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August 26, 2002 Issue of PRWeek

GLAAD scores coup as NY Times agrees to list same-sex unions

LOS ANGELES: After 18 months of lobbying, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) last week won a major victory when The New York Times ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Sternburg Communications opens

DENVER: Fred Sternburg opened his own sports-marketing agency, Sternburg Communications, with Ronald "Winky Wright, a two-time middleweight boxer, as his first client. Sternburg was VP of ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: MTV Networks promotes

LOS ANGELES: MTV Networks has promoted Linda Alexander to SVP communications for Latin America. She will head all external communications and media relations for MTV and ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Vocus reports revenue growth

LANHAM, MD: Vocus, provider of web-based software for PR automation, reported second quarter 2002 revenue growth of 49% over the same three-month period last year, and ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Quorum taps Witherspoon for campaign

FORT WORTH, TX: Quorum International tapped Witherspoon Advertising & Public Relations for a national media relations campaign. Quorum is the world's largest manufacturer of lighting fixtures ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Medialink and PRSA establish partnership

NEW YORK: Medialink and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) established a partnership through which Medialink will help develop multimedia strategies and deliver production and ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany names communications director

ALBANY, NY: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has named Kenneth J. Golfarb to the new position of communications director in a restructuring of the diocese's ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Creative Marketing Alliance adds companies

PRINCETON, NJ: Creative Marketing Alliance has added five new companies to its clientele. The company will develop PR programs for PSEG Energy Technologies and Informm, a ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Schneider & Associates appoint VP

BOSTON: Julie Gladu has joined Schneider & Associates as VP of the consumer group. Before joining Schneider, Cladu was a VP at Cone, where she managed ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Evolve and Resilience latest to sign

SAN FRANCISCO: Evolve and the Resilience Corporation are the latest hi-tech companies to sign with the Antenna Group. Evolve develops enterprise software and Resilience is an ...

Amtrak to centralize its media relations as it fends off slew of crises

WASHINGTON: Amtrak is centralizing its media relations reporting structure to cut costs and improve efficiency following a string of trying crises, including problems with its popular ...

Time Warner PR vets take lead in comms makeover

NEW YORK: AOL Time Warner has reshuffled its PR pack, leaving it looking remarkably similar to the communications team of the pre-merger Time Warner.

AMS hires H&K to rebuild its image in North America

WASHINGTON: American Management Systems (AMS), a $1.28 billion information-technology firm, has chosen Hill & Knowlton as its PR agency to beef up the company's reputation. Edelman ...

Pentagon seeks PR advice before diplomatic attempt

WASHINGTON: Public diplomacy - it's not just for diplomats anymore.

Top tech PR pros across Bay Area trading agencies

SAN FRANCISCO: Musical chairs is the name of the game at PR agencies' hi-tech practices in the Bay Area.

Fox lets reporters get closer to stars at casual events

LOS ANGELES: Down With Love is a stylized romantic comedy with a '60s sensibility, and Papi Chulo is a tale of three women who discover they ...

Continental avoids tire-recall scrutiny

CHARLOTTE, NC: Continental Tire's voluntary recall of 595,000 tires evoked memories of the Bridgestone/Firestone crisis of 2000-2001, but that connection appears to have been quelled.

Palm taking heat for inflated claims about new device

MILPITAS, CA: Palm's admission that one of its handheld devices isn't all it promised to be has put the company in the middle of a ...

Bar tries to improve image of FL lawyers

TALLAHASSEE, FL: The Florida Bar has hired RBB Public Relations to drive a $750,000 campaign aimed at improving the image of the legal profession in the ...

UK-based Xtreme opens US outpost

NEW YORK: Xtreme Information, a UK-based advertising monitoring and press clipping company, has launched its services in the US.

Ketchum to study AAFES' marketing

DALLAS: A group that runs military stores on bases has hired Ketchum to study its image and evaluate its marketing and communications functions.

Sandia tries to end confusion with rival

LIVERMORE, CA: Sandia Labs is tired of getting sand kicked in its face when it comes to comparisons with the better-known Lawrence Livermore Labs.

PR industry kicks off 'One Day's Pay' in memory of 9 11

IRVINE, CA: The PR profession is promoting an annual day of voluntary service on September 11 to mark the anniversary of the terrorist attacks and to ...

