NASDAQ TO OGILVY PR WORLDWIDE

NASDAQ has named Ogilvy PR Worldwide, part of the WPP Group, as its PR firm to succeed The Torrenzano Group, New York, which had the account for four years until June 30, 2002.

Finalists for the account, which NASDAQ says is "under $1 million," were Fleishman-Hillard and RFBinder Partners.

Ogilvy will only work on PR but will coordinate with McKinney & Silver, Raleigh, N.C., a Havas agency, which handles NASDAQ's advertising.

The current TV campaign features CEOs of listed companies.

Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP and a director of NASDAQ, is one of the CEOs featured in the campaign.

Robert Mathias, a managing director of Ogilvy, will head the account from Washington, D.C., but the core team will be in New York.

NASDAQ, last week, dropped plans to move its headquarters from near the World Trade Center site to midtown Manhattan. Bethany Sherman is VP-corporate communications of NASDAQ.

FAA's GARVEY FLIES TO APCO

Former Federal Aviation Administration head Jane Garvey has joined APCO Worldwide as executive VP and chair of its transportation practice. The Clinton appointee took a five-month sabbatical before signing on at the Grey Global Group PA unit based in Washington, D.C.

Garvey, who handled the FAA response to Sept. 11 which resulted in the grounding of all aircraft, teams up with APCO senior VPs Peter Goelz, who was managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board, and Maggie FitzPatrick.

Garvey also was acting administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, and director of Boston's Logan International Airport. She will continue to lecture and do research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Transportation and Logistics.

Golin/Harris' MWW Group, East Rutherford, N.J., has established a "brownfield redevelopment practice" to counsel companies interested in building on former industrial sites. EnCap Golf Holdings, which wants to build a 72-acre golf course resort on 1,200 acres of New Jersey hazardous waste landfill, is a charter client.

BURRELLE'S TALKS MERGER WITH LUCE

News clipping and directory giant Burrelle's Information Services and Luce Press Clippings are in the process of arranging to merge operations to create what the companies say would be the "world's largest clipping service."

Livingston, N.J.-based Burrelle's, which staffs an estimated 2,700, would add Luce's 400 employees to its operations. The companies said each has several thousand clients.

In a statement to this NL, Burrelle's president Robert Waggoner said the companies would introduce new technologies currently in development "with a goal of bringing publicity retrieval and information gathering into a vastly new and exciting era." He declined to elaborate beyond an issued statement.

Luce is based in Mesa, Ariz., with offices in New York and Topeka, Kansas. Burrelle's has ten offices around the U.S., in addition to its New Jersey headquarters. Both companies are over 100 years old.

RFBINDER HELPS CATHOLIC BISHOPS

RFBinder Partners, New York, headed by Amy Binder, has been assisting the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops since last May on the sex abuse issue and communications associated with the twice-yearly meetings of the bishops.

David Finn, founder of Ruder Finn and chairman of RFBinder, is also providing counsel.

The USCCB approved a "Charter to Protect Children and Young People" at its June meeting in Dallas. It also appointed an American Bishops Advisory Panel headed by Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating to monitor how the church deals with abuse claims.

Splenda to RFBinder

RFBinder Partners has just won the Splenda account of McNeil Consumer Healthcare Co. of Johnson & Johnson. There was one other finalist.
Splenda is a sugar substitute whose molecules have been reconstituted to remove the calories.
The PR firm is launching an integrated campaign aimed at consumers.

Steve Seale has joined Cassidy & Assocs. as senior VP and general counsel. He was a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld law firm, and a one-time aide to former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott.

PHILIPPINES MILITARY RECRUITS WS

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has hired Weber Shandwick to a $33,000 a-month contract to support the government relations work of its Rhoads Weber Shandwick unit.

Barry Rhoads' group was hired in March to a two-year pact worth $20,000 a-month.

He was to contact the Defense Dept., Congress and the Bush Administration and pitch the need to modernize the Philippines military which is waging warfare against a Muslim group said to have ties with Al-Qaeda.

The U.S. provided more than 1,000 advisors to the Philippines military as part of President Bush's 'war on terror.'

Additional PR Firepower

The Philippines military added to its PR firepower by bringing in WSW to the mix in June.

It was charged with developing an integrated communications approach via the addition of coalition-building, media relations and monitoring to the menu.

