EDELMAN NAMES MERRILL
AS FIN'L CHIEF.
Edelman PR Worldwide has recruited Andrew Merrill, a managing director at The Abernathy MacGregor Group, as executive VP and global managing director of its finance group, which includes clients such as Swiss Re, Deutsche Bank, Adidas and Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He replaces Hollis Rafkin-Sax, who left last month to become vice chairman of Financial Dynamics U.S. operations.

Merrill, at AMG, counseled ImClone Systems (crisis PR for alleged insider trading allegations), Vivendi s merger with Seagram, Alcatel s takeover talk with Lucent Technologies, Warnaco s Chapter XI filing and Global Marine s merger with Santa Fe International. He also worked at Sard Verbinnen, UBS Warburg and Bank of New York.

In welcoming Merrill, Richard Edelman, CEO of the firm, said he is proud of the firm s distinction "as the only large firm with a world-class financial practice." Merrill will take the financial practice to "the next level," he said.

The firm's financial team includes Richard Mahony, deputy GM, and executive VPs Bill McBride and Jeff Zilka.

B-M WINS NEW DRUG WORK
FROM PFIZER.
Pfizer has named Burson-Marsteller to handle global PR for a new drug called Pregabalin, which will be used to treat epilepsy and other brain disorders.

The drug is under review by the FDA for use in the U.S. and by the EMEA for use in Europe.

B-M won the "whole enchilada" against Edelman PR Worldwide. GCI Group, Chandler Chicco and Hill & Knowlton bid for the U.S. business. H&K also competed for the international segment of the drug account.

It was confirmed by a B-M spokesman that the agency has laid off several staffers.

The spokesman would not reveal exactly how many staffers or the names of the laid off staffers, but said the firm had also hired several new staffers in the high tech and healthcare practice areas, resulting in 13 fewer staffers overall.

The agency has about 1,600 employees.

John McCamman is stepping down as chief of staff to Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.) to join Fleishman-Hillard's Washington, D.C., office in January as senior VP for government relations.

CASTALDI LEAVES H&K/NY
FOR COLUMBIA U.
Marilyn Castaldi, who became general manager of Hill & Knowlton s New York office last year, is starting `04 as chief communications officer for Columbia University Medical Center, a new post. Heyman Assocs. placed Castaldi.

"I got a great offer," she told this NL, and the post "lets me get involved with the real business of PR, which is counseling and problem-solving." The Columbia job also allows Castaldi to go "full-circle." She was PR director for the University of Pennsylvania early in her career.

Castaldi began her agency life at H&K in 1982, where she worked in Los Angeles and New York over a two-year period. She eventually headed both Burson-Marsteller and Fleishman-Hillard's healthcare practices, and did corporate stints at Johnson & Johnson and Avon Products.

APCO SEEKS $$$ FOR INDONESIA.
APCO Worldwide is pitching the importance of Indonesia as a "front-line state in the war on terrorism," and a fledgling democracy that doesn't get the attention that it deserves from Washington.

The Grey Global Group unit is delivering that pitch on behalf of the National Bureau of Asian Research in Seattle. It released a "Report by the National Commission on U.S.-Indonesian Relations" in October calling for a revamp of ties.

Indonesia, with its population of 230 million, is the world s largest Muslim state. The country faces a serious threat from radical Islamists as evidenced by terror attacks on a resort in Bali (202 dead) and the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in downtown Jakarta that killed 14 people.

The Report states that a "failure of democracy there would hurt not only Indonesians. It would reinforce the stereotype that a Muslim-majority nation cannot manage a democratic system."

MONSANTO'S HULL
JOINS SYNGENTA.
Sarah Hull, who was senior VP for global PA at Monsanto, has joined Syngenta as head of corporate communications and PA. She will be based in the Washington, D.C., office of the Basel, Switzerland- headquartered agribusiness. Hull has worked for Robinson, Lake, Lerer and Montgomery in D.C., and for Fleishman-Hillard in Kansas City.

Heyman Assocs. did the search.

CONDIT BAILS OUT OF BOEING.
Boeing CEO Phil Condit (62) resigned Dec. 1 in the wake over the ethics flap that led to the firings of executive VP and CFO Mike Sears and VP/missile defense systems deputy general manager Darleen Druyun on Nov. 24.

Boeing s board determined then that Sears offered Druyun a job while she was employed at the Pentagon and in position to dole out contracts to the aerospace giant.

Condit, at that time, said Boeing "must and will live by the highest standards of ethical conduct in every aspect of its business."

The company informed the Air Force about the firings, and pledged cooperation with the Pentagon s investigation into the matter.

