programming a full-time network.Ancier has been replaced at ...

Shea takes helm at E!

Hollywood cable channel E!Entertainment confirmed this week that Fran Shea would take the reigns as acting president. Shea will begin the role in January and ...

Wanted - Mercury nominees

The radio industry is looking for entries for the eighth annual Mercury Awards. The industry event to be held in summer 1999 rewards creativity in ...

McCormick set to leave Lifetime

Lifetime confirmed that chief executive Doug McCormick would be exiting the women's oriented channel at the end of the year. Speculation is that Disney head ...

Post adds lifestyle section

The Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post has added a new section to the daily paper. The addition which launched last week is titled Living, and ...

Cable channels bid for higher profile with Net and subs deals.

NEW YORK: Cable channels, used to working as an industry when comparing their ratings with the broadcast networks, spent last week battling to raise their ...

Networks target ads to divert PR spending

The broadcast networks are set to throw their weight behind a New Year campaign on the benefits of advertising - a bid to stop the ...

Ray Gun chief to set up Popmedia for Nylon launch

Ray Gun publisher Marvin Jarrett is to start a new company titled, Popmedia Inc to house new magazine, Nylon.

Exxon and Mobil - is bigger really better?

Is bigger better? Despite the efforts of PR professionals at both companies to frame the Exxon and Mobil merger as a bigger 'opportunity', the media ...

It's time for IPR and PRSA to talk

At last! The decision by the Institute for Public Relations to put its much-thumbed research and evaluation tool onto the Internet is a welcome addition ...

Equity Stakeholding - Is taking stock a lure into the equity trap?

Taking equity in hi-tech clients may seem an attractive way to make a fast buck, but it carries its own risks. Kelly Holman reports on ...

If Bill Bradley runs for president, how should he best promote himself?

Bradley can run with a little flavor - the outsider-insider. Most voters will be intrigued with his former Knick status.

Anti-Drugs Campaign - United effort against drugs is landmark PR - With Fleishman Hillard winning the ...

Anti-Drugs Campaign - United effort against drugs is landmark PR - With Fleishman Hillard winning the Federal Government's $50 million anti-drugs campaign last week, we ...

Companies want pure language and plain speaking - not linguistic puffery.

Quick quiz - here are two self-descriptions of companies; tell me what each of these businesses is in. The first offers 'strategic communications counseling.' The ...

Mad cows, crazy media, irrational public - the BSE saga in Britain creates acute ...

Rarely has a crisis illustrated so clearly the power of perception over fact than the BSE saga that has so plagued Britain over the last ...

Ministry of truth and soul - Tell the truth. Many preach it in PR, but not so many practice ...

Profile - Ministry of truth and soul - Tell the truth. Many preach it in PR, but not so many practice it - at least ...

NY Mag piece on party PRs - right stuff or pure snuff? - New York Magazine's cover ...

MEDIA ANALYSIS - NY Mag piece on party PRs - right stuff or pure snuff? - New York Magazine's cover story on a new breed ...

Global PR Which way to go? - Keeping a consistent message across borders challenges many of the world's ...

Global PR Which way to go? - Keeping a consistent message across borders challenges many of the world's leading corporations. Here's how PR executives in ...

Weekly analysis of who's doing what and why

The opening of the $96 million Tech Museum last month put Silicon Valley on the attractions map. The museum first opened in 1970 as 'the ...

Community understanding is the key to risk management - The EPA's Internet ruling ...

JUDGE AND JURY - Community understanding is the key to risk management - The EPA's Internet ruling doesn't hide a corporate duty to public safety, ...

Gates tries buying a better image with $100m donation

Microsoft demagogue Bill Gates hasn't been getting the greatest PR recently as his company battles antitrust charges in federal court.

Psycho is a knife in the heart (not shower) to group

Somewhat less frightening to Universal Studios than the poor box office takings of its remake of the Hitchcock classic Psycho, is the possible PR fallout ...

Wham Communications

How do you launch a new high speed Internet access service? Stage a live lamb birth on the Internet of course.

Cops hot over pepper-spray debacle

Most cities are thrilled with any publicity suggesting their police officers are diligently enforcing the law. Roanoke, authorities, however, were forced to fire Sgt. Allen ...

Weekly Web Watch - Downloadable music - devil's tool or music's saving grace.

Digital music distribution over the Internet is a tool of pirates, bootleggers and copyright thieves. Or else it's a legitimate new form of distribution which ...

Questions & Answers

One day at a political rally, a contributor asked political consultant Harris Diamond to help his company's image. The contributor went on to become Secretary ...