OGILVY AXES 70 HIGH-TECH STAFFERS

Ogilvy PR Worldwide CEO Bob Seltzer is eliminating "redundancies" that exist between its own high-tech practice, and its Alexander Ogilvy operation to better deal with the market downturn.

Seventy staffers have been laid off in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, as Ogilvy's tech practice is consolidated with Alexander Ogilvy. The Dallas office is to be closed.

Seltzer told this newsletter he plans to fold AO's technology policy group into Ogilvy's PA operation in Washington, D.C.

Investor relations work for Alexander Ogilvy clients will become the responsibility of Ogilvy's financial group in New York. Lisa Leukkanen, managing director of IR at Alexander Ogilvy, will move from San Francisco to New York. She will work with John Lovallo's IR group.

Seltzer informed Ogilvy staffers of the cutbacks in a Feb. 21 memo called "reorganization of technology." In it, he wrote that the dramatic changes that have shaken the technology world have "impacted our business as well."

While understanding "that any staff reductions are a painful experience," he wrote that Ogilvy is not alone "in this pain as anyone who reads the business pages or the PR trades knows."

Ogilvy's "rightsizing" will help it get quickly back on track in moving ahead of the wave," Seltzer informed staffers.
Ogilvy has 400 tech staffers.

CITIGATE CUNNINGHAM CUTS 40

Citigate Cunningham has cut 40 staffers from its 210-member payroll, 30 of which are "billable"employees, according to Joe Hamilton, CC's president and COO.

He said CC closed its one-person Chicago office following the decision of its office head to become a "stay-at-home parent."

Plans for a New York office have been put on hold, though Hamilton said a Big Apple outpost remains a priority for CC once the tech market rebounds.

The firm shut down its website last week to construct one that reflects the streamlined CC.

Incepta acquired Cunningham Communication last year in a deal that was worth up to $75 million depending upon profitability goals.

EDELMAN WORKS TO SALVAGE ESTATE TAX

Edelman PR Worldwide is organizing Americans for Sensible Estate Tax Solutions, a group that is fighting the repeal of the estate tax. The group is bankrolled by financial services companies and charitable groups.

It wants to get rid of the estate tax for most Americans affected by it, while reducing the rate for others.

That's because total repeal of the estate tax may result in the need for fewer tax shelters for the rich, and reduced donations to charities.

Eric Hoffman, a VP at Edelman in Washington, D.C., is serving as spokesperson for the group.

Leslie Dach, Edelman vice chairman and D.C. general manager, is also working on the account.

BSMG GETS $1.8M U.S. LAMB PROMO PACT

BSMG Worldwide will encourage people to eat more lamb--specifically animals raised in the U.S.--under a $1.8 million communications campaign, according to Paul Rodgers, marketing director of the American Lamb Council.

The ALC, he said, "talked to a number of PR firms," but partnered with BSMG because of its work promoting categories such as milk and pork.

"We also liked the quality of their people," Rogers added.

BSMG has its work cut out. Rodgers told this website that both "American lamb production and consumption have been on the decline since the end of WWII." Foreign producers from New Zealand and Australia have also made inroads into the U.S. market.

AMERICAN SUZUKI DRIVES OVER TO PAINE

American Suzuki has shifted its automotive business from in-house to Paine PR, Costa Mesa, Calif.

Cam Arnold, director of corporate brand marketing and communications at the company, said the move increases Paine's AS business by more than 50 percent.

She estimated that AS will be spending around $1 million at Paine by the end of the year.

Paine, which has promoted Suzuki's motorcycle and ATV division since 1991, will now handle car/SUV launches, concept cars and corporate philanthropy programs.

MILITARY PR MANEUVER SUSPENDED

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has ordered all services to keep civilian visitors away from the controls of military equipment.

Rumsfeld's order would suspend indefinitely a longtime military PR practice that is designed to encourage public support of the military's programs.

The suspension was imposed after the submarine the USS Greeneville, with 16 civilians aboard, collided with a Japanese fishing trawler earlier this month apparently killing nine of those aboard the smaller craft.

The Navy and other branches routinely invite important opinion leaders, including local community and business leaders, educators, politicians and journalists onto its ships and bases.

Last year, more than 11,000 civilians took part in 238 trips aboard Navy ships in the Pacific fleet, according to figures compiled by the Navy.

Of those, 13 trips involving 213 civilians were aboard submarines stationed in Hawaii. Tipper Core, wife of former Vice President Al Gore, cristened and rode in the Greeneville in 1999.

