H&K HITS LINKS WITH TAYLORMADE

Hill and Knowlton has added TaylorMade-adidas Golf as a client, beating out Alan Taylor and Mastro Communications for the No. 2 golf company behind Callaway.

The Gable Group was the incumbent, but did not re-pitch, according to Zack Smith, TaylorMade's PR manager. He said RFPs went out to about 50 agencies, and the list was whittled down to ten firms.

H&K's job is to handle media relations and image branding.
Smith said TaylorMade wants to appeal to golfing's "pyramid of influence."

He said the goal is to play up the line's superior performance to appeal to committed golfers with zero to four handicap.

John Eckel, H&K's sports group director, heads the account from the firm's Irvine, Calif., office, which is near TaylorMade's headquarters in Carlsbad.

TaylorMade has annual revenues of about $450 million, and is part of the $6 billion adidas-Solomon A.G. combine.

H-P'S SENNETT MOVES TO OGILVY PR

Hewlett-Packard veteran Larry Sennett has joined<%0> Ogilvy PR Worldwide as managing director of its global technology practice, based in San Francisco.

Bob Seltzer, Ogilvy CEO, expects Sennett to provide high-tech PR savvy to its non-tech Fortune 500 clients that want "e-initiatives."

At H-P, Sennett was communications manager for its $15 billion consumer business unit, responsible for product promotion, media relations and issues management. He was previously at Porter Novelli.

Ogilvy's high-tech group includes Nokia, Comdisco, Pitney Bowes and Ford.com.

WOOD HEADS NRW's N.Y. PUSH

Saatchi & Saatchi/Rowland's Craig Wood has jumped to Niehaus Ryan Wong as managing director of the high-tech PR firm's New York office.

Wood, who has more than 30 years of PR experience, served as COO of Saatchi's global business-to-business network.

He is "the kind of talent we need to expand our presence throughout the East Coast," said Ed Niehaus, CEO of the San Francisco-based firm.

BlueKite.com, Concur Technologies, EyeVelocity, Creative Labs, Nordstrom.com and Netcentives are among its current clients.

SHARP DROPS SHANDWICK FOR SC

Sharp Electronics, the U.S. sales and marketing subsidiary of Japan's Sharp Corp., has named Stanton Crenshaw, New York, to implement a corporate and product support PR program.

The account was previously handled for eight years by Dorf & Stanton and then by Shandwick International, which acquired D&S when it was headed by SC's Alex Stanton. Prior to that, Gar Schmitt Assocs. had the Sharp account.

SC had handled one of Sharp's consumer electronic groups for more than two years.

Bob Garbutt, VP-strategic marketing and communications division at Sharp, which is based in Mah-wah, N.J., said SC's "size and blend of strategy and e<%-2>xecutive skills, together with our personal experience <%0>with the principals, led us to make this decision."

HAAS, EX-GORE ADVISOR, JOINS MS&L

Larry Haas, a onetime spokesperson for Vice President Al Gore, is joining Manning, Selvage & Lee as senior VP/director of PA on Jan. 1.

Currently, he is PA director and special assistant to the president at Yale University.

Haas, who will be stationed in Washington, D.C., is to handle client legislative and regulatory issues.

That was the job once held by Joe Gleason, managing director of MS&L's global practice, to whom Haas will report.

MS&L's global practice clients include American Medical Assn., General Motors, Nestle USA, J.P. Morgan and Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers.

IABC HAS SERIOUS $$ PROBLEMS; CEO OUT

The International Assn. of Business Communicators has a "serious cash flow situation" that has resulted in a freeze on staff pay raises, travel and hiring; a delay in payments owed to chapters; dropping outside PR counsel, and delaying publication of the Dec./Jan. issue of Communication World to Jan./Feb. "Payment terms" are being negotiated with suppliers.

IABC last month announced it will no longer print its 700-page directory of members, which is now accessible to members via its website.

President and CEO Elizabeth Allan, a 22-year veteran of IABC, has resigned and has been replaced on an interim basis by Louis C. Williams,

J&J REPORTEDLY KILLED MOVIE

Johnson & Johnson killed a cable TV movie on drug-tampering. USA Network cancelled production of "Who Killed Sue Snow?" on Nov. 22, five days before filming was to start in Vancouver, reported The Los Angeles Times on Dec. 6.