Republican Senators John McCain (Ariz.) and Pete Fitzgerald (Ill.) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Nov. 28, asking him to reconsider the Pentagon's plan to purchase $17 billion in aerial tankers from Boeing following the dismissals of the two executives for unethical conduct.

Boeing issued a statement Dec. 1 saying the board has accepted Condit s resignation after deciding that "a new structure for leadership of the company is needed."

Boeing's statement does not mention the ethics scandal.

It named 62-year-old Lewis Platt, former CEO and board member at Hewlett-Packard, as non-executive chairman. Harry Stonecipher, who retired from Boeing in `02, has returned as president and CEO.

John Dern and Larry McCracken are handling press inquiries at Boeing s headquarters in Chicago. Dave Dohnalek, Paul Kinscherff and Bob Kurtz are dealing with IR matters.

WPP HELPS OUT INTERPUBLIC.
Gabe Rozsa, who handles energy, environmental and infrastructure issues at BKSH & Assocs., is "providing extra help" on the lobbying front to Rhoads/ Weber Shandwick.

He told this NL that he "knows some people" at R/WS, and is helping them out. That work has led BKSH—the lobbying wing of WPP Group's Burson-Marsteller—to register Interpublic s R/WS as a client with the Secretary of the Senate.

Rozsa would not say what work he has been doing for R/WS. The filing has Rozsa dealing with a "Dept. of Energy science laboratory issue."

The lobbyist is well-connected in Republican circles. He joined BKSH this summer from his post as environmental counsel for Republican staff of the House Science Committee and staff director of its Energy Subcommittee. Earlier he was counsel to GOP members of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee.

Rozsa also worked as lobbyist at Cassidy & Associates, which is owned by Interpublic.

MACY'S GETS SNAGGED
IN GAY UNION FLAP.
Macy s is distancing itself from a Nov. 26 New York Times op-ed piece supporting gay marriage penned by an actor who appeared in its annual Thanksgiving Day parade.

The company set up a complaint line to field comments from the public regarding the now controversial story.

Harvey Fierstein, an actor in the Broadway musical "Hairspray," wrote in the Times that his role as Mrs. Claus in the parade makes him half of a same-sex couple with Santa Claus. He goes on to wonder "But what if Santa really was gay? Could there be another Mr. Claus? Would those grinches who, as we speak, are fashioning legislation to deny marriage to gay and lesbian Americans, make an exception for the jolly old soul?"

Fierstein invokes Rev. Mychal Judge, the gay fire department chaplain killed on Sept. 11, and said the Bush Administration spends billions spreading freedom abroad while it devises legislation to deny equal rights at home.

Macy's issued a statement distancing the retailer from Fierstein s piece and saying he was incorrect in saying he would play Mrs. Claus. "The Parade has never and will never be a platform for political and social issues and opinions," it read. Fierstein did not play Mrs. Claus in the parade, but appeared as his character, Mrs. Edna Turnblad, in "Hairspray."

STRATEGY XXI COUNSELS CHINA.
The People s Republic of China turned to Strategy XXI Group this summer as the country re-opened its tourism sector following the SARS outbreak.

Harriet Mouchly-Weiss, the seasoned crisis PR expert, was called in to map out a "Post SARS Promotional Campaign," according to her firm's letter of agreement with the China National Tourist Office. She has 30+ years of PR experience, and is a former international president of GCI Group and chairman of Ruder Finn & Rotman International Partners.

The U.S. is the No. 4 source of visitors to China.

It sent 1.2 million people there in `02, trailing Russia (1.3M), South Korea (2.1M) and Japan (2.9M).

New York-based Strategy XXI received a $25,000 fee for three months of work for the Chinese.

EIDSON, EX-H&K CEO,
GETS NYT PLUG.
Thomas Eidson, who is executive VP and director of corporate affairs at Fidelity Investments in Boston, got a big write up in The New York Times on Nov. 25 for his string of Wild West novels.

Eidson, 59, who is working on his fifth novel, told reporter Pam Belluck that he writes each morning before work and after he leaves the office.
He started his first novel, "St. Agnes Stand," in 1993 in the airport in Sydney, Australia, and wrote it in three months in airports and during nights and weekends while he was working for Hill and Knowlton, where he eventually became chairman/CEO. He joined Fidelity in 1998.

JACKO BYPASSES MEDIA
WITH WEBSITE.
Michael Jackson established a website so he could bypass the news media to deliver his side of the story in his child-molestation case, according to Doug Dowie, senior VP and general manager of Fleishman-Hillard s Los Angeles office.

Dowie told The Associated Press the website allows Jackson to communicate with those people interested without the message being filtered by the media. "If he wants to put out an 800-word press release, you can read all 800 words," said Dowie.

Jackson said in a statement that the site would serve as a source for "official communications on my case."

The site also contains links to earlier statements by the entertainer s spokesman Stuart Backerman, which were made on Jackson s behalf after authorities raided the singer's Neverland Ranch and before and after the entertainer surrendered on a warrant alleging lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14.

'FOLLIES GUESTS
PEDDLE FREE BOOKS.
Some of the guests at the New York Financial Writers Assn.'s "Financial Follies" event on Nov. 21 have been enriching themselves by selling two top selling business books, which they got as gifts, to The Strand Book Store in New York.

The books — "Bull!" by Maggie Mahar, and "Who Says Elephants Can t Fly," by Louis Gerstner, former head of IBM — were given as dinner table favors by Harper Collins publicity department to guests at the annual black tie event.

Sources said many of the sellers were disappointed because the Strand was paying just $8 for both books which have jacket prices of $18 and $28, respectively.

WHY IS PR IMPORTANT,
ASKS SILVERMAN.
Ben Silverman, who is publisher of soon-to-be relaunched DotcomScoop.com and business news columnist for The New York Post, has invited readers to write an essay in 1,000 words or less on why PR is important and e-mail it to him with the subject line, "PR Essay."

"I want PR people to tell the world, in their own words, what it is they do, why it needs to be done and how important it is."

His e-mail address is [email protected].

MEDIA BRIEFS
The Indiana Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in Indianapolis concluded its three-part media series for PR practitioners Dec. 2 with a program on convergence in newsgathering.

One of the speakers was Jason Fenwick, who is executive producer of "Inside Indiana Business."

Joe Boyce, a retired editor from The Wall Street Journal and current chapter president, said the one-hour business and technology show, which was launched in May 2000, is a model for converged news providing TV, radio, web and e-mail reports around the state.

Boyce said the series was designed to help PR pros learn how to pitch news packages to media outlets that take convergence seriously.

Dow Jones has reached a tentative contract settlement with its principal union, the Independent Assn. of Publishers Employees.

The agreement with IAPE covers about 1,600 employees in news, ad sales, information technology, production and administrative areas.

The contract, which must be ratified by IAPE's membership, provides a $1,000 lump sum bonus payment in December to 2,500 non-IAPE employees, which would bring the total number of employees eligible for the bonus to about 4,100.

The total cost of this bonus, including associated fringe benefits, is about $5 million.

MOVING: Time Out New York moved Dec. 1 to 475 10th ave., 12th flr., New York, NY 10018. Phone: 646/432-3000; fax: 432-3010; www.timeoutny.com. Alexandra Mitchell-Manon, who handles PR for the magazine, can be reached at 646/432-3083.

PEOPLE
Leslie Certo was named beauty director for Prevention magazine. She can be reached at 212/573-0325, or [email protected].

Jane Weaver was recently named health editor at MSNBC.com, which has more than 15 million unique users per month.

Weaver is based at One MSNBC pl., Secaucus, NJ 07043; 201/583-5020; [email protected].

Joan Stephenson has replaced Marsha Goldsmith as news editor of JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Assn. She can be contacted at 312/464-2444; [email protected].

Bernice Kanner, a former senior editor at New York Magazine, who covered the ad business, has written a book about "unforgettable" Super Bowl TV commercials for Bloomberg Press, called "The Super Bowl of Advertising." It sells for $29.95.

Jeff Kepnes has joined the "Paula Zahn Now" show on CNN as senior line producer. 212/714-8000; [email protected].

Jaime Pallot, 43, formerly editor-in-chief of Style.com, has joined CondeNet, the online affiliate of Conde Nast Publications, as editorial director.

Ann Shoket, 31, deputy editor, was promoted to executive editor at CosmoGirl!magazine.

Laurie Sandell, previously at Us Weekly, was hired as Glamour magazine's new articles editor, doing features, pop culture and relationship stories.

Owen McDonald was named editor-in-chief of Travel Agent magazine, published by Advanstar Communications Inc.

McDonald, 42, was previously associate publisher/editorial director of the Travel Agent Magazine Custom Publishing Group.

Lori Stahl, a former reporter and columnist at The Dallas Morning News, was named executive editor of the A.M. Journal Express, which made its debut as a daily newspaper in the Dallas market on Nov. 12.