Civilians also drive tanks and other military vehicles, witness live ammmunition training of ground troops and fly in Air Force jets.

Every spring the Pentagon invites 60 prominent people from around the country for a week-long tour of military facilities. Last year, the group saw a night training exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C., landed on an aircraft carrier, observed Coast Guard and Marine Corps training exercises, and visited the Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs.

A Pentagon spokesman said this program was started in 1949 by Defense Secretary James Forrestal.

Most of the civilians on the USS Greeneville had donated to a group that pays for maintenance of the battleship Missouri, the site of Japan's World War II surrender.

Like other civilian visitors, they were taken into the control room and allowed to operate crucial controls. In this case, that included the rudder and the levers that initiated the Greeneville's fatal ascent.

CEO OFFERS BRAND-BUILDING TIPS

David D'Alessandro, a former PR pro who became CEO of John Hancock, Boston, one of the largest insurance companies in the U.S., has written a how-to manual on building a company brand, entitled Brand Warfare.

The book is due out from McGraw-Hill this spring, according to Steve Bailey of The Boston Globe, who got an advance copy of the new book.

Bailey, former business editor of the Globe, said the book is special because PR men aren't supposed to end up running the company.

D'Alessandro, who was an account supervisor at Daniel J. Edelman PR from 1972 to 1974, uses a series of often comical war stories as examples in his book. Several are built around the theme of a "slightly hucksterish D'Alessandro improbably coming up a winner in the end," Bailey said.

For example, D'Alessandro cites a time when he hired a trained crow for a media party to promote a new whiskey for Old Crow and then had the crow, on command, poop on a Penthouse writer who was walking around with a Penthouse Pet on each arm.

NASCAR USES S&S FOR EARNHARDT CRISIS

NASCAR is using Stolberg & Siemer to handle its PR crisis following the crash and death of top driver Dale Earnhardt during the Feb. 18 Daytona 500, according to John Griffin, managing director-worldwide communications of the racing body.

He described S&S as a crisis consultant that is based in St. Louis.

Paul Siemer and Bill Stolberg are former Fleishman-Hillard execs who set up their firm in 1995.

GEORGIA MOUNTS $6M ANTI-SMOKING PUSH

Atlanta-based Austin Kelley Advertising and Golin/Harris International, both units of Interpublic, were picked to handle advertising and PR for a statewide anti-smoking campaign in Georgia.

The 2001 budget for the campaign is $6 million, with funding coming from Georgia's portion of the 1998 national settlement with tobacco makers. The campaign is expected to start by late spring.

The state received 13 proposals. AK/G/H beat out two other finalists: BBDO South and its PR partner, Porter Novelli, and Fleishman-Hillard/Atlanta and its ad agency partner, Greer, Margolis, Mitchell, Burns & Assocs. of Washington, D.C.

REPORTER: MEDIA DISTORTS NEWS

ABC News correspondent John Stossel said the media's tendency to intensely cover plane crashes, terrorism and other mayhem is making viewers think such events happen more often than they do.

"We focus on interesting things that can kill you," said Stossel, who spoke Feb. 20 at the Arkansas State University's Agriculture-Business Conference in Jonesboro.
"We hype today's news," said Stossel, whose talk was reported by The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

He also said media coverage leaves Americans fearing new products. "Half of the country has gas stoves. But we're afraid of something new. We are terrified of nuclear power, but it may be cleaner and safer," said Stossel.

Stossel said the media does not cover genetically altered food fairly. "It has a bad run in the media," he said. "But if a genetically altered product can save millions of lives, like wheat once did, it may bring the public around."

The newspaper said Stossel was paid $25,000 for his presentation. The fee was paid by the sponsors of the conference, which included Bank of America, Adams Land Co., Farm Credit Services, Arkansas Farm Bureau and KFIN-FM.

HOW TO GET ON NEWS WIRE'S RADAR

--"Make your client more relevant to a bigger story," Steve Loeper, Los Angeles bureau news editor for The Associated Press, told 100 PR pros at a Feb. 20 breakfast workshop in Century City, Calif., which was sponsored by PRSA/Los Angeles.

--"It's not the company so much, but the subject matter; it's the product, it's the service and it's what is happening, not the company per se," said Patrick Chu, who is Bloomberg's West Coast bureau chief, based in San Francisco.