The movie was based on the 1986 deaths of two Seattle-area residents who took cyanide-laced Excedrin, which is made by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

The Times, citing anonymous sources involved in the project, said J&J had threatened to pull all ads at the network and would ask other drug companies to do the same.

J&J spokesman, John McKeegan, who is manager of corporate communication, said the company complained about the movie but he denied it threatened to pull ads.

McNeil Consumer Products, a J&J subsidiary which makes Tylenol, was involved in two separate drug tampering cases in the 1980s, both involving its Tylenol brand.

The Times sources said J&J wanted to avoid reminding the public of seven Chicago-area deaths in 1982 from cyanide-tainted Extra Strength Tylenol.

Bristol-Myers could not confirm whether the company had raised concerns about the movie.

USA Network officials said the movie was stopped after J&J argued the movie was irresponsible.

"USA Network said its advertisers agreed it would be in the public's best interest to stop production of this movie," said Ron Sato, a USA spokesman. He said the project was killed over concerns it could lead to copy cat crimes.

HOLMES TO DISSOLVE EMMI

Paul Holmes, editor-in-chief of Inside PR newsletter and Reputation Management magazine, announced Dec. 6 that he and business partner Kara T. Ingraham, publisher of the two publications, are parting and that the parent company, Editorial Media & Marketing International, "will cease to exist."

Holmes, in an e-mail to advertisers, said that he and Ingraham "were not able to come to a satisfactory agreement as far as a buy-out is concerned." He said he feels "incredibly liberated" because he will now embark on a new venture, focusing on electronic publishing, the Internet and consulting.

Holmes, president of EMMI, provided a home telephone number in the e-mail.

Future of CIPRA Unclear

The future of the Creativity in PR Awards (CIPRA) was unclear. Also unclear, he said, is the future of Reputation Management.

Holmes had asked agencies not to submit awards for the Dec. 11 early deadline. He said that "it is not clear whether I will be able to acquire the rights to the CIPRA brand during the liquidation process."

Holmes has been in business for ten years after being editor of an earlier version of PR Week which folded.

GARCIA HEADS EDUCATION AT PRSSA

Geneen Garcia, with PRSA since 1991, has been promoted to director of education of PR Student Society of America, self-governing organization whose chapters at 220 colleges are chartered by PRSA. About 6,500 students are members.

Garcia has a B.A. in Psychology from NYU.
Elaine Averick, director of education at PRSA and executive director of PRSSA, is retiring after 20 years with the Society.

Averick "added an important leadership dimension to the value of membership in PRSSA," said Ray Gaulke, president and COO of PRSA.

Averick is the fifth most senior employee of PRSA. Other staff veterans are Donald Scott, office services, 32 years; Dorothy McGuinness, chapter operations, 30 years; Inez Smith, member records, 24 years, and Jackie Gonsalves, computer software, 21 years.

PR STUDIES DO NOT BELONG IN J SCHOOL

At one time, PR studies may have belonged in journalism school, but not now, says Mort Kaplan, director of PR studies at Columbia College, Chicago.

"It makes more sense to have PR in a department of marketing communications as either a stand-alone or part of the business school of a college or university," Kaplan said.

At Columbia College, PR is part of a department of marketing communication. Kaplan said that allows students to pursue their concentration in either marketing, advertising or PR studies, while gaining valuable exposure to the other two disciplines.

Under this arrangement, the PR student must also take some core courses in advertising and marketing, in addition to the course concentration.

DOT-COMS RETURN TO PR ROOTS

The shakeout in the dot-com business is a godsend for PR firms, panelists told a PRSA/New York international committee breakfast meeting last week.

PR created the initial buzz for the dot-com world more than two years ago, noted James Glicker, "brand guru" at Flooz.com. Dot-com start-ups, flushed with venture capital cash, then shifted their money into advertising. Glicker said VC firms, however, faced with mounting losses among their investments, turned off the cash spigot.

That, to Glicker, means the days of "lavish spending" for advertising are over, leaving PR as the cost-efficient tool to generate awareness for dot-com companies. He said established dot-com companies have always appreciated the power of PR.

PR Helps Crack Overseas Markets

Renee Edelman, GM at PR21's New York office, said there will be more Internet users overseas than in this country by the end of year. She predicted more "cross-border" PR campaigns for dot-com companies.

Ross Garon, COO at Blink.com, which helps surfers organize and share their online bookmarks, said PR was the "most important ingredient" in helping the company establish a unit in Japan.

