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May 27, 2002 Issue of PRWeek

Food firms face a reputation fight to rival Big Tobacco

WASHINGTON - Media coverage of the congressional hearings on the Obesity Prevention and Treatment Act last week has prompted many big food companies to gear ...

Copithorne quits top post at Porter Novelli

NEW YORK: I always tell people that my children are eight and ten,but the last time I went back to Boston, it dawned on me ...

NEWS BRIEFS: Appointment at NCCAOM

ALEXANDRIA, VA: The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) has created a director of public relations position, filling it with former Fenton Communications SAE Troy ...

NEWS BRIEFS: Appointment at MSNBC

LOS ANGELES: MSNBC has hired Cheryl Daly as VP of public relations. She replaces Mark O'Connor, who left to be Food Network's director of publicity.

NEWS BRIEFS: Appointment at Pernod Ricard

LONDON: Alcoholic drinks manufacturer Pernod Ricard has appointed an international public relations manager to spearhead PR for its Scotch whisky business, Chivas Brothers. Jim Long will take ...

NEWS BRIEFS: AlphaTrade.com retains 3rd Millennium Management

WAYNE, NJ: AlphaTrade.com, a stock market data firm, has retained 3rd Millennium Management to provide IR services. The company will also help promote its investor tools through ...

NEWS BRIEFS: GS Schwarz forms food and beverage division

NEW YORK: GS Schwarz is forming a food and beverage division in response to current economic conditions. The company already has eight food and beverage clients with ...

NEWS BRIEFS: GCS PR team retained by Pfizer

SAN DIEGO: GCS PR has been retained by Pfizer and Epicyte Pharmaceutical, which uses a patented technology to develop the production of human antibodies in plants for ...

NEWS BRIEFS: Keating PR to work with Gene Bridges

MILLBURN, NJ: Keating PR will work with Gene Bridges, a DNA engineering company based in Germany, to begin the company's entry into the US and international biotech ...

NEWS BRIEFS: Appointment at The Montgomery Group

SAN FRANCISCO: O. John Haering has been named acting president of The Montgomery Group after the death of Stephen D. Pisinski, founder and president of the company. ...

Metzger brings Street analyst aboard to help attract would-be IPOs

BOULDER, CO: Metzger Associates has announced a new IR initiative designed to appeal to start-up and early-stage companies that in many cases could be years away from ...

GCI Group selects new US tech head

DALLAS: Don Bartholomew has been named MD of GCI Group's US tech practice.

Segway quietly travels the US to lobby legislatures

MANCHESTER, NH: The Segway Human Transporter, a hi-tech computerized scooter that grabbed the country's imagination when it debuted this past December, is quietly racing through America's state legislatures ...

Merrill puts end to spat with Spitzer

NEW YORK: Merrill Lynch took a step toward rehabilitating its reputation by agreeing to a settlement with New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in his probe of ...

Crusader's future sparks public affairs furor on Hill

WASHINGTON: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the White House no longer want the $11 billion Crusader artillery system, but its manufacturers are waging a public affairs ...

SEC revising rules for fund literature

WASHINGTON: The SEC has proposed new disclosure rules for the promotional literature used by mutual fund companies.

Coke comms vet rejoins agency life

ATLANTA: Former Coca-Cola Company spokesperson Rob Baskin has joined MS&L-Atlanta as SVP, director of client services.

PR firm soon to be named to NYC job

NEW YORK: As activity at the World Trade Center officially shifts from recovery to rebuilding, a major RFP tied to the future of Lower Manhattan has come ...

Employers give lessons on stock to staff

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL: Major US companies plan to do a better job of communicating with employees about their stock option and employee stock ownership plans, according to a ...

Triple Crown formation sets stage for multimedia battle

SAN FRANCISCO: Business Wire, Medialink, and CCBN have formed a cross-promotional alliance called the "Triple Crown."

Revolution taps 'Ali' consultant to head worldwide comms

LOS ANGELES: Revolution Studios has hired Suzanne Fritz to replace Mae Joyce as head of worldwide publicity. Fritz most recently served as a consultant to the Sony ...

Chapter 11 induces Williams to call on MWW's PR counsel

TULSA, OK: With Worldcom and Global Crossing causing the telecom sector to fall out of favor, Williams Communications has turned to The MWW Group to help restructure ...

SWG&M, TateAustin win construction project PR jobs

AUSTIN, TX: Two Austin PR agencies have hit pay dirt by participating in their clients' bids for massive public works projects.

Food firms face a reputation fight to rival Big Tobacco

WASHINGTON: Media coverage of the congressional hearings on the Obesity Prevention and Treatment Act last week has prompted many big food companies to gear up for battle.

Building the future of PR in 2002 and beyond

During the dot-com boom, PR firms struggled to find talent. The Council of Public Relations Firms responded by hosting career fairs in major markets, developing screening tools ...

EIDC gets state aid to research size of showbiz labor set

LOS ANGELES: Governor Gray Davis (D-CA) has funded a research grant aimed at clarifying labor issues in the state's complex entertainment industry.

Ketchum wins account for imminent Deloitte spin-off

CHICAGO: Ketchum has nabbed what will likely be a seven-figure account working for Deloitte Consulting as it is spun off from its accounting-firm parent. Ketchum beat out ...

Lac Vieux enlists PR help to erase doubts about casino bid legitimacy

DETROIT: A small tribe of Michigan Native Americans has taken on PR help as it fights to open a casino in Detroit.

Biz360 joins with Factiva to expand content offerings

SAN MATEO, CA: Biz360 has entered a deal with Factiva, a Dow Jones and Reuters Company, uniting its analysis capabilities with Factiva's expanded content.

Treatment center taps Formula PR for national publicity initiative

SAN DIEGO: Formula PR has been chosen to handle all PR duties for Sober Living by the Sea - a long-term-care facility for those suffering from drug ...

Real picks PR-ad combo of Publicis

SEATTLE: Publicis Dialog will be helping its sister agency, Publicis in the West, on the national launch of RealOne, the new software offering from RealNetworks.

Canada tourist body asks WSW to bring in US visitors

NEW YORK: Weber Shandwick Worldwide has been retained by theCanadian Tourism Commission (CTC) to promote Canada as a touristdestination for Americans.

Women business leaders to launch awareness push

NEW YORK: The Committee of 200, a group comprised of preeminent women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders (Ogilvy & Mather CEO Shelly Lazarus is a board member), has ...

EDITORIAL: Does the end justify the GOP's PR tactics?

The revelation that President Bush was notified of possible al Qaeda hijackings last August swept through DC this month, bringing some welcome friction to an otherwise chilly ...

Imperato rises to C&W CEO, Aiello is named chairman

NEW YORK: Cohn & Wolfe has revamped its senior management structure, with the key change affecting the top spot.

COMMENT: Thought Leader - Prime-time product placement is the hottest issue in Hollywood ... and DC too

For years companies have sought to place their products on prime-time TV programs and in feature films. A few seconds of exposure on a popular drama or ...

ANALYSIS: Consumer Marketing - Research into 45-plus set sparks marketing rethink

The average age of Americans is rising. As companies respond to this shift in consumer power, PR's role in marketing strategy is ever more prominent.

The Catholic Church has made many errors of late, but hiring a PR Firm isn't one of them

If there is one thing on which even the most ardent Catholic Church supporters must agree, it is that its leaders have done an appalling job of ...

ANALYSIS: Corporate Case Study - Forever Enterprises infuses new life into funeral industry

Burying conservative traditions in the funeral industry is a PR challenge, but the popularity of HBO's Six Feet Under helps. Carolyn Myles reports.

ANALYSIS: Media Watch - Franchise film frenzy fuels media's latest fixation on Hollywood

In the first half of the month, there were many preliminary reports on the upcoming summer movie season. This crucial annual period is usually accompanied by a ...

MEDIA: Financial Planning - Media Roundup. Financial planning makes a slow return to spotlight

Financial planning isn't as thrilling as stories of stock market success, so it can be a hard sell to the media. But David Ward finds a few ...

MEDIA: PROFILE - India West's growing demographic makes it a prime pitch target

With readership four times its circulation, India West should not be overlooked when seeking coverage. Moreover, finds Anita Chabria, it's small enough that the editors still welcome ...

IN THE STOCKS: How can Merrill Lynch and other brokerage firms repair their tainted reputations? Paul Cordasco reports

The potential conflict of interest inherent in auditor relationships will never be eradicated until legislation cleanly separates the consulting business from the auditing function.

MARKET FOCUS: Savings Plans - Keeping faith in 401(k). Paul Cordasco surveys the reputation of retirement plans in the post-Enron era

Perhaps one of the most enduring images of the Enron scandal happened at the energy trader's December 1999 employee meeting. A videotape of the gathering showed Enron's ...