--"When you pitch the wire services, there are two faxes that need to be sent: One to the photo desk, and one to the news desk, because if one picture sticks, your client is in," John Hayes, a freelance photographer and part-time reporter for the AP, advised the PR pros.

Loeper said the AP tries to give its newspaper and broadcast members the "widest possible selection of news." He said newspapers are currently using more brief stories, and the AP has had to respond by writing tighter reports.

As for selecting stories, he noted Bay Area stories are put on the California state wire, and it is up to editors at AP's New York headquarters to decide on the value of the story nationally.

Loeper's bureau is responsible for coverage of Southern California and Southern Nevada. The L.A. bureau has satellite bureaus for San Diego, Las Vegas and Orange County.

Don't Call Chu

Chu gets about 500 e-mails every day. "I like it that way. I don't like calls, especially while I'm editing 25 stories a day, and I might be up until 4 a.m. on the energy crisis story," said Chu.
Loeper prefers to get pitches by phone, fax or regular mail, provided each are "tightly focused."

Hayes believes "the best way to get on the wires is to hire a professional photographer, especially one who has a working relationship with AP."

"Additionally, if the AP or Bloomberg are not going to cover your story, and you can get your own photographer to shoot and pitch it again, editors will see you were at the event and might be interested," said Hayes.

Chu said Bloomberg's money manager subscribers demand hard news. "We have to get our stories out in 15 minutes of knowing something, and we have to update that story constantly if it is of major importance," he said.

"We want to work together," said Chu.

AP Writes for Broader Audience

Loeper said the AP has to "do it all. We crank out a lot of stories, a lot of production, which is done by our staff and our clients. We give them news, and they give local news back from their region.

"If we pass on your story pitch, there is another avenue to get your story on the AP wire. Watch for your client's coverage in the local newspaper. If you discover a story on your client, you can call our attention to it.

"We rewrite all stories we pick up to give it a broader focus. Our basic rule of thumb is `Would I care in Peoria if I were reading about a story in Century City?,'" said Loeper.

While the AP has to get out the "quick stories" like Bloomberg, it also has to step back to reflect on the news and attempt to tell readers what the events mean to them as consumers and business people, he said.

RADIO NEWS MANAGERS USE RNRs

A nationwide survey found radio news releases are used in some form by 83% of radio news managers responding to a VNR-1 survey.

Jack Trammell, president of VNR-1 Communications, said the results show leaner staffs and a push for more news is driving radio newsrooms to rely more on outside sources of news.

The Chicago Tribune said stations in several markets have not renewed their contracts with The Associated Press, which recently hiked its rates.

According to the Tribune, four CBS stations in Chicago-WUSN-FM, WJMK-FM, WXRT-FM and WSCR-AM-have dropped AP, leaving WBBM-AM as the city's only all-news station with the AP.

VNR-1 surveyed 328 stations in Dec. 2000/Jan. 2001. The survey findings are based on responses by news staff members at 132 radio stations.

Other findings from the study:

-One in three stations (34%) say the printed information in news releases that accompany an RNR can prompt the news department to turn the material into a local news story.

-Thirty-four percent of the news departments say when it comes to RNRs there must be local or regional tie-ins before they will even consider it for use; followed by health-related stories (23%), financial (11%), children's issues (8%), technology (6%), and politics (4%).

-Eighty percent of the stations responding to the survey do not surf web pages looking for stories;

-Only 18% of those in the survey prefer to get notification of an RNR through e-mail;

-Ninety-one percent of those in the survey want a sheet of paper off the fax machine or a phone call where questions can be answered;

-Nearly four out of every 10 news directors <%-2>made a point of volunteering that they don't like and<%0> will not use any RNR that sounds like a commercial.

VNR-1 specializes in getting exposure in TV, radio, Internet and digital news media for its clients.

Working Woman's next issue has President George W. Bush on the cover, making it the first time a man has appeared on the cover of the 628,000-circulation magazine in five years. Bill Gates was the last one.

(Media news continued on next page)

MEDIA ACCESS IS UNHINDERED BY REG. FD

The impact of the Securities & Exchange Commission's Regulation Fair Disclosure on the financial press has been positive, although companies are participating in fewer one-on-one meetings with both reporters and analysts as they try to comply with the ruling, according to a panel of media and financial specialists.

"The observable impact has been very positive. People are, I think, responding in the way we hoped," said Richard Levine, assistant general counsel for the SEC. "It looks like issuers are putting more information and detail into their press releases."

Levine and other members of the media and financial community discussed the impact of Regulation FD during a meeting hosted by PR Newswire on Feb. 14 in New York.

"I think the biggest thing that FD will bring is recognition that analysts have to go back to doing what they used to do somewhat well, which was actually researching their companies," said Jonathan Krim, executive editor of TheStreet.com.

Don Blake, U.S. equities editor for BridgeNews, said Regulation FD "has leveled the playing field for the media and analysts by allowing more clients access to conference calls." The downside is the informal communications; people are now reluctant to give exclusive news, he said.

"My reporters are getting those conference calls and webcasts. They are getting the same background as analysts and are better prepared when they call companies," said Michael Clowes, editorial director for pensions and investments.

"The bad news is that the reporters find when they want one-on-one interviews with a senior executive, they are delayed until a day or two after a company makes an announcement through a webcast or conference call," said Clowes.

INDUSTRY STANDARD CUTS 18 IN NEWSROOM

The Industry Standard, a weekly news magazine about the Internet economy, is laying off 69 employees, including 18 newsroom staffers.

The San Francisco-based magazine now has laid off 22% of its staff since Jan. 1 due to an ad slump which has affected a broad spectrum of media, but particularly print publications and website dedicated to tech news.

Business 2.0's British owners announced plans to lay off 90 workers last week, and the publisher of Red Herring has laid off 54 workers since last fall. Upside's publisher has pared its staff from 120 to about 90 since November.

Industry analysts predict that two or three of the tech magazines will disappear this year, either through sales or closures.

Through March 6, total ad pages at the tech magazines were down anywhere from 25% to 60%, according to industry reports.

BINN TO START PHOTO MAGAZINE IN N.Y.

Gotham was launched on Feb. 21 in New York by Jason Binn, a Miami-based publisher.

The new monthly magazine will be patterned after Binn's weekly Ocean Drive magazine in Miami, and Hamptons, a seasonal weekly, which the 32-year-old native New Yorker took over in 1998.

Binn's magazines feature a mix of interviews and photographs of the jet-setting, party-going, high-fashion crowd.

Joseph Steuer, who had been executive editor of Interview, is executive editor of Gotham, which will publish nine monthly issues in its first year.

Binn has developed a database of 30,000 New York residents who will get Gotham through its controlled circulation, and copies will also be delivered to elite buildings picked by zip code and 55 of the city's top hotels.

Kelly Bensimon, who is fashion director of Hamptons, will also have that title at Gotham, and online columnists Horacio Silva and Ben Widdicome of Hint Magazine, will update their "Chic Happens" column into a monthly feature for Gotham.

AVENUE TO PUBLISH PICTORIAL TABLOID

Avenue, a local magazine for upscale New Yorkers, is starting a new pictorial tabloid on March 1, called On the Avenue.

The weekly will publish photos taken at social, business, cultural, and educational events in the New York area. The 48-page weekly will feature up to 50 events of the past week.

Melinda Myers, who is photo director, wants to get photos as soon as possible after the event from publicists. For weekend events, there is a noon Monday deadline.

OTA will be delivered to 1,200 buildings in New York every Thursday with the morning newspapers.

Editorial offices are located at 950 Third ave., 5th floor. Myers' e-mail address is [email protected].

NEW TRAVEL MAGAZINE PLANS TO LAUNCH

Endlesstravel, a bimonthly, will make its debut this summer with distribution to 250,000 adults aged 34-54 nationwide, according to Linda Packer, who is editor-in-chief of the San Diego-based magazine.

Packer is interested in getting information about unusual destinations, restaurants and property openings, statistics or survey results relating to travel, and other travel news for an upfront "Travel Buzz" section.

Unusual spas, cruises, restaurants, etc., will be profiled. The magazine is also accepting ideas and information that will cover family travel, adult getaways, adventure travel, shopping tips, nature destinations, and educational travel opportunities.

Send info to Packer at [email protected] and managing editor Jaye Hilton at jhilton@end lesstravel.com. 3131 Camino del Rio N., #550, 92108.

MARYLAND URGED TO BAN ADS IN SCHOOLS

Maryland lawmakers are weighing a proposal (Senate Bill 435) to ban advertising everywhere in public schools, including textbooks and the sides of school buses.

Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George's), is chief sponsor of the proposal that would require local school boards to develop policies to keep students from being the targets of advertising in school; ban exclusive agreements with soft drink companies and others who sell in vending machines, and prohibit advertising on school buses. Virginia has outlawed that practice.