NEW YORK TIMES MAY GO ON TV

The producers of "The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer" are in talks with The New York Times Co. to create an 11 p.m. news program on Public Broadcasting Service TV stations.

The two have considered a jointly produced news show for years, and "it's as close now as it's ever been," said Rob Flynn, a spokesman for MacNeil-Lehrer Productions, Arlington, Va.

PBS affiliates WNET in New York and WETA in Washington, D.C., also will be involved in production of the program, which has a working title of "National Edition."

Michael Oreskes, who had been Washington, D.C., bureau chief for The Times, was named assistant managing editor and director of electronic news.

His successor will be Jill Abramson, 46, the paper's Washington editor.

In his new job, Oreskes, also 46, will be based in New York, where he will oversee electronic news, including TV ventures and collaborations with the Times Co.'s online division, New York Times Digital.

"We're plucking Mike, our hard-charging Washington bureau chief, out of one of the daily journalist's best jobs to fill this important new position," said Joseph Lelyveld, who is executive editor of the newspaper.

"With the advent of broadband transmissions on the Internet, there's an obvious value in having one person constantly targeting our efforts in the converging spheres of TV and web journalism."

N.Y. Times Digital operates Internet properties such as NYTimes.com, Boston.com and newyorktoday.com.

NEW WEEKLY TO COVER BOSTON LEGAL BEAT

American Lawyer Media is starting a new weekly newspaper for the legal community in Boston and surrounding counties.

The Boston Law Tribune, edited by Claire Papanastasiou, will make its debut on Jan. 8, and will reach more than 15,000 lawyers, judges, law students and legal professionals.

The new stand-alone paper will replace the Mass Report, a separate regional section in ALM's National Law Journal, which began publication in June.

The new paper's editorial offices will be based in Boston.
ALM, which is headquartered in New York, also publishes the Connecticut Law Tribune and the Western Massachusetts Law Tribune, which was started in June. It plans to start a new Law Tribune in Rhode Island next year.

William Powell, who joined Fortune in July from Newsweek, was named Asia editor, based in a new bureau in Beijing. The bureau will augment the magazine's already extensive coverage of Asia by the Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo bureaus.

MONSTER.COM PROMOTES WEBSITE ON TV

Monster.com, Maynard, Mass., has launched a 30-minute TV program to show both employers and job seekers how to use the website.

The infomercial, which made its debut Dec. 1 on The Learning Channel, will air a minimum of 245 times during the month of December on national cable networks and local network affiliates.

The show provides instructions on how to navigate the site-from starting a "My Monster" account to building a resume to searching for jobs.

The show also has testimonials from successful job seekers and employers who used Monster.com's resources, which include 11 million job seeker accounts, 6.5 million resumes, and 100,000 employers.

The website recorded more than 19.3 million unique visits during the month of October, according to independent research.

The company was founded by TMP Worldwide, a New York-based advertising agency network, which is the largest Yellow Pages ad agency.

The Monster Show campaign, including production and media placement, was developed by the Falls Church, Va.-based Frederiksen Group, which specializes in direct response marketing. The Weber Group handles PR for Monster.com.

PEOPLE ____________________________________

Jim Higgins, previously business editor of The Detroit News, was named Washington, D.C., bureau chief. Don Nauss, who was covering the auto industry beat, replaces Higgins as business editor.

Daniel Roth was promoted to senior editor of Fortune. He will edit the e-corp features in the middle of the magazine in addition to continuing to write his column "The Question Authority."

Mary McAleer Vizard was named travel editor of Reader's Digest's New Choices magazine. She had been a columnist for The New York Times real estate section and held various editorial positions at Woman's Day, Vogue, and Time before joining New Choices.

Don Froomkin, metro editor, was promoted to editor of washingtonpost.com. He will manage the daily news operation and oversee editorial project development, with a special focus on improving newsroom technology. He will report to executive editor Douglas B. Feaver and work closely with deputy editor Jim Sheppard.

Etna M. Kelley, 104, who compiled The Business Founding Date Directory in 1954, and was a writer of many anniversary-related articles, died on Dec. 21, according to Philip Murphy, who had consulted with her often in connection with his work for Modern Talking Picture Service. Kelley was honored by the Museum of American Financial History in 1993 for her contributions to business history.

(Media news continued on next page)

NEWS RELEASE IS WORTHLESS, SAYS PR PRO

"In the cyber age, the press release is as valueless as the Confederate bill, " says veteran New York PR pro Malcolm Petrook, in the December issue of O'Dwyer's PR Services Report.