(Media news continued on next page)

TURKEY EATERS READ
HEALTH SECTIONS.
Turkey eaters are more likely to read the health section of the newspaper than the rest of the population, according to a study conducted by Porter Novelli Research Group in Washington, D.C.
PN said the research shows people who eat turkey at least once a week are more likely to say they enjoy learning about health issues, to read the health section of the newspapers, and to belong to a health club.

The study also found turkey eaters are more likely to say the way they look is extremely important to them.

Deanne Weber, who is head of the PN Research Group in Washington, D.C., said the survey reveals "how turkey eaters perceive themselves—they buck the conventional wisdon that turkey is something associated with conservative, conventional behaviors, but in reality, turkey eaters are trendsetters."

Kathryn Kahler Vose, director of PN s Washington health and social marketing group, said the information will be used to aim messages more precisely.

CRUDELE: NYSE TO HOLD
PRESS PARTY.
John Crudele, financial columnist for The New York Post, reports the New York Stock Exchange is planning to hold its annual Christmas party for reporters.

"Dick Grasso left behind enough cash for a party—but just barely," said Crudele, who stopped going to the "by invitation-only" shindig because the NYSE s PR department, headed by Bob Zito, made him feel like he should write only positive things about Grasso and the Big Board.

CNBC SHIFTS AWAY
FROM BUSINESS NEWS.
CNBC will replace its "Business Center" program early next year with a new comedy show hosted by Dennis Miller, as the cable network makes a shift away from hard news business shows.

Anchors Ron Insana and Sue Herera, who co-host BC, will get new shows. Insana will anchor a new show at 2 p.m., while Herera will join anchor Bill Griffeth on "Power Lunch."

"Kudlow & Cramer" will be switched to 5 p.m.
Earlier this year, CNN remodeled "Lou Dobbs Moneyline," broadening the show s range of coverage and changing the name to "Lou Dobbs Tonight."

HASSELBACK SNARES
CO-HOST CHAIR.
Elisabeth Hasselback was picked from more than 2,000 wannabes to be a new co-host of "The View," a morning TV talk show on ABC.

The 26-year-old Hasselback, who was a contestant on "Survivor: The Australian Outback," will replace Lisa Ling. She will join Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Star Jones and Meredith Vieira, who are the other co-hosts of the show, which is in its seventh season.

Hasselback, who is married to Washington Redskins quarterback Tim Hasselback, is "somewhat<%0> more conservative than the rest of us," according to Vieira.

ABC MAY START LOCAL TV
NEWS CHANNEL.
ABC is close to starting its own all-news cable channel. The Disney-owned network is reported to be in advanced discussions with some of its key affiliate stations about starting a digital local 24-hour news channel.

Each market it would be in would feature local news, according to TV Week.

AD REPORTERS TO BRIEF
N.Y. PUBLICISTS.
Theresa Howard, who recently took over the ad/marketing beat for USA Today, will make a rare public appearance at the Publicity Club of New York s luncheon on Dec. 16 at the 3 West Club.

Howard, who does not like to get phone calls or e-mails from publicists, was invited to join three other ad and marketing beat journalists on a panel.

The other panelists are: Jonah Bloom, executive editor, Advertising Age; Stuart Elliott, ad columnist for The New York Times, and Brian Steinberg, who is the new ad columnist for The Wall Street Journal.

SCHILLING TO N.Y.
AS EW'S EXEC. EDITOR.
Mary Kay Schilling, who was previously Los Angeles bureau chief for Entertainment Weekly, has been transferred to New York as the magazine's executive editor.

Ben Svetkey, a senior editor, has assumed most of Schilling s former duties.

SMALE JOINS
INT'L HERALD TRIBUNE.
Alison Smale, deputy foreign editor of The New York Times, was named managing editor of The International Herald Tribune.

Smale, 48, will start her new job Jan. 19. She will report to Walter Wells, 59, who becomes executive editor at the Paris-based paper on Jan. 19.

TOP COURT WON T TACKLE LIBEL CASE.
The U.S. Supreme Court refused Nov. 3 to block a lawsuit over Consumer Reports critical safety reports about the Suzuki Samurai.

The refusal to review the case is seen as a defeat for news organizations that wanted the court to clarify protections for journalists who warn about dangers from products.

The magazine, published by Consumers Union, had labeled the Samurai unacceptable in 1998 because of potential rollovers.

SUN-SENTINEL TEAMS
WITH RADIO.
Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, and WFTL-AM have teamed up to start a 24-hour news/talk program.

A daily one-hour news/talk program is planned to be broadcast live from the Sun-Sentinel's newsroom. In addition, plans call for nightly, overnight and weekend newscasts on WFTL to be produced and anchored live by members of the Sun-Sentinel s news team.