The Washington Post said Pinsky's proposal has run into harsh criticism from some educators, who say the proposal could cost them money needed to help students.

The proposal is also opposed by vending machine operators, soft drink manufacturers and the nationwide education TV programmer Channel One, which includes commercials in its daily newscast for schools.

The Post said Eastern Technical High School in Baltimore recently signed a five-year, $50,000 agreement with Coca-Cola, and Montgomery Blair High School got a one-time payment of $100,000 from Pepsi-Cola and annual payments of $55,000 for allowing only Pepsi to be sold in the school.

COKE BETS $150M ON HARRY POTTER

Coca-Cola will be the sole global marketing partner with Warner Bros. for the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" movie and video.

Coke's investment in the multi-year deal, which includes a second Harry Potter film and a major marketing push behind Coke Classic, Minute Maid and Hi-C juice drinks, is believed to be about $150 million, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Potter film, based on the first of British author J.K. Rowling's bestselling children's novels, is scheduled for release Nov. 16.

OMC KEEPS EARNINGS RECORD INTACT

Omnicom reports that fourth-quarter net jumped 19 percent to $142 million on a 20 percent hike in revenues to $1.8 billion.

The company earned 78 cents a share during the period compared to the 76 cents that was forecasted by Wall Street.

Omnicom, according to James Dougherty, an analyst at Prudential Securities, has a track record of beating the consensus number on the Street by a "penny or two."
CEO John Wren predicted that the first-half of this year will be a "difficult" one for ad agencies.

For the full-year, Omnicom earned $498 million, which was up 37 percent. That included a $110 million gain from the sale of Razorfish stocks.

Omnicom announced that it won $5 billion in new business last year.

CFO Randy Weisenburger said Chrysler, which last year consolidated its account at Omnicom's BBDO unit, accounted for $650 million of that total.

'TELLERS' VS. 'SELLERS' DESCRIBED

"Tellers" give information, leave decision-making to the prospect, "try to win by displaying knowledge," and are "reactive."

"Sellers," on the other hand, "solve problems," gain commitment from a prospect, "win by closing sales," and are "pro-active."

The above differences between "tellers" and "sellers" were described by Ross Kenneth of Affinity Model & Talent Agency in a news release entitled, "The top 10 ways to know if you are a teller or a seller."

Tellers, says the release, "avoid rejection" while sellers "risk rejection."

Other points made included:
-"Tellers identify needs. Sellers intensify needs and wants."
-"Tellers present product or service features; sellers translate features into benefits."
-"Tellers operate on the rational level of prospect interaction. Sellers deal with prospects' emotional and personality needs as well as their rational needs."
-"Tellers believe that by creating a better product, the world will beat a path to your door. Sellers believe that you have to convince the world that it needs the better product by beating a path to every door."

EMOTIONAL APPEALS IS ACADEMY THEME

The annual conference of the Counselors Academy of PR Society of America May 6-8 in Puerto Rico, will focus on "gaining the consent of target audiences by persuading their senses and touching their emotions."

Lynn Casey, Academy chair, said the conference, called "Appealing to the Heart," does not advocate "replacing rational thought but it does acknowledge that for all the scientists can tell us about the heart, the emotionalist can touch it quicker."

Speakers include futurist Rolf Jensen, author of The Dream Society; Christopher Locke, one of the authors of The Cluetrain Manifesto, and Carol K. Goman, author of The Human Side of High-Tech.

The conference is open to members only but a special membership offer is available in connection with the meeting.

Deborah Radman of KCSA PR Worldwide, New York, is conference chair.

"This conference invites PR firm leaders to consider the seductive strength of mind-over-matter in framing messages we send on behalf of our clients, our firms and our industry," said Casey.

George Strait, who was a medical and health news correspondent for ABC News from 1993 until 1999, has joined Hyde Park Communications, Washington, D.C., and New York, as senior media counselor. Strait will continue as senior VP of media distribution at drSpock.com.

PR OPINION/ITEMS

Ross Kenneth has drawn a sharp distinction between "tellers" (PR people) and "sellers" (sales people). Why bother with namby-pamby, pussyfooters like "tellers" who only provide information and talk rationally when you can have "sellers" who provide information but also close the sale?

