KETCHUM CUTS 62; LANDS PANAMA/KODAK

Ketchum has cut 62 staffers in eight offices to counter the economic slump and the fallout from the terror attacks. Washington, D.C., London and San Francisco took the brunt of the hits due to the collapse of the PA and high-tech markets.

There were a "smattering" of cuts in New York, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Glendale and in Ketchum's Stromberg employee communications operation.

"We tried to hold off as long as possible and like many other firms we couldn't avoid the economic impact of Sept. 11," said Ketchum spokesperson Robyn Massey. She added that Ketchum's business had been strong prior to the attacks.

CEO Ray Kotcher could not be reach for comment about the cuts because he was involved in planning sessions for the upcoming year.

Ketchum/BBDO Lands Panama

Ketchum and sister Omnicom unit BBDO picked up the $10 million Panama tourism account, Ines Rodriguez-Gutzmer, VP/Latin America group manager, told this NL. Interpublic's McCann-Erickson- among others-was in the running for the business.

"We worked very hard to win the account," said the Atlanta-based executive who credited Ketchum's strategic planning process as part of the reason why it picked up the business.

Ketchum also picked up the $1 million-plus Eastman Kodak account, according to Charlie Smith, director of PR for the imaging company.

Fleishman-Hillard and Ogilvy also pitched the account. "They each did a very professional job," said Smith. Weber Shandwick previously had the account.

B-M's ERSBOELL JOINS MS&L

Charlotte Ersboell, a 12-year Burson-Marsteller veteran, has joined Manning, Selvage & Lee as its European healthcare director.

At B-M, Ersboell, a native of Denmark, worked with clients such as Novo Nordisk, Pharmacia, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Roche.

As head of B-M's Nordic Practice, she ran programs in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

MS&L lauded Ersboell's crisis management, media relations and product launch savvy in announcing the hire. Ann Moravick, MS&L's global health leader, called Ersboell a "global professional with a deep understanding of how to collaborate with multi-cultural teams and clients.

Ersboell will work from MS&L's London office.

BG&R GETS $35K/MONTH PACT FROM MEXICO

Interpublic's Barbour Griffith & Rogers has a $35,000 a-month pact with Mexico's U.S. Embassy to "broaden and deepen" bilateral ties.

BG&R is tackling issues such as NAFTA implementation (e.g., issue of Mexican trucks on U.S. roads), immigration/human capital (treatment of Mexican citizens here), border cooperation, drug trafficking, (balance between Mexico's "sovereignty and dignity" with regard to the annual certification process) and energy/environmental issues.

Former Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour heads the BG&R team. He also served as one of ten members of then-Gov. George Bush's National Presidential Exploratory Committee.

Juan Jose Bremer, Mexico's U.S. Ambassador, signed the contract with BG&R.

POLAROID FOCUSES ON KEKST & CO.

Kekst & Co. is advising Polaroid Corp., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Oct. 12.

Michael Freitag and Roanne Kulakoff oversee the account of the one-time high-flyer whose stock sank to 28 cents a-share before announcing the financial restructuring. Polaroid shares traded at more than $60 each in 1997.

The instant photo company lost $201 million for the first-half of this year on $665 million in sales. Revenues were down 25 percent as Polaroid was hammered by the widespread use of digital cameras.

CEO Gary DiCamillo, who laid off 950 employees in February and another 2,000 (25 percent of its workforce) in June, said the Chapter 11 filing will protect the company as it searches for a buyer for all or parts of its business.

BASHE BACK IN PR BUSINESS

Health!Quest Global Communication Partners has formed Health!Quest PR under long-time healthcare PR pro Gil Bashe to offer corporate/marketing communications, crisis management and financial relations services to drug, medical device and diagnostic clients.

Bashe was CEO at CommonHealth, and worldwide director for Hill and Knowlton's health/pharmaceutical practice before helping to set up H!QGCP in 1999 as a marketing services network for GTCR Golder Rauner, an equity firm. Steven Immergut, a veteran of CPR Worldwide and H&K, and Michael Connolly, a KPMG Peat Marwick pro, join Bashe.

S&P WATCHES INTERPUBLIC

Standard & Poor's placed Interpublic on its CreditWatch list with negative implications last week due to the "lack of visibility and the uncertain climate for ad spending" for this year and next.

Concerns over the soft ad market, in S&P's view, have been intensified following the Sept. 11 attacks.

S&P believes the economic uncertainty could hamper Interpublic's growth prospects and its ability to cut debt.

It feels Interpublic's revenues are vulnerable due to the "loss of key accounts, slowing pace of accounts under review that could fuel growth and a shift towards more cost-effective and incentive-based programs."

The rating service faults IPG management for not cutting expenses faster this year.

CEO John Dooner has announced a $500 million restructuring charge for layoffs, office closings and the integration of the True North acquisition.

S&P worries that IPG may have to take more cash charges that could cover additional layoffs.

IPG's four percent second quarter revenue dip and three percent drop in organic growth, according to S&P, stands in "sharp contrast to the growth at other well-positioned advertising agency holding companies."

S&P, which downgraded IPG on July 30, believes "an unstable operating environment and the potential for further negative earnings surprises are sources of concern."

Interpublic is "expected to generate negative discretionary cash flow in 2001 due to lower profitability and restructuring disbursements and their impact on working capital, as well as acquisition activity," according to S&P.

Interpublic, WPP, Omnicom Take Terror Hit

Omnicom, Interpublic and WPP each lost from $60 to $70 million in September ad revenues in the aftermath of the terror attacks, according to a report issued by Credit Suisse First Boston.

The investment banker noted that the revenue loss was so sudden that holding companies could not cut costs fast enough. CSFB has lowered its profit estimates for the companies for both this year and next.

It did not change its ratings on the stocks. WPP and Interpublic remain "buys," while Omnicom is a "strong buy."

McKINNEY DRAWS OUTRAGE OVER $10M GIFT

Members of Atlanta's Jewish community were "outraged" over Rep. Cynthia McKinney's apology to Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, whose offer of $10 million to families of World Trade Center victims was rejected by New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

The rejection came after the prince released a statement saying the U.S. should review its Middle East policies and especially those relating to the Israeli/Palestinian dispute.

Rep. McKinney (D-Ga.), said the money would be welcomed at other American charities.

Jay Kaiman, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said his office received many angry phone calls.

"Their tone," he said, "is one of disbelief that McKinney would take such a position in light of the tragedy and try to find some sense of moral equivalency for the terrorism act."

Samir Moukaddam, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said, "The only way we can reach true peace and justice is if these issues are put on the table."

John Evans, president of the DeKalb unit of the National Assn. of Colored People, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the money "certainly can be used...in some of these poor pockets we've got in this country."

A web poll taken by the AJC was running nine-to-one in favor of Giuliani's rejection of the Prince's gift. A similar poll being taken by the New York Post was running seven-to-one in Giuliani's favor.

McKinney told Tom Joyner, whose syndicated talk radio show is based in Washington, D.C., she is "going to be having a meeting with representatives of the prince real soon."

AMERICA IS READY TO GET BACK TO BUSINESS

Americans are ready to get back to business, but not back to normal, according to an Oct. 10 Golin/ Harris International briefing for clients.

Peter Hart Research ran focus groups with more than 100 participants to gauge their feelings in the aftermath of the terror attacks.

PHR research shows that Americans know that President Bush's war on terror will go on for a long time.

Sixty percent of respondents believe the economy is "trending down," though most feel it will pick up in about a year.

The participants approve of the current bipartisan mood in Congress. They are less tolerant of pettiness, one-upmanship or anything that appears to go beyond the boundaries of fair play.

Peter Hart said companies should go on with their communications programs as long as the messages "strike the right tone."

Consumers, he added, are receptive to new product launches and even special events as long as they are not conducted in a frivolous or disrespectful manner.

G/HI CEO Rich Jernstedt said the findings show the "important role communicators must play in determining both content and tone of corporate and brand message development in this period of heightened sensitivities."

WHIRLPOOL HIRES XEROX PRO

Xerox pro Carolina Mata has joined Whirlpool as director, internal and interactive communications, while Tara Condon-Tullier, of CNH Global N.V., has been named director of employee communications. They report to Barry Holt, VP-global communications. Heyman Assocs. conducted the searches.

NEW EDITOR TO REFOCUS POPULAR SCIENCE

Scott Mowbray, 42, who was just named editor-in-chief of Popular Science, said his plans are to make the magazine more entertaining.

"Science pervades our culture-our entertainment, our homes, even our bodies-in thousands of ways," said Mowbray. "The magazine is going to enthusiastically explore the places where science and American life intersect, and continue the tradition of predicting the future."

Mowbray, who replaces former editor-in-chief Cecilia Wessener, who left the company, had been managing editor for Time Inc.'s Custom Publishing business for the past five years.

PLACEMENT TIPS

Super Media, a Los Angeles-based company run by videogame junkie Van Burnham, is working on a new gaming magazine for possible roll-out as a 250,000-circ. monthly in the first quarter.

A preview of the new magazine, called Super, will run as a 24-page insert in the December issue of Gear, published by Bob Guccione Jr.

Super's editorial staff is handling the content-a buyer's guide on gaming consoles.

The magazine will be targeted to 18 to 36-year-old tech-savvy males who are interested in entertainment.

Super Media is at 213/626-0891.

David Lazarus, a reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle, is writing a business column that appears in the Wednesday, Friday and Sunday editions.

Called "Lazarus at Large," he said the column will focus on general business topics.

"While I tend not to be dazzled by press releases, now that I am writing a column, I am interested in getting quirky and offbeat items from publicists," said Lazarus, who was just named Journalist of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists/Northern California.

Lazarus wants publicists to e-mail him inquiries and press releases at [email protected].

Adrian Cottrill, 57, previously international editor of Offshore Engineer, a London, England-based monthly, was named technology editor of Upstream, an Oslo-based newspaper covering the oil and gas industry. Cottrill, who will be based in London, will focus on the commercial ramifications of new products, projects and trends.

He can be reached at 44-1386-47333, or adrian. [email protected].

Matt Towery, 41-year-old co-founder of Insider Advantage.com, which publishes Bill Shipp's Georgia and political newsletters in Florida and South Carolina, has begun writing a syndicated column for Los Angeles-based Creators Syndicate. The Atlanta-based attorney's columns will explore the impact on society and business of political trends and issues.

Spa Finder magazine is adding a new product column featuring items that relate to its editorial focus as "the healthy lifestyle and travel magazine" and are of interest to its upscale readers.

The products selected will be tied to feature stories in the bimonthly magazine, starting with "Best Spas for Couples in Love," slated for the March/ April issue, and followed by a feature on yogas in spas for May/June.

Press material should be sent to Dale Burg and Wesley Alexander at 91 Fifth ave., New York, NY 10003, or [email protected].

REAL SIMPLE HIRES NEW EDITORS

Carrie Tuhy, managing editor of Real Simple, has hired Peggy Northrop as deputy editor and Jacklyn Monk as assistant managing editor.

Bob Newman was promoted to creative director, overseeing all photos, art and styling.

Northrop joins the magazine from Redbook, where she was executive editor for the past three years. She will work alongside Tuhy and Tom Prince, executive editor.

Monk, who was previously managing editor at Vibe, will enforce deadlines, traffic copy, supervise production and monitor budgets.

Real Simple is a monthly lifestyle magazine. It provides practical, actionable solutions for simplifying and improving every aspect of women's lives.

PEOPLE

Timothy Lindsay, 33, editor of Canada's "Carguide," a semi-annual publication, was killed Oct. 5 when he lost control of the Dodge Viper he was driving and struck a utility pole in Oakville, Ont. He helped to develop the "Steering Column" and "Mega-wheels" sections of The Toronto Globe and Mail.

Jon Marcus was named editor of Boston Magazine. He has been acting editor since April.

Doug Thomson, who started "Capitol Hill Blue," a Washington, D.C.-based political news website, six-and-a-half years ago, is leaving to get a job on a smalltown newspaper.

Ed Garsten, previously Detroit bureau chief for CNN, has joined The Associated Press to cover the auto beat. He can be reached at 313/259-0650.

Editor & Publisher magazine has eliminated the position of executive editor held by Steve Yahn.

Mi-Ai Parrish, previously associate Sunday editor of The Arizona Republic, was named deputy managing editor for features at The San Francisco Chronicle. Andrew Ross, who was co-founder of Salon.com, and its first managing editor, was named senior foreign editor, and Ken Conner, who was projects editor, was appointed deputy Sunday editor.

(Media news continued on next page)

EDITOR REFUSES 'SNAIL MAIL' RELEASES

The Arizona Daily Star, in Tucson, is refusing to accept press releases that are mailed due to the threat of being exposed to anthrax.

Jane Amari, editor of the paper, said "Because media have been targeted with these attacks, we are concerned about our newsroom employees. As a result, we've decided that a prudent step is to reduce the volume of mail we receive in envelopes and boxes.

"Effective today (Oct. 16), we will no longer accept 'snail mail' addressed to Letters to the Editor, Caliente and Community Calendar-the three features that generate the most mail to the newsroom."

Amari said press releases should be e-mailed, faxed or hand-delivered to any Star office. "Just don't put them in envelopes," she added.

At NBC, in New York, where an aide to anchorman Tom Brokaw contracted the skin form of anthrax and another has shown symptoms, the network has stopped accepting mail from the Postal Service.

A spokeswoman for CBS said some letters are being set aside for the time being. In the case of packages, they will be opened unless they are marked confidential, she said.

Don't Open It

News organizations have been warned to check all incoming mail for misspellings in common names and words and incorrect postage after more cases of anthrax involving media people were confirmed Oct. 15.

If it looks suspicious, "Don't open it, don't shake it, don't smell it," said Jack Potter, who is postmaster general.

The new media cases are the seven-month-old son of a producer at ABC News, who is being treated for skin anthrax, and a mailroom clerk for the supermarket tabloids, published by American Media in Boca Raton, Fla., who has developed inhalation anthrax after earlier testing positive for exposure.

After it was found that the infant had visited two floors of ABC News headquarters in New York, the Environmental Protection Agency began checking newsrooms for anthrax spores at ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox as well as the The New York Daily News, New York Post and New York Times.

A mail-sorting facility in Florida was shut down on Oct. 15 after a small amount of anthrax spores was found. The office handled mail for American Media, where an editor died from anthrax.

PRIMEDIA MOVES TEEN MAGS TO L.A.

Primedia has merged its Youth Entertainment Group, which consists of Teen Beat, Tiger Beat, 16 and Bop, into the Teen magazine group.

It plans to relocate the editorial offices from New York to Los Angeles, where Teen is headquartered. Twenty staffers will be dismissed.

Tommi Lewis, Teen editor, was put in charge of the group.

Teen Beat and Tiger Beat are moving to quarterly frequency, from monthly, while 16 remains quarterly. Bop, a monthly, is being re-evaluated.

BRILL'S CONTENT SUSPENDS PUBLICATION

Steve Brill has suspended operations of Brill's Content magazine. In an Oct. 15 memo to the staff, he said Primedia will buy Inside.com, and "we will unwind our Brill Media Ventures/Media Central relationship..."

Brill said 38 staffers who work for Brill's Content/Inside were to be laid off on Oct. 16; others will be offered employment opportunities at Media Central, which he will continue to head as CEO until the end of the year.

The cause of the end of Brill's Content and the scaling down of Inside.com as an editorial entity, according to Brill, is the "unwinding of our partnership; for our entire game plan depended on our using the magazine and Inside to help build Media Central and vice versa."

Other Media Also Close

-Linqua Franca, a magazine about academic life, has suspended publication. University Business, about college administration, will continue to appear in some form, and "Arts & Letters Daily," a website, will continue to appear online.

-The Atlanta Journal, an evening newspaper with a circulation of 91,200, will be combined with the morning Atlanta Constitution, which has a weekday circulation of 320,300, on Nov. 2.

Cynthia Tucker will become editorial page editor of The Journal-Constitution, and James Wooten, who was the Journal's editorial page editor, will be associate editor.

-WHDH-TV, in Boston, has cancelled its public affairs programs dealing with minorities, including "Urban Update." Garry Armstrong, 59, a veteran African-American reporter, who had worked at the station for 31 years, was dismissed along with senior executive producer Victoria Jones, who is also black.

-KDNL-TV, in St. Louis, has closed its 47-person news department, which gathered news for two half-hour local newscasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. The station, which is an ABC affiliate, is owned by Baltimore-based Sinclair Broadcasting Group.

-Automotive News International, a monthly publication, has ceased publishing, effective with the October issue.

Crain Communications, based in Detroit, said no layoffs came as a result of the closing. Employees who worked on the monthly publication will redirect their efforts toward Automotive News and Automotive News Europe.

Crains Automotive Group, which publishes four publications, has more than 50 reporters and editors, and bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Nashville, London, Munich and Tokyo.

LOCKHART RAPS STATE DEPT.'S 'BRANDING.'

Joe Lockhart, former press secretary for President Clinton, said it is not the U.S. State Department's job to create a "superior" brand of citizens.

Speaking on a Center for Communications panel in New York on Oct. 16, Lockhart said he was "shocked" to read in The Wall Street Journal on Oct. 15 that the new Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Charlotte Beers, a former chairwoman of J. Walter Thompson ad agency, will attempt to "redefine what America is," using ads to sell the nation's cause.

Lockhart, who now works for The Glover Park Group, said it is okay for the State Dept. to sell the U.S. as a nice place to spend a vacation and do business, but it "should not be put in charge of branding U.S. citizens."

"Allowing the State Department to decide how to sell us is fraught with peril," said Lockhart, who believes only elected officials should decide.

Jim Abernathy, president/CEO, The Abernathy MacGregor Group, another panelist, believes it is important for the U.S. to repair its image by telling the "real story" of its citizens. He said the U.S.'s image has been damaged by MTV, Calvin Klein ads, and motion pictures. "We are much better than we appear to be," said Abernathy, who said it makes him "weak" when he reads the vignettes running in The New York Times about the lives of people who died in the World Trade Center attack.

He is especially struck by the "good things" that many of these people had done in their communities, such as working as Little League coaches, Scout leaders, etc. This is a side of America that needs to be told, said Abernathy.

Leslee Dart, president, PMK/HBH PR, agreed with Abernathy's suggestion. She found Europeans have a much different view of people in the U.S. while spending time there during the O.J. Simpson trial.

Doesn't Pass

Peter Himler, who was panel moderator, asked Lockhart if he thought Osama bin Laden was doing a better PR job than the Bush Administration.

In reply, Lockhart said he would not give bin Laden a passing grade. "There is no evidence he has persuaded anyone," said Lockhart, who noted there is growing swell of support for the war.

Lockhart, who was Clinton's press secretary during the bombing of Kosovo, did chide the current administration for going on the defensive by attempting to exercise control over what is aired and printed.

He also criticized the media for going along with the administration. Ironically, he said the government-owned BBC has told the government to get lost.

Lockhart said journalists are better equipped than the government in deciding what should and should not be reported.

He admitted he got "agitated" by reported statements that he knew were untrue during the Kosovo war, but the Clinton Administration never tried to impose any editorial control over the media.

C&W, PMA HIT WITH ANTHRAX SCARES

Cohn & Wolfe had to evacuate its New York headquarters last week after a staffer noticed suspicious white power falling out of a paystub envelope, Steve Aiello, CEO of C&W, told this NL.

A full investigation was launched, and staffers had to leave their offices for about two hours.

Aieillo has been informally told that "all is clear."

Staffers at Peter Martin Assocs., Stamford, Conn., also had to exit after a staffer found a powdery substance on her desk when she reported for duty on Oct. 16. Police and firefighters were called to the scene. Peter Martin said it has not been determined whether the substance is a biochemical agent.

PR MUST MANAGE PERCEPTION-LEWTON

PR's role in the post 9/11 era is "the management of perception," Kathy Lewton, chair of PR Society of America, told the Economic Club of Detroit Oct. 15.

She said Americans are at the "edge of a precipice" and can "look down," but must step back from it and carry on their regular lives as much as possible.

"The management of perception is the critical challenge for PR people today," she told an audience of 300 at the Economic Club.

The real peril, she said, is not the hijacking of airplanes or the spreading of anthrax, "but the peril of the perception of being imperiled."

Companies and the government must take the lead in managing perceptions, she added.

Recalling she studied psychology while in college, she said that decision-making is a two-part process that involves "facts and feelings...brains and guts."

Facts provide the foundation for feelings but "feelings provide the final vote," she said.

The feelings of Americans, she continued, will determine whether they take business or pleasure trips or make major purchases such as buying a car.

Confidence must be maintained not only in the coming months but for years, she said. At the moment, she added, people are "jittery about spending money."

Praises Bush, Faults Thompson

Lewton, senior VP of Fleishman-Hillard on healthcare and biotechnology, praised President Bush as being "phenomenal" and "doing fabulously." She received a round of applause for these remarks.

But she criticized the initial handling of the anthrax crisis by Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Resources, saying he appeared to minimize the problem.

One failing, she said, was that he was not a physician and did not wear a white coat. Physicians were later brought in as spokespeople, Lewton noted.

"In the past five days we got a little off track with the anthrax scare...it has not been managed consistently," she said.

An audiotape of the speech is available on www.prsadetroit.org.

Among those on the 40-person dais were Wayne Mielke, president of PRSA/Detroit, and Fred Zosel, president of PR Assocs. and member, ECD.

New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani created an ongoing flap Oct. 11 when he blocked a gift of $10 million from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to victims of the 9/11 attack.

Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) criticized the mayor and is now setting up a meeting with the prince. She would be only too glad to take the $10M for various groups of poor in the U.S.

McKinney joined Alwaleed in criticism of Israel, saying Amnesty International has found it uses "lethal force" in situations where Palestinian demonstrators were unarmed.

The result of this invective has been "a week of hubbub" in Atlanta, said the Atlanta-Journal Constitution Oct. 19. The New York Times covered the flap in a full column Oct. 18.

This incident is a failure of PR, a failure of communication. Alwaleed was the proverbial bull in the china shop by criticizing Israel alone in connection with his attempted gift. He could have put out an even-handed statement that his staff and Giuliani's staff worked on together. Then, the $10M would have gotten to people who desperately need it. Very little of the $1 billion raised for the WTC victims has been distributed thus far. The $10M was given by Alwaleed to the victims and not to Giuliani. He had no right to deprive them of it so he could do political grand-standing.

Alwaleed, who owns half of the Plaza Hotel and has $12 billion invested in the U.S., is a friend of New York and the U.S. He wants the U.S. to examine its foreign policies in order to avoid further 9/11's. He went about it in a crude way. He lacked the finesse that PR can bring to such a situation.

The mayor, by acting emotionally, showed he failed to heed any PR advice (indeed, if any was given to him). He should have opened a dialog with the prince, saying his statements were wrong and too one-sided. Supporters of Alwaleed are now crowing that "free speech" in America is a myth. They also point to Administration attempts to censor Al Jezzera, the Arab equivalent of CNN.

PR, by putting aside its hard-driving marketing hat and reverting to its fact-providing, educating and mediating role, can help in the current climate of wartime hostilities and non-communication. It can take the edge off its employers' bellicose statements and seek understanding instead of confrontation.

The PR business is going to suffer hugely under the current conditions, especially if they last for "years," as promised. Columbia University Professor Joseph Stiglitz says war is bad for all but a few businesses. Costs of Vietnam caused a damaging inflationary economy in the 1970s and the Persian Gulf war worsened the 1990-91 recession, he says. PR leaders can set up discussion groups that can probe reasons for the war. New York Times education columnist Richard Rothstein said Oct. 17 that scholars should "explore the ideological or historical context" of the (9/11) attacks. "Explaining horrific acts" is not the same as excusing them, he pointed out in commenting on criticism of a New York City school official by Lynne Cheney, wife of the Vice President. Cheney said deputy schools chancellor Judith Rizzo implied that terrorism was America's fault because its citizens do not understand Islam.

What's needed is not the emotionalism of advertising but the logic, reasoning and editorial-orientation of PR. Oddly, TV news shows have adopted an emotional approach to the hostilities and have abandoned their objectivity with titles such as "America Under Attack," "War on Terror," and "America Strikes Back," accompanied by flashy graphics. It's like an "Olympics of Terror," one respondent told the McCann Pulse report.

News item: Standard & Poor's announced it may cut its Interpublic credit ratings because of the uncertain climate for ad spending and IPG's "current lack of revenue visibility." Analysts also said last week that 9/11 cost each of the big three ad agencies (IPG, Omnicom and WPP) about $60 to $70 million in revenues, or about 10% of their gross revenues for a year. The word "visibility" caught our attention because the big three have virtually no PR aimed at the general or advertising/PR press. The negative news about them goes unanswered.

The National Conference for Community and Justice, until 1998 the National Conference of Christians and Jews, will contribute material to the three-hour PRSA panel Oct. 29 on 9/11. The NCCJ, which employs 400 and has a budget of $30 million, has said that 9/11 touched off "a level of hate directed towards people who appear to be of Middle Eastern descent that is palpable and alarming." Panelists are: Ray Hanania, Chicago PR pro and coordinator, Assn. of Arab Writers; Judy Turk, dean of communication and media sciences, Zayed Univ., United Arab Emirates, who is returning to the U.S. in February to join the Virginia Commonwealth University as director, School of Mass Comms.; Safeeq Ghabra, Kuwait Info. Office; Rhonda Welsh, St. John North East Hospital, Detroit, and Scott Shirai, Japanese American Society of Colorado. Moderator is Rochelle Tillery-Larkin, assistant professor, Howard University.
--Jack O'Dwyer