WSW's BSMG Worldwide affiliate in Makati City, Philippines, is to coordinate activities between the client and the Interpublic units.

Washington, D.C.-based Lance Morgan, as President of BSMG Worldwide, signed the expanded contract with the Philippines sometime in September. It was to run at least until December. Neither Morgan nor Andy Polansky, WS North America president and global practices chairman, have yet been reached.

BIRTCIL PILOTS HONEYWELL'S AERO PR

Honeywell has named Bill Birtcil as VP-communications for its aerospace group. He replaces Dennis Signorovitch, who is retiring after a 25-year stint at the Morris Township, N.J.-headquartered company.

Birtcil had worked at the Pillsbury Co., where he was VP-corporate affairs and executive director of the company's foundation. Prior to that Birtcil held PR posts at TRW, and served four years in the Marines.

He is responsible for media relations, crisis and issues management and employee communications, and reports to Bob Johnson, president/CEO of the aerospace unit.

MARSHALL, A LEGAL PRO, JOINS KETCHUM

Rose Marshall, who ran Legal PR for a decade, is now at Ketchum's litigation communications practice in Washington, D.C. She is a senior counselor, reporting to Karen Doyne, senior VP. Marshall has worked for clients such as Monsanto, American Tort Reform Assn., American Trucking Assns. and the Product Liability Advisory Council. She is author of "No Comment and Other Admissions of Guilt," which is the most requested monograph published by the National Legal Center for the Public Interest.

Doyne, who established Ketchum's legal practice three years ago, worked with Marshall during the `90s on issues regarding silicon breast implants.

GE ADDS $500K+ TO PEPPERCOM'S POT

General Electric has awarded an estimated $500K in business to Peppercom, adding corporate media relations duties for the plastics, transportation (locomotives) and industrial systems sectors to the New York-based firm.

Ed Moed, managing partner, also noted that Peppercom is promoting GE's Global Research Center, publicizing technological innovations in areas such as healthcare and energy. He described the facility in Schenectady (NY) as GE's "nerve center."

Beth Comstock, VP-corporate communications at GE, cited the firm's three-year track record of doing PR for GE's financial unit, in announcing the new business awards. She gave Peppercom high marks for strategy and innovation.

Moed told this NL that Peppercom's work largely focused on positioning GE financial as a leader in the education market.

Peppercom recently added Ricoh Corp., ITT Industries, British Telecom and Panasonic to its client roster. Moed said GE is now Peppercom's largest account.

OMNICOM STEPS UP 'SNOOPING' DRIVE

Omnicom's SafirRosetti, investigative and security consulting unit, is working with Boca Raton-based Cenuco to offer clients wireless video monitoring capability to keep tabs on employees and visitors to worksites.

Former New York City police commissioner Howard Safir says Cenuco's technology will help security personnel monitor facilities from practically anywhere.

Cenuco was known as Virtual Academics until it changed its name on Dec. 31. The change was made to reflect its shift in corporate emphasis from distance learning to snooping systems to cash in on concerns about corporate security.

Cenuco also markets "MommyTrack," which it describes as a mobile video child safekeeping and monitoring system. It enables parents to check in via the web on the well-being of at-home children.

CUTLER REJOINS RUTH

Corey Cutler, a 14-year veteran of Morgen-Walke Assocs. and Dewe Rogerson, has joined The Ruth Group as executive VP. He rejoins CEO Carol Ruth, who had headed DR from 1986-97, and whom he considers his mentor.

Ruth said Cutler will focus on technology, business and financial services markets. His recruitment, she added, indicates her firm's commitment to "invest in A Team personnel."

TRG has kicked off the new year on a roll, adding SRA International, an information technology company; On Assignment, temporary healthcare staffer; VIRxSys Corp., biotechnology specialist, and Word Wave, a litigation support outfit, to the roster.

Ruth said companies are realizing they must spend for PR to promote growth. Her firm has 20 employees.

SHIPLEY UPPED TO OP-ED EDITOR AT NYT

David Shipley, 39, was promoted to Op-Ed page editor of The New York Times, replacing Terry Tang, 44, who is getting a new assignment.

Christine Kay, 38, who was assistant metro editor, will succeed Shipley as deputy editor of the Op-Ed page.
Frank Rich, who was an op-ed columnist, was assigned to the "Arts & Leisure" section, where he will write an essay, beginning this spring.