Do you want someone who is "pro-active" (seller) or someone who is "reactive?" (teller). Someone who not only identifies needs but "intensifies" them, someone who also deals with the "emotional and personality needs" of clients?

In the same vein, the theme of the Counselors Academy meeting in San Juan (page 7) is "Appealing to the Heart," i.e., stressing the emotional in communicating to target audiences. Jack Bergen, who heads a group of firms practicing integrated marketing, has made a similar point: the group's members are in the business of creating "campaigns that require a strong visual and emotional component."

A communications Gresham's law is at work here. The 19th century economist found that if you circulate wooden nickels and metal nickels, pretty soon only wooden nickels will be in circulation.

Similarly, if you have "PR" people offering to boost sales, attack audiences through their emotions, translate features into benefits, convince "the world" to beat a path to your doorstep, and on and on, you will not want to hire a mere PR person who only promises to put out facts and help reporters. Emotional appeals and good graphics are staples of ads.. Why are PR people selling advertising approaches?

Since reporters are a fly in the ointment to emotion and graphics-based "PR" campaigns, one result is an increase in efforts by some PR pros to marginalize or even demonize the media. A mailing by PR counselor James Lukaszewski takes this tack. It says, "Journalism today is relentlessly competitive, amoral, aggressive and negative. Survey after survey demonstrates the public's belief that reporters use deception and practice reckless reputation destruction." Lukaszewski provides 11 "Truth Index Test Questions" to apply to a story such as whether the reporter personally witnessed the event, whether both sides are told, whether anonymous sources are used, etc. He also quotes author Janet Malcom as saying a journalist is "a kind of confidence man, preying on people's vanity, ignorance, or loneliness, gaining their trust and betraying them without remorse..." We pointed out to Lukaszewski that reporters rated pretty high on the 1999 PRSA Foundation's $150K study of 46 credible spokespeople (12, 15, 19 and 23) vs. 43 for "PR specialist."

PR author Fraser Seitel, in an opinion column for the O'Dwyer website, gave the Bush team a "C" for its handling of the crisis caused by the sinking of a Japanese ship by a U.S. submarine. The Bush team "started slowly and made some fundamental errors, then recovered nicely and hit its stride," he wrote. "First impressions were miserable" because of mistakes made about whether the sub was in its training area, how much aid was given to crash victims and what the sub was doing (the "rapid ascent" being practiced was far from ordinary). Bush was also not prepared for the "firestorm" that hit when the Navy said civilians were aboard, Seitel added...IABC COO Lou Williams has told members of an "unbelievably sloppy level of accounting practices, misjudgments and faulty financial and member projections" at IABC dating back to 1998. Two "huge" errors were made, one for $200K and another for $666K, said Williams. PRSA this month admitted failure to pay proper taxes on ad revenues, mistakes in valuing inventories, failure to pay $100K in 1999 bills, double-counting of certain revenues, and overestimating profits on its conference by $345K. One question is, where was outside CPA Deloitte & Touche in all this? D&T is the CPA for both IABC and PRSA. The presence of a big CPA is no protection for members of groups. The board, in effect, hides behind the "audit," which can be a very late, surface-skimming, uninformative document...PRSA and IABC, the two industry trade groups, have lost about $1.4M each in the past two years and appear to be in grave danger. Meanwhile, the major PR firms are spending about $1M yearly in their own new group; at least $3M yearly in ads in trade publications (with few ad bucks going to PRSA/IABC publications) and another $1 million in award entry fees and award banquet tickets. However, given the irresponsible manner in which PRSA & IABC have handled member funds, we can't urge the big firms to support the groups unless strict controls are put in...Prudential Securities dropped coverage of two Omnicom dot-com investments-Organic (81 cents last week vs. $38.50 last March), and Razorfish (now $1.44 vs. $56). OMC, a 10% owner of OGNC, bought 300,000 shares at $7.75 last August ($2.32M). OMC paid $22,300 on 12/29/00 to exercise warrants on 2,232,000 shares of Agency.com at one cent each. Interpublic insiders, since Jan. 1, have proposed the sale of 393,461 shares worth $16.3M while buying none.."The Price of Being Right" is the six-page history in Fortune Feb. 5 of star analyst Mike Mayo, who lost his job at DLJ/Credit Suisse First Boston after being correctly bearish about bank stocks in May 1999. The piece concluded that "if stocks are headed for disaster, you won't hear it from the analysts." First Call found 57 sells vs. 7,033 buys by analysts at the top ten investment banks.