A New York Times think piece from Baghdad last month described the friction that has developed between the press and military in Iraq in recent days.

This has replaced the short-lived period of "good feeling" when the "embeds" were reporting the rapid advance of U.S. troops into Iraq.

"I have come to hate the media," an aide to occupation head Paul Bremer was quoted as saying.

NYT writer Raymond Bonner concluded that things went well until the deaths of U.S. soldiers due to guerrilla actions began to mount.

Then the military got touchy about giving any facts at all to reporters because some of them might become "bad news."

Details of attacks that may have been thwarted, casualties of bombings, Iraqi subcontractors working for U.S. companies, etc., are hard to come by, complained Bonner. Information officers seem "determined to withhold information," he wrote.

We can see the wisdom of that for military or any other purveyors of information. The most innocent facts, even those that appear highly positive, can turn out to be negative in some future context. For instance, PRSA proudly announced that it spent four years and $250,000 revamping its accreditation test. But we can't find anyone who has actually taken the new test. It has been available since July 1 – five months. The $250K and four years will become negatives if the test proves unpopular.

No one from New York has taken it although two members are "interested." Both the Los Angeles and Chicago chapters recently reported no takers. Those involved in the new APR process say it's much more complicated than it used to be.

Formerly, applicants paid the fee, took the test and went through an oral interview. Now, applicants must first submit "materials" proving they have the required 5-7 years of experience in the field. Then they face an interview with three APRs who will determine whether they can even take the multiple-choice test. No doubt the weak economy and $275 cost of the test are also factors. A new factor is that PRSA is emphasizing specialized skills development via its healthcare, technology, financial, etc., sections. This makes the generalized skills tested in the APR exam seem less relevant. APR board chair Nancy Wood has not released any statistics on those taking the new exam. Previously, the APR board provided pass/fail numbers at six-month intervals (after the tests were given). The new test is available throughout the year at Prometric testing centers.

The new League of American Communications Professionals (page 7) is an online PR society that will satisfy the needs of many working PR pros.

For one thing, it uses the term "communications" which has much more acceptance in corporate quarters than "PR." Only two of the 38 new corporate members this year of PR Seminar use the term "PR" in their titles. LACP Founder Tyson Heyn (an APR member of PRSA), says a board of directors will be created who will elect officers. Aim of the group is to encourage and reward "quality communications." Amen, we say

...online news media, in some ways, have made life more difficult for PR pros. Reporters e-mail their web stories to subjects for instant critiquing and correcting. Subjects can no longer complain a few days later about something being "inaccurate." If they make this charge after reading the web story, they have to say immediately what is accurate

...McDonald's has a problem with Merriam-Webster, which put the word "McJob" in its Collegiate Dictionary, defining it as a "low-paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement." M-W said it based its entry on the use of the term in publications for 17 years. McDonald's said more than 1,000 owners of McDonald's restaurants started out behind the counter. Trademarks sometime become generic terms to the dismay of their creators. But this can also be taken as flattery

... the seminar of the International Section of PRSA at the U.N. Dec. 4-5 (11/26 NL) should inveigh against the corruption of language for political purposes. This will not be easy. The most controversial session on "telling the truth" at the Arthur Page conference Sept. 14-16 in San Diego tackled the subject of whether certain combatants should be called "terrorists."

David Schlesinger, EVP and editor of Reuters America, said it's the media s job to report actions and not label them as terrorism or whatever.

Reuters is well known for avoiding that word.

Schlesinger caught more flak on this from attendees who said "terrorism" is a factual descriptor of some actions

... the next big scandal in the mutual fund industry will be the 12B1 fees collected from investors that are legally meant for "marketing and PR" but are not used for that purpose, said a New York financial PR pro. Involved are tens of millions of dollars, he said

...the "Financial Follies" of the New York Financial Writers Assn. drew about 1,000 people or the same as 2002 in spite of the recession. The bad year was 2001 (870) and the best year was 2000 (1,250). Burson-Marsteller, which had 11 tables in 2002 after taking eight in 2001, cut back to three tables (at $3,000 each). Bloomberg was No. 1 with four tables while Citigate Sard Verbinnen had three. Among those with two were Weber Shandwick; Brunswick Group; Manning, Selvage & Lee, and Kekst and Co. Dick Grasso, late of the NYSE, came in for heavy ribbing to the tune of the "Money Song" from "Cabaret" sung by Leonard Sloane ("money made Dick Grasso run"). --Jack O'Dwyer