Shipley, a speech writer in the Clinton Administration from 1995 until 1997, is the husband of Naomi Wolf, author of "The Beauty Myth," who advised Al Gore on how to become President. She told Gore he had to wear earth tones and become an alpha-male.

PLAYBOY HIRES TWO NEW EDITORS

Steven Russell, previously executive editor of Maxim, has joined Playboy as deputy editor.

Russell, who also was editor-in-chief of Tribe, a New Orleans-based monthly magazine, and managing editor of an alternative weekly in Memphis, will handle the planning, top editing and management of the magazine.

Robert Love, formerly managing editor of Rolling Stone, will join the magazine on Jan. 20 as editor-at-large, helping to oversee non-fiction and long-form journalism.
Both will report to James Kaminsky, editorial director, and will be based in New York.

SILVERMAN JOINS NEW YORK POST

DotcomScoop.com, an online newsletter, was put on hiatus by its publisher Ben Silverman while he fills in for a reporter on maternity leave at The New York Post.
Silverman, whose weekly digest covered the Internet, technology, telecommunications, media and finance issues, is covering the same sectors for the Post's business section. He also contributes a weekly business news column to the paper.

PEOPLE EN ESPANOL NAMES FASHION EDITOR

Maria Francisca Rocha was named fashion and beauty editor at People En Espanol.

She will handle fashion shoots and make-up spreads, as well as conduct interviews and reviews on the latest celebrity styles, according to managing editor Angele Figueroa.

Rocha had been an editorial assistant at the now-defunct Sports Illustrated for Women.

PEOPLE

Linda Kincaid, who was lifestyle editor of The Boston Herald, was named senior editor for features and the Sunday paper.

Lisa Buckley, previously city editor, will succeed Kincaid as deputy managing editor for lifestyle.

Daniel Wattenberg, 43, a former syndicated columnist and reporter for the Weekly Standard, Forbes FYI, and George, has joined The Washington (D.C.) Times as arts and entertainment editor.

Nancy Barnes, 41, previously Sunday editor at The Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer, was named assistant managing editor for business at The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Debra Simmons, 38, was appointed managing editor of The Akron (Oh.) Beacon Journal.She is currently deputy managing editor for The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot.

JOURNAL MAY PUBLISH ON SATURDAYS

The Wall Street Journal is exploring the idea of publishing a Saturday edition, according to a Jan. 8 report on the Dow Jones Newswire.

Larry Ingrassia has been named to lead the exploration of a Saturday paper.

Dave Kansas, a senior editor at The Wall Street Journal Online, will replace Ingrassia as editor of the "Money & Investing" section.

No timetable for starting the new edition has been set.

CAPITOL HILL PAPERS ADD EDITIONS

Roll Call, which covers Capitol Hill, has increased its publishing frequency from two to three times a week, according to Tim Curran, editor of the 48-year-old newspaper.

Its 8-year-old rival, The Hill, said last month it would increase publication from weekly to twice a week in March and three times a week later this year.

The Economist Group in England owns Roll Call, which has about 5,400 subscribers compared to about 1,250 for The Hill, which was acquired last summer by Canadian publishing exec Conrad Black.

Black replaced longtime editor Martin Tolchin with Hugo Gurdon, former managing editor of The National Post, a daily in Canada.

MEDIA BRIEFS

The Chicago Tribune's senior Washington, D.C. correspondent, Ellen Warren, reports Weblog InstaPundit.com is "becoming a must-see for better known opinion makers to stay informed on current events."

The site is run by Glenn Reynolds, a University of Tennessee law professor, who broke the story of Sen. Trent Lott's remarks that ultimately led to his losing the Senate Majority post.

The Boston Globe and The Chicago Tribune have disclosed the total errors they committed last year in stories.

The Globe said it ran 901 corrections, clarifications, omissions and editor's notes in 2002. The Tribune said it committed a total of 691 errors.

(Media news continued on next page)

MAGAZINE FOR HOME COOKS ON SALE

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's new food magazine for home cooks, called Everyday Food, went on sale Jan. 6 at supermarket checkout counters and on newsstands.

Four test issues of the TV Guide-size magazine will be published. If the test is successful, the magazine will publish with a regular frequency of 10 issues per year beginning in September 2003.

