KETCHUM GETS BIG E-HEALTH PACT

Ketchum has picked up a $25M-plus paid and earned media pact for digital health records with two offices of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

The campaign, including advertising and PR, is mandated by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, a law signed by President Barack Obama in February 2009 supporting digital health records with $19 billion in grants and loans over four years.

The contract, with HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and the Office for Civil Rights, was available to pre-approved agencies under federal procurement rules.

Omnicom-owned Ketchum has been tapped to develop a communications strategy and tactics for a two-year campaign, in addition to PR support, media, grassroots and “social mobilization,” among other tasks.

The price tag for the campaign is capped at nearly $25.8M and supported by the federal stimulus law.

DURAND TAKES RESOLUTE POST

U.K.’s Resolute Communications has landed U.S. healthcare heavyweight Michael Durand for the managing director slot at its New York City outpost.

Durand is 21-year veteran of Porter Novelli and former chief of its health operations. He also put in a stint at Ogilvy PR Worldwide, exiting in `08 as managing director for healthcare strategy and planning.

His credits include high-profile launches of biopharmaceuticals Capoten and Glucophage (Bristol-Myers Squibb), Taxotere (Sanofi-Aventis) and Vytorin (Merck).

Anna Korving (Ketchum) and Paul Blackburn (Fleishman-Hillard) co-founded Resolute in ’02.

FEMA RELEASES FLOOD INSURANCE RFP

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has released an RFP for advertising and PR to support the National Flood Insurance Program.

WPP’s J. Walter Thompson and Ogilvy PR Worldwide are the incumbents for the account, previously worth about $13M a year, and won the last review in 2003.

This NL reported in February that FEMA was preparing the solicitation.

FEMA said it plans a single contract for one year with four options.

Questions are due by March 30 while proposals must be submitted by April 20.
HHS’ Office for Civil Rights will manage the day-to-day work on the campaign.

Info: odwyerpr.com/rfps.

PA SEEKS PITCHES FOR TOURISM, ECON DEV

Pennsylvania is reviewing its mid-six-figure tourism and economic development PR account to woo both journalists and business leaders with an RFP process open through late April.

The RFP calls for firms to have at least $20M or more in capitalized billings for PR.

The Keystone State has about $406K earmarked for the PR efforts over the next year, including nearly $250K for tourism PR and another $156K for economic development.

The work includes press tours, events, distribution and tracking of PR efforts and other activities with the dual goals of educating travel writers and journalists, as well as boosting awareness and positive perception of the state among business leaders.

Philadelphia’s Tierney currently works with the state’s Dept. of Community and Economic Development. That agency issued an RFP on March 15 and plans to award a one-year contract with two option years attached. Deadline is April 20 (questions by April 2).

RASKY PUSHES FOR PAKISTAN

Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications has picked up the Council on Pakistan Relations grassroots organization, which has been a client of Interpublic’s Cassidy Associates until January. The new business follows Rasky’s hiring of Cassidy veteran Shawn Sullivan earlier this month.

Cassidy acquired the account of the Council, which advocates for a better understanding and more trade with Pakistan, last June to supplement its $700K account with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Rasky’s job is to influence U.S. policies with an eye toward promoting democracy, prosperity and stability in Pakistan.

Pakistan, which has received $17.5B in U.S. aid since the 9/11 terror attacks, has been credited in the U.S. media of late for cracking down on the Taliban. Its military has rounded up Afghan Taliban officials and launched a series of attacks on the homegrown version of the group. U.S. and Pakistan officials last week discussed a series of economic and military aid packages.

Sullivan is joined by Chris Cooper, a 20-year veteran of the Wall Street Journal, and David Tamasi, Rasky/D.C. head and Ogilvy PR alum, on the Council work.

Full table of PR firms ranked by 2009 revenue in several categories on pg 7.

USOC TAPS BRIT-OWNED DUTKO

The United States Olympic Committee has hired Dutko Worldwide, the D.C. firm acquired in `09 by Britain’s

The move follows media reports that the USOC, a tax-exempt entity, may push for direct federal support of Olympic teams.

U.S. tax code grants the USOC an exemption because it is supposed to be a group that fosters "national or international amateur sports competition."

Olympic observers such as Howard Gleckman of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center challenge that exemption since major Olympic sports (hockey, basketball) and big time events (skiing and ice skating) are dominated by professionals.

“We’ve come a long way from the days when the Olympics stripped a track and field gold medal from Jim Thorpe because he made a few bucks playing semi-pro baseball,” posted Gleckman, a former BusinessWeek senior correspondent, on the “Tax Vox” blog of the Christian Science Monitor.

Dutko has recent Olympic experience representing Chicago in its unsuccessful effort to snag the 2016 Summer Games that will be played in Rio de Janeiro.

RAYTHEON GRABS JENSEN

David Jensen has assumed the VP-communications slot at Raytheon's intelligence and information systems operation.

The former senior VP-marketing & communications at GE Capital International Services had handled global marketing, IR, PR and internal communications for the nearly 50-country division.

Prior to GE, Jensen served as senior VP at Ketchum and Asia/Pacific PR manager for Boeing, where he helped launch PR for the Boeing 777 aircraft.

Lynn Dugle, president of Raytheon's IIS arm is looking for Jensen to support strategic communications, branding and business development efforts.

Jensen is based at the Falls Church (VA) office of Waltham (MA)-based Raytheon, which chalked up $25B in `09 sales and employs about 75,000 people.

PN LANDS LANDI

Porter Novelli has named Joe Landi, a 25-year PR veteran, as executive VP and director of the New York healthcare practice of the Omnicom shop.

The 1995 founder of Landmark Communications worked high-profile campaigns such as the pre-launch scientific communications for pain-reliever Celebrex and an eight-year brand awareness campaign for sleep medication, Ambien.

Prior to Landmark, Landi worked at Burson-Marsteller, Edelman, Wang Associates and Grey Healthcare. PN also shifted former health chief Peter Pitts to the new post of global regulatory and health policy chief.

TEACHERS' PENSION FUND WANTS COMMS.

CalSTRS, the large pension system for California teachers which paid out $8.6 billion as of mid-2009, is looking for pitches to provide overall PR and public affairs support via RFP.

The 97-year-old California State Teachers’ Retirement System is the second-largest public pension fund in the country.

The Los Angeles Times reported March 16 that CalSTRS’ $130-billion investment portfolio lost more than a quarter of its value in the recent recession.

A contract for up to two years is planned. Runyon, Saltzman & Einhorn of Sