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April 08, 2002 Issue of PRWeek

Unsuccessful talks with GCI end in Wilson McHenry closing shop

SAN FRANCISCO: GCI Group's negotiations with tech firm Wilson McHenry (WM) have collapsed, and the latter firm has closed its doors.

NEWS IN BRIEF: Kwittken and Resk to serve as president and COO

NEW YORK: Middleberg Euro RSCG has promoted managing director Aaron Kwittken and CFO Patrick Resk to serve as president and COO, respectively. The two executives are the ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Singer Associates hired as AOR

SAN FRANCISCO: Singer Associates has been hired as AOR by Lennar Communities for the redevelopment of Mare Island Naval Shipyard and Hunter's Point Shipyard, and is working ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Ketchum creates EVP/global director position

NEW YORK: Ketchum has created the new position of EVP/global director of strategic and creative planning, and has promoted Karen Strauss into it. Strauss was part of ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Edelman New York tech execs open Manhattan office

NEW YORK: Two former Edelman New York tech execs have opened a Manhattan office for upstart Austin PR firm Alliant Public Relations. Steve Hoechster and David Eldredge ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Carter Ryley Thomas names president

RICHMOND, VA: Carter Ryley Thomas has named J.R. Hipple as president. Mark Raper, who was president and chairman, will continue in the role of chairman and CEO. ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Ketchum Newscan wins PR brief

SHANGHAI: Ketchum Newscan has won the PR brief for the annual International Human Genome Conference (HUGO), which is set to be held in China for the first ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Audex selects Cylix Communications

LONGVIEW, TX: Audex, the provider of solutions for hearing-impaired people, has selected hi-tech PR firm Cylix Communications as its strategic PR and marketing communications partner. Cylix will ...

Game Show Network nabs week-long Today slot in relaunch promo

LOS ANGELES: The Game Show Network (GSN) kicked off a promotional campaign last week aimed at hyping its remake of the '80s show Press Your Luck, as ...

Firms lining up for Home Depot tour

ATLANTA: The Home Depot is sponsoring the "Declaration of Independence Road Trip,

Golin named AOR for Cotton Council

CHICAGO: Golin/Harris International has become agency of record for the Cotton Council International (CCI) after a multinational pitch involving dozens of Golin employees and affiliates on three continents.

Lower Manhattan groups seek single comms voice

NEW YORK: The New York City mayor's office - often described as home to the second-hardest job in politics - has created a temporary post that might ...

Tyco ends 'boring' investor calls, claiming IR success

NEW YORK: Tyco International's chief financial officer Mark Swartz began a recent weekly conference call with investors by announcing smugly that the company's last few conference calls ...

Diaper promotion has P&G in PR roil

CINCINNATI: PlanetFeedback, a website designed to make it easy for people to complain to corporations, was buzzing last week with numerous postings from consumers complaining about the ...

Honeywell brings in head of comms for $8bn division

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ: Honeywell has hired Dan Harrison as the new VP of communications for its automation and control solutions group, an $8-billion-in-sales unit of the company.

Coke's silence doesn't stop Vanilla hype

ATLANTA: Coke's new vanilla variety was hot news last week - before Coca-Cola had even said a word.

Brodeur Worldwide snaps up independent tech shop FitzGerald

BOSTON: Brodeur Worldwide has acquired FitzGerald Communications, creating a tech firm with combined 2001 revenues of $92.8 million.

Citigate will push media to focus on preventing abuse

CHICAGO: A child-abuse-prevention group has hired Citigate Communications to launch a national campaign attempting to focus media attention on ways to prevent child abuse.

PepperCom wins bid for ITT media relations account

NEW YORK: Ending a four-month review, ITT Industries has invited PepperCom to steer its stepped-up US media relations push.

Forbes article on baseball profits has MLB crying foul

NEW YORK: Forbes magazine threw Major League Baseball (MLB) a curve ball last week.

Pulitzer decision marred by papers trading potshots

SEATTLE: The Pulitzer Prize was handed out Monday, ending an acrimonious fight for journalism's top honors that rivaled the Oscar race's cutthroat image.

Two new agencies enter Hispanic PR scene in Chicago

CHICAGO: Two new Hispanic agencies have begun operations in Chicago, each with a slightly different business strategy for reaching the Midwest's growing Hispanic population.

Oprah on the defensive after turning down Afghanistan tour invite

WASHINGTON: Maybe the White House was courting women voters. Maybe it was trying to show the upside of war. Or maybe President Bush just wanted the credibility ...

Maryland judge fires back at criticism

WASHINGTON: A Maryland judge, under fire from the National Organization for Women and other groups, has decided to speak up rather than step down.

Wyse adds a new member to hall of fame client roster

CLEVELAND: Wyse Landau Public Relations is carving out a unique niche for itself - PR agency to halls of fame.

TI seeks to up Hollywood's focus on its digital cinema

LOS ANGELES: Texas Instruments has hired entertainment specialists Rogers & Cowan to promote its digital cinema technology to Hollywood's power players.

ITC picks Citigate for its US push of Italian machinery

CHICAGO: The Italian Trade Commission has hired Citigate to launch a multiyear integrated marketing campaign to tout Italian-made industrial machinery in the US. PR spending in the ...

COMMENT: Thought Leader - PR opportunities in biotech exist for those who are willing to pay their dues

In 1998, the FDA approved the drug Enbrel for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, a debilitating disease that previously had no effective remedy.

EDITORIAL: Get well read before you pitch the press

PRWeek's raison d'etre is to keep the industry informed, but we also see ourselves as industry champions. Our pages may contain bad news as well as good, ...

ANALYSIS: PR Economy - Agency leaders cautious about recovery forecasts - Recent M&A activity and anecdotal evidence of increased recruitment have prompted talk of an economic recovery among PR pros. But is it premature?

The media has tried to remain upbeat, to the extent that some publications might be accused of deliberately talking the economy up. Witness the March ...

ANALYSIS: A forthcoming court decision could prevent companies from responding to their critics

As I write this column, PR executives at Nike's corporate headquarters are anxiously awaiting the verdict of the California Supreme Court on a case that ...

ANALYSIS: Client Profile - ETS' latest test is educating the public on all it offers

The ETS is more than just the SATs. But as publicizing its role in many legislative and regulatory issues has proven tough, it has taken ...

ANALYSIS: Media Watch - Oscar picks shine spotlight on Hollywood's racial failures

Hollywood made history last month as it awarded its first ever Oscar for Best Actress to an African American, Halle Berry for Monster's Ball. The ...

NJ 'family night' in national spotlight

RIDGEWOOD, NJ: When they set out to publicize their idea, the organizers of the "Ready, Set, Relax!

MEDIA RADIO: Media Roundup - Some outlets find there's more to radio than ratings

Few outlets cover radio beyond ratings and personnel changes, so PR pros consider radio a tough sell to other media. But the launch of XM ...

MEDIA RADIO: Media Profile - Optimize opens a connection to senior technology managers

Optimize, an Information Week spin-off, combines business strategy with issues faced by CTOs and CIOs. So it takes an industry leader with valuable insight to ...

PROFILE: Messenger keeps a cool head in tough tech market - From a London PR boutique to the dark days of Ogilvy's dot-com layoffs, Kate Messenger has remained a disciplined and calm leader. But she also admits to being a tech PR nerd

Kate Messenger has a favorite relic from the dot-com boom decorating her San Francisco office: a fake coconut that, when opened, plays a tropical tune, ...

THE FLIGHT STIMULATORS: PR is helping travel websites build brand identity - and business

It's hard to believe that little more than six years ago, bricks-and-mortar travel agents - with their overflowing desks and worn posters of exotic destinations thumb-tacked ...

MARKET FOCUS - NEWSWIRES: Wires: the next generation - Some wire services are using the web to add value to releases. But do journalists want the extra details?

There was a time when the transmission of text releases from a newswire hub to journalists' desks, via the AP and other portals, was considered new and ...

PR TECHNIQUE - RADIO PROMOTIONS: Winning over radio stations - Getting radio airtime requires being creative yet flexible, and persistent yet patient. A hot-ticket prize to give away won't hurt either

You've heard the spiel: Be the tenth caller and win concert tickets, or maybe even a trip to Florida. Radio promotions are an everyday occurrence in virtually ...