The publication, which is edited by Judith Hill, will go up against several other magazines at grocerycheckout counters that target homemakers with recipes for meals using ingredients sold in supermarkets.

The trial issue has more than 50 recipes as well as pages devoted to beverages, fruit and how to make salad dressings.

Many of the recipes include a color photo of the finished product, estimations of how long it will take to prepare, the number of servings with calorie count and substitutions for key ingredients.

Each issue of Everyday Food will include an introductory message from Martha Stewart, whose picture has been left off the cover.

PUBLICIST TO WED N.Y. TIMES EDITOR

Howell Raines, 59, executive editor of The New York Times, has confirmed his engagement to marry Krystyna Stachowiak, 38, who works for Coltrin Associates, a New York-based PR firm.

Raines said his fiancee, who is a native of Poland, accepted his proposal of marriage in Paris on Dec. 20.

A spokesperson for the PR firm said Stachowiak's title is executive consultant.

The couple are planning a small family wedding in early spring.

City Talk, a local entertainment publication, is being closed down by Windows To The World Communications, owners of WTTW-TV, a public broadcasting station in Chicago.

City Talk, which was started two years ago, will be merged into Network Chicago Guide, which will begin publishing in March.

PLACEMENT TIPS

Bloomberg Personal Finance magazine is starting a new section, called "Entrepreneur," in its February issue.

In March, the magazine will introduce reviews of computers, cell phones, PDAs, digital cameras, and other tech gear.

The reviews will be handled by Fred Fishkin, whose reviews currently air on Bloomberg Radio.

Jill Andresky Fraser, a small business expert, will write a column for the new Entrepreneur section, which also includes a page of brief news and trend items, and readers' questions answered by financial planners.

Steve Gittelson is editor-in-chief of BPF, which is targeted at individual investors.

The Weather Channel, based in Atlanta, is adding a 30-minute program, called "Storm Stories."

Each episode will re-create real-life dramas featuring rescuers, survivors and intense weather. The series will run at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.

The purpose of the new series is to keep viewers watching for longer periods.

The network later this year will start another new show called "Forecast Earth." It will focus on science programming, including episodes on the environmental impact of coastal storms and on the technology of forecasting.

The San Francisco Chronicle has restarted its weekly magazine.

The new Sunday magazine will feature special investigative stories, in-depth profiles and Garrison Keillor's literary essays in addition to features from the old magazine, including the "Neighborhoods," "Facetime" and "Fashion and Design" departments.

Phil Bronstein, executive editor, is seeking ideas and story suggestions at [email protected].

Jack Sweet, who was just named editor of Pacific Shipper, plans to revitalize the 77-year-old magazine with more in-depth interviews and profiles of industry leading professionals and companies.

Sweet will work out of PS's Long Beach, Calif., office. 800/448-4483.

TechTV, the Hollywood, Calif.-based lifestyle network, is starting a new entertainment magazine program, called "Spy School."

Former British intelligence officer David Shayler, who will host the program, will reveal the secrets of spy organizations, and offer a how-to manual for conducting surveillance, seduction, bribery and brainwashing.

Greg Brannan, senior VP of programming and production, said the show will debut in the second quarter. 415/722-2257.

Public Utilities Report, a 70-year-old magazine covering the energy industry, is increasing its coverage of business news, regulatory issues, and technology developments with the addition of three new departments.

"Business & Money" will be dedicated to in-depth analysis and financial information affecting energy companies; "Commission Watch" will provide updates on the legal implications and controversies surrounding the latest regulatory developments at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commisssion and public utilities commissions, and "The Technology Corridor" will cover and analyze emerging technology being developed for the energy industry.

Richard Stavros is executive editor of the Vienna, Va.-based fortnightly. 703/847-7759.

NYSE WANTS TO 'SANCTION' ANALYSTS

The New York Stock Exchange is calling for public comment on a proposal to penalize analysts if potential conflicts of interest on stock picks aren't revealed by reporters who interview them.

The new rules would bar analysts from future interviews by any reporter which does not reveal potential conflicts by the analyst, or face penalties from the NYSE. The proposal expands on a rule passed last year which requires analysts to disclose conflicts during TV or radio interviews.

Media companies argue that the NYSE proposal amounts to "sanctioning analysts for media decisions beyond their control," according to The Wall Street Journal. The paper - along with the New York Times Co. - favors a similar proposal by the National Association of Securities Dealers which stops short of "telling news organizations what they must print in their articles."

The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking comment on both the NYSE and NASD proposals until March 10.

U.S. HIGH COURT TO HEAR NIKE APPEAL

The U.S. Supreme Court decided Jan. 10 to hear footwear giant Nike's appeal of a California Supreme Court ruling that its PR defending wages paid and treatment of foreign workers was commercial speech not protected under the First Amendment.

Nike claimed its ads/PR contributed to the international debate about globalization and deserved to be protected under the Constitution. Marc Kasky, a Nike critic, had sued the Oregon-based company, charging that it knowingly conducted false ad/PR campaigns.

PRSA applauded the Supreme Court's decision. President Reed Byrum said in a statement: "We are gratified the Supreme Court will give the type of in-depth review this case deserves. An adverse ruling could silence this nation's corporations and their spokespersons, so we applaud this examination."

PRSA is among the groups that filed an "amicus brief" in support of Nike's appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

RAMER CHECKS IN AT OGILVY

Donna Ramer, who recently joined Lippe Taylor Marketing PR as healthcare executive VP, shifts to a senior VP slot in Ogilvy PR Worldwide's health and medical group on Jan. 20.

Phil Sheldon, LTMPR's managing director, said Ramer left by mutual consent. He joined the beauty/fashion-oriented firm after a three-year stint as Hill and Knowlton/New York general manager, and as former head of Porter Novelli's health unit.

Ogilvy's medical group is co-managed by Sherry Pudloski (New York) and Pam Jenkins (Washington, D.C.). Clients include National Institutes of Health, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, Aventis and GlaxoSmith-Kline.

MEXICO USES PR TO GET NOTICED AGAIN

Mexico has hired New York-based Zemi Communications to spur a "substantive transformation" of its relationship with the U.S. The country had anticipated warm ties with the Bush White House. That was evidenced by President Bush who made his first trip outside the U.S. to Mexican President Vicente Fox's range.

The Bush/Fox tete-a-tete irked the Canadians who traditionally were first to confer with a newly elected American president. Mexico, however, fell off the U.S. radar screen in the aftermath of Sept. 11, and President Bush's ensuing 'war on terror.'

ZC's contract with Mexican Ambassador Juan Jose Bremer calls for it to create "awareness, understanding and support to President Vicente Fox and his administration among the U.S. media." It also will engage "think tanks" with the idea of establishing programs on the economics and politics involved in issues such as migration, "intelligent borders" and bilateral trade.

The ZC team is led by Alan Stoga, who was managing director at Kissinger Assocs. and a former head of the Americas Society.

HARPER'S CLAIMS VICTORY OVER HBO

Harper's Magazine publisher Rick MacArthur is claiming a "small victory" as Home Box Office has posted his Jan. 6 1992 New York Times op-ed piece challenging the veracity of the tale that Iraqi soldiers took babies from their incubators and put them on the "cold floor to die" prior to the Persian Gulf War.

The recent HBO Films' "Live from Baghdad" drama presented the incubator tale as fact, leaving MacArthur steaming and complaining to the AOL Time Warner unit.

HBO now says that "while the allegations of Iraqi soldiers taking babies from incubators were widely circulated during the run-up to the Gulf War (the time frame of the drama of our film), these allegations were never substantiated." MacArthur's op-ed piece "refutes the allegations by noting that PR firm Hill and Knowlton arranged the testimony of the key witness (a 15-year-old Kuwaiti girl) and did not disclose her identity (as the daughter of the Kuwaiti Ambassador to the United States).

H&K provided media training to "Nayirah" as part of its work for the front group, Citizens for a Free Kuwait.

SHIRLEY & BANISTER STRIKES GOLD

Victor Gold, national correspondent for the Washingtonian and the American Spectator, has joined Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, Alexandria, Va., as a senior advisor.

Gold previously worked in Manning, Selvage & Lee's D.C. office for the Chicago Board of Trade, Pan-American Coffee Bureau and the National Coal Policy Conference.

Earlier in his career he served as chief speech writer for VP Spiro Agnew during the Nixon Admin.

Minneapolis PR firm owner Paul Maccabee has written two pages on how to hire a PR firm that includes lots of good advice such as ask reporters, ad agencies, lawyers and others about who is doing good work.

The best firms, says Maccabee, "build relationships" with the media, customers, salespeople, distributors, dealers, resellers, prospective employees and potential business partners.