Metabolife enters crisis PR mode amid federal inquiry

SAN DIEGO: Metabolife International, maker of the controversial diet supplement Metabolife 356, has been forced to step up its crisis communications due to a US Justice ...

MediaMap ups its offerings via new database launch

WATERTOWN, MA: MediaMap has launched its own database of media content to be included as part of MediaMap Online, a press-contact management tool designed to help ...

Kiker bolts United for top position at Edelman New York

CHICAGO: John Kiker, United Airlines' VP of worldwide communications, is leaving the troubled carrier to become the EVP and managing director of Edelman's New York corporate ...

Port of Portland increases public outreach efforts

PORTLAND, OR: Controversial projects before the Port of Portland have forced the public agency to improve its public outreach and education.

The next big client PR must counsel is itself

The PR industry has long been shrouded by mystery and misperception.

ILO hires nVision for international campaign pushing labor rights

NEW YORK: New York communications agency nVision will create a multifaceted campaign for the International Labor Organization (ILO) to promote labor rights around the world.

Torossian chosen to head new KCSA public affairs unit

NEW YORK: IR and PR firm KCSA has formed a new public affairs group to be headed by Ronn Torossian. Torossian joins KCSA from The ...

WWE looks to boost civic participation among fans

NEW YORK: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is kicking off a six-city tour to increase patriotism and encourage Americans to be civically active.

PR pros approach star appearances on 9 11 cautiously

LOS ANGELES: As the anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches, celebrity PR pros are being deluged with requests for their high-profile clients.

COMMENT: Thought Leader - Rebuilding corporate trust involves knowing the limits of what PR can offer

Trust, the frailest of a company's intangible assets, seems to be going the way of Liquid Paper and dot-com millionaires. And CEOs are going to find ...

Vivendi brings in new PR leader, but holds its fire on comms strategy

NEW YORK: Vivendi Universal brought in fresh PR leadership alongside its new CEO, but will not be announcing any changes in PR staffing or strategy until ...

EDITORIAL: CEOs have to confront racial matters openly prior to tackling them

Are CEOs reluctant to talk about how their companies deal with internal problems of discrimination and race relations? Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported on ...

While some see Nike ruling as a step toward openness, it may bring close to CSR reports

A study by CSR Network, a consulting firm focused on corporate social responsibility, reports that 50 of the world's 100 largest companies now produce environmental and ...

ANALYSIS: Channel communications

With channels slated to bring in half of global IT sales in 2003, the tech giants must find ways to answer the comms questions such ...

ANALYSIS: Organization Case Study - Controversy can't force the Boy Scouts off its basic path

Under fire following its decision to bar gay leaders from its ranks, the Boy Scouts of America has stuck to its ideals, keeping a majority of ...

MEDIA WATCH: Media lauds latest SEC effort to prompt corporate transparency

Corporate America's image has had a very rough year. As BusinessWeek (August 12) observed, "The shock of widespread corporate crime has tarnished the credibility of our ...

MEDIA CIVIL RIGHTS: Media Roundup - Civil rights debate stays hot in media well after 9 11

As Americans continue to weigh their safety against their civil rights, many outlets are still covering the issue - due largely to the PR efforts of ...

MEDIA PROFILE: Latina brings ethnic flavor to mission of empowering mujeres

Latina magazine may be celebrity-driven and style-focused, but it ultimately looks for ways to empower, showing ordinary, everyday Latina women who accomplish extraordinary things.

PROFILE: Cohn sports the legendary resume of a PR champion

As Bob Cohn nears his 68th birthday, Kimberly Krautter tells how this mirthful man with an infectious smile changed the face of sports marketing, and ...

Pitch battles

Now that power is firmly in the hands of clients, PR agencies are having to jump through hoops to win business.

MARKET FOCUS: NONPROFITS

Post-9/11 criticism forced nonprofits to rethink PR strategy

PRN offers Quick View to aid inundated business editors

NEW YORK: With editors lamenting, even avoiding, long, complex IR announcements, and the SEC demanding more detailed data, PR Newswire is planning an optional statistical snapshot ...

PR TECHNIQUE STATUS REPORTS: Getting reports from your agency - Status reports are many agencies' best chance to present tangible results, but they often disappoint. Melanie Shortman explains how to make them relevant and readable

When most corporate communications professionals think of a status report, they visualize an encyclopedia-sized packet listing every phone call made and every mention of their company ...