"Sending a press release is proof-positive to the recipient that it has not been prepared for him or her alone; immediately denying a reporter the chance to scoop competitors," said Petrook.

"Moreover, press releases require client clearance, are often written by committee and rarely contain the selling proposition or thrust needed to motivate a beat-specific reporter," said Petrook, who practices what he preaches.

The only exception is when a client is publicly traded, and must comply with the Securities and Exchange Commission mandate that requires news releases for timely disclosure on earnings, senior management changes or mergers and acquisitions.

Petrook believes voicemail, e-mail and even regular mail are vehicles in which a publicist can express opinions, make allusions or take a position that will clinch a story but would never pass muster in a press release.

If a client cannot be discouraged from issuing a press release to the national media, "you can still increase your chances of winning ink by not sending anything to anyone with whom you have not first spoken," said Petrook.

PLACEMENT TIPS _________________________

INNewYork, a new magazine from Primedia, is set to launch in March 2001.

Bonnie Davidson, who is senior editor, said the upscale monthly will cover all aspects of art, entertainment, shopping, dining and nightlife for visitors to the city.

The magazine will be distributed in rooms and at concierge desks at New York's luxury hotels.

"Each month we'll have listings, departments and features on everything of interest to affluent travelers-theater, dance, concerts, opera, galleries, museums, auction houses, restaurants, nightclubs, sports and recreation, boutiques, specialty and department stores, gift items, kids' activities, and beauty (hair salons, day spas, etc.)," said Davidson.

She said the magazine will also feature a calendar of major happenings that will take place in the upcoming months.

"As we gear up for our March launch, we're seeking all appropriate press releases and materials," said Davidson.
Trisha McMahon Drain is editor-in-chief.

As of Dec. 15, the magazine's address will be 711 Third ave., 19th floor, New York, NY 10017. Davidson can be reached at 212/487-6881.

BiZBash.com Idea Center, a soon-to-be-launched online news and resource center for event and business entertaining professionals, wants to get ideas and events. Features editor Chad Kaydo says "Let us know what you are working on" by sending an e-mail to him at [email protected].

MEDIA BRIEFS _____________________________

Yahoo! Internet Life, a monthly lifestyle magazine covering the Internet, will increase its rate base from one million to 1.1 million effective with the January 2001 issue. The magazine was started in 1995 as a quarterly with a rate base of 100,000.

Bloomberg Television said it doubled its U.S. distribution in 2000. The 24-hour financial news network's total number of cable and satellite subscribers increased from 5.7 million to more than 11.1 million. The network, which reaches a worldwide audience of 200 million people, is backed by Bloomberg News, a news service with more than 1,000 reporters in 79 different bureaus around the world.

Crain's New York Business said Bloomberg, whose founder Michael Bloomberg may run for mayor of New York in 2001, is planning to start a general news service to cover New York politics and city happenings.

Richard Rosen, a former editor at The New York Daily News, will head up the new service.

Other reporters on the staff include Liz Willen, who previously covered the education beat for Newsday and Glenn Thrush, who had been a medical reporter at The New York Observer and a former editor of Politics.com.

S.F. EXAMINER GETS NEWS FROM CBS SITE

CBS MarketWatch.com, a financial news website, is the primary business news provider to the new San Francisco Examiner, which was relaunched on Nov. 22 as a morning daily by its new owner and publisher, Ted Fang.

This is the second newspaper alliance for MarketWatch. Last September, the company became the primary business provider to the Daily News Express, the commuter edition of The New York Daily News.

MarketWatch CEO Larry Kramer and several of his key editors used to work for the Examiner. Kramer was executive editor of the paper from 1986 to 1991. Thom Calandra, who is editor-in-chief of MarketWatch, was also an Examiner reporter and columnist.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in San Francisco, MarketWatch has facilities and bureaus in New York, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas, Tokyo, Hong Kong and London.

The MarketWatch websites are the most popular Internet destinations for business and financial news and information, according to the latest data from Media Metrix.

IABC HAS SERIOUS $$ PROBLEMS (cont'd)

former IABC chairman and head of his own Chicago firm.
Allan admitted that the "fundamental step" of reconciling bank statements had not been done and that the IABC on Oct. 19 learned it had an unexpected "shortfall against plan of approximately $200,000."

"This happened on my watch and I accept that fact," Allan said in a letter to chapter presidents. She has been president and CEO of IABC the past five years. She is taking time off to travel with her husband and "re-invent myself."

IABC chair Charles Pizzo said on Dec. 7 that "IABC is now facing a serious cash flow situation which could be perilous over the next several months if sharp action is not taken."

The group is "negotiating payment terms with key suppliers, contractors and vendors," Pizzo said. He noted that IABC had never before interrupted payment of "rebate" checks to its chapters.

The dues collected by national for the chapters are being temporarily withheld for Oct./Nov., improving cash flow to h.q. by $68,000.

Pizzo said the board believes these steps will see the group through the next few months until revenue-generating activities "begin to be felt."

E-Business Is Costly Venture

IABC in the past year or so has spent at least $1 million on a new e-business called "TalkingBusinessNow." It still needs about $400K to get it launched beyond the current prototype.

Williams, whose firm just merged with DeFrancesco/Goodfriend, said he will move to San Francisco and work for IABC for "as long as it takes to get its act together."

He said a financial report is now being prepared by Deloitte & Touche and that the cancellation of the printed yearbook of members is one topic that will be revisited.

IABC lost $343,256 in the year ended Sept. 30, 1999 on income of $4.8M. It lost $107,116 the previous year. Assets were $519,150 in 1999. The group has 13,500 members but reported a lower than usual renewal rate this spring.

PR Society of America, which has also been hit with financial problems including a drop in renewals from 85% to around 70% or lower, skipped an issue of its 800-page membership book. COO Ray Gaulke has been shifted to fund-raising duties for the PRSA Foundation and a new COO is being sought. PRSA ran into financial difficulties when it installed the high-end iMIS software which is still not fully functioning after two years. The computer snafu is cited as one reason for low renewal rates.

DILENSCHNEIDER SEES INFO GLUT

Counselor Robert Dilenschneider said new emphasis is needed on "content and critical thinking" in order to cope with the "glut of messages assaulting senior corporate executives."

The messages "do not equal knowledge and knowledge does not equal wisdom," he told a group of PR executives in Atlanta Dec. 7.

Dilenschneider, who heads the PR firm in his name, said information, to be useful, "has to be absorbed, classified, analyzed, collated, appropriately applied, and then melded into other relevant data and information."

All too often, he said, "we are simply being overloaded with messages, many containing little, or no, relevant or useful information." He referred to the Internet, e-mail, voice mail, beepers, faxes, pagers and cell phones as carriers of such messages.

The messages may be worthless but "demand our time and attention, interrupt thinking, and often distract us from vital tasks."

COMBINED NY PARTY DREW 400

The first annual "New York Communicators Holiday Charity Celebration," hosted by PRSA/NY and IABC/NY, with cooperation from Women Executives in PR and the Black PR Society of New York, drew nearly 400 PR people to the Float nightclub Dec. 7.

Don Bates of Media Distribution Services, special events chair of PRSA/NY, and Mary Ann Copp of Avon Products, programs co-chair of IABC/NY, were co-chairs of the event, which raised $20,000 from sponsors. Gold sponsors ($5,000) were PR Newswire, PR Week, and Weinrich Advertising/Communications. Other sponsors included Fleishman-Hillard, Burrelle's, Cohn & Wolfe, Design Trust, DWJ TV, DS Simon Productions, Goldman+Bell, Heyman Assocs., Ketchum, Makovsky & Co., MDS, Porter Novelli, G.S. Schwartz & Co., Marshall Consultants, Video Monitoring Services and Anheuser-Busch.

DWJ TV donated a free eVNR setup and three months of hosting (valued at $5,200). West Glen Communications, MDS, PR Newswire, Avon and Seagram's also donated prizes.

PRSA/NY published its first "electronic newsletter" which will be e-mailed each month to members by PR Newswire. PRN will also offer the NL to 2,000 additional New York-area PR pros.

The five-page letter lists officers, upcoming events and has several articles. Bob Weintraub, 2001 chapter president, said he has numerous plans to make PRSA/NY "more relevant to the New York PR community of more than 10,000."

MORAN TO ADVISE TIME WARNER CEO

Linda Moran, who is senior VP of group and external relations for Warner Music Group, was named special advisor to Time Warner chairman/CEO Gerald Levin and president Richard Parsons.

At Warner Music Group, Moran's responsibilities include industry and community relations, charitable contributions, PA, events and special projects.

Janine Richardson, who is director of events and contributions for Warner Music Group, will assume Moran's responsibilities, reporting to corporate communications at Warner Music.

PR OPINION/ITEMS

Our stand on the continuing PR and court battle over the presidential election is on the side of obtaining more information, i.e., counting the votes that were missed by the machines.

Ballots that require holes to be punched in them produce a much higher percentage of non-votes than ballots that can be optically-scanned. Florida law as well as common sense requires that all votes be hand-counted in a close election.

The Republicans from the beginning have insisted on machine-counting only and have turned down Democratic proposals for state-wide hand recounts.

Last week's split decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Florida Supreme Court show that the justices have tied themselves into logical knots in trying to interpret various laws and jurisdictions. What's needed is a return to common sense and ordinary principles of fair play.

The IABC (page one) is in a financial crisis brought about by the high cost of technology. It's no mystery as to where IABC's money went. It was consumed at the rate of $1 million+ in creating an e-business that's supposed to have all the bells and whistles once it's up and running. Similarly, high-tech, high-powered salespeople saddled PRSA with an expensive computer system and that doesn't work, either. It may even have wrecked PRSA's normally high renewal rate. These two groups need sophisticated leaders who are a match for highly sophisticated salespeople spouting techno-babble and charging prices that are on the moon.

IABC needs to make a full financial report to members as soon as possible (and not the type of truncated report that Deloitte & Touche and IABC tried to palm off on members earlier this year). That report did not even mention the $398,755 spent on web development and had a $548,000 expense category called "other." The governance of IABC is out of whack. Its House of Delegates (like PRSA's Assembly) gave up the power to set dues and has all but ceased to exist. The 25-member board (far too big) appoints its own nominating committee, meaning the officers are a self-perpetuating clique. Too much power has been grabbed by the staff which has now shown its ineptitude (it wasn't even getting IABC's bank statements reconciled). The titles of president and CEO should go back to the elected officers. The same thing should happen at PRSA which is also in the throes of a financial crisis (skipping a directory of members) because of staff ineptitude. The word among association executives apparently is take all the titles and power you can in your association and reduce to advisors the officers and bloated, ineffective board. Some board members like this. It means they can hide behind the staff while collecting glory and beefing up their resumes as "leaders" of the field. IABC should publish its printed directory.

The new PRSA code authored by Seattle counselor Bob Frause and others is a "sellout to marcom" (marketing communications), says James Simon, SVP and chief communications officer of Cardinal Health, Dublin, Ohio. He notes that the code starts off by describing PR pros as "advocates for those we represent" but at another point says PR pros are supposed to advance "the free flow of accurate and truthful information." Advocates are salespeople and are not educators nor in the business of dispensing information, he says. We would take any "information" given by an admitted salesperson with a huge grain of salt. Another indication that the new code reduces PR pros to the status of salespeople is that it says nothing about PR people having to make clients or employers available for questioning by the press and/or public. Simon, a member of PR Seminar and the Wisemen, was at KPMG as a partner before joining the $25 billion Cardinal Health...PR pro Burke Stinson agrees with author Richard Stengel (Brief History of Flattery) that there is an epidemic of flattery (12/6 NL). One example, says Stinson, is the glitzy press kits that are sent to editors who only want the basic facts. Such kits are aimed at "delighting the marketing department" while ignoring the needs of "harried editors who are on deadline," he says...speaking of expensive high-tech pitch teams, we were recently offered two days of "consulting" on our website by one of the big software companies for $25,000. We do need plenty of advice and expertise to improve the site but we don't have to pay $25K for it (which would have just covered initial costs). Similarly, consultants abound who will write a direct mail pitch letter for a publication for $15K and up. But there are many other ways to get advice on such a letter that are a lot cheaper...IABC, instead of keeping its proposed e-business secret and contracting out for hundreds of thousands of dollars, should have advertised the proposed site in its own publications and on its website. Members, many of them web and e-business experts (isn't IABC made up of "business communicators?") would have built the e-business for a fraction of what IABC has spent. E-businesses, by the way, are afflicted with a high rate of failure... PRSA, which is hemming and hawing about improving its own website, should tap into the expertise of its own members, saving the Society a bundle. Because of the nature of the web, PRSA's website can be redesigned and built from anywhere in the U.S. as long as the builders have the underlying access codes to the elements in the site.