This is a typical description of the many services now offered by "PR" firms and is fine if the company can afford the $3K-$10K a month or more that it costs.

But tens of thousands of companies can't afford this tab and many never could. Enter the miracle of the web and e-mail. Now there are firms offering PR and publicity services at a fraction of this cost.

PR Newswire, whose clients include 6,000 U.S. public companies, and Send2Press.com, L.A. PR firm, since October have been offering a press release writing/distribution service for $299.

The writing of a one-page 600-word release, including appropriate quotes, is $249. Turn-around time via the staff of "working journalists, authors and PRSA members," is 3-5 days.

Basic facts and quotes are obtained from the client and its website. Two revisions are provided. Copy is sent back-and-forth via e-mail. Distribution ($50 on top of the $249) can be either to all newspapers in three states or nationwide to papers of 25,000+ circulation, TV/radio, AP, Bloomberg, websites, trade pubs, etc. Lower-priced options are available.

This is a good service for small and financially pressed companies. They must be aware that the electronic releases go into databanks of media. Printed releases followed by a phone call, especially from a known source, have a much higher chance of being used. A 3-5 day turnaround seems long to us.

We don't think a small company has to send thousands of electronic or other releases to get attention. It should have a mailing list of 30-50 local and trade media and put knowledgeable contacts on its releases who will be there when called.

What's in a release is secondary to the cooperation of the contacts listed. Traditionally, PR was establishing the CEO as an expert spokesperson not only for his or her company, but the industry.

The Supreme Court on Jan. 10 said it will hear the Nike vs. Kasky case in which activist Marc Kasky says Nike is making false statements about labor conditions in its overseas factories.

Nike, when challenged about these conditions by students at the University of North Carolina, put full page ads in the Daily Tar Heel claiming "good corporate citizenship and humane labor standards" (as described by the Wall Street Journal, Jan. 10).

PRSA, Arthur Page and other PR groups are supporting Nike. Reed Byrum, PRSA president, hailed the Court's decision to hear the case. Byrum, in an interview in the January PR Tactics of PRSA, said "Nike/Kasky symbolizes a major threat to our profession.

There are elements of society who would freely gag their opposition in order to put forth their own position." The California Supreme Court decision supporting Kasky is "intolerable in our free society because it tramples the rights of individuals and corporations," he further said.

Among 32 media filing a brief in behalf of Nike is the New York Times.

The "corporate good citizen" theme has been taken up by Toyota, which is running three back-to-back ads in national mags showing its support for cancer treatment, community relations by dealers, and support of education.

Campaign slogan is "Get the Feeling."

While on the subject of free speech, neither PRSA, IABC nor NIRI have forums on their websites via which members can post messages (like the bulletin boards on Yahoo!).

PRSA has never had one although it posted comments last fall on bylaw amendments.

It is "working on a chat room" for members.

The 400 or so PRSA leaders can talk with each other on an e-mail "Leaderserve." IABC once had a "MemberSpeak" in which members posted opinions but this has not operated for many months. IABC said it is improving the technology and hopes to have it running by the end of January.

NIRI said it has never had a chat room for members and there are no plans for any.

Also on free speech-the APRs of PRSA obviously don't believe in it. They stopped debate on the APR/decoupling motion at the Assembly after about 40 minutes with about a half-dozen speakers waiting on the pro-decoupling line including president Reed Byrum and outgoing president Joann Killeen.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has warned city workers that anyone giving unauthorized info to the press will be fired.

"Today's college students are barely more knowledgeable than high school students of 50 years ago," said the National Assn. of Scholars after testing current college seniors on 15 "general cultural" questions.

The NAS matched the results with a survey by Gallup in 1955. Today's college seniors scored 53.5% vs. 54.5% for the 1955 h.s. grads. "Worse yet," said the NAS is that "high cultural interests" of today's college seniors are about the same as 1955's h.s. grads.

PRSA's renewal rate in 2002 was 70.5% as 5,903 joined and 5,769 left. New members totaled 11,227 in 2001 and 2002 while 11,042 left. Membership at 12/31/02 was 19,755.

Advertisers are putting messages in show content. Latest wrinkle (1/10 NYT) is variety show this summer in which products of Pepsi and Nokia will be part of comedy routines or visible as set props.
--Jack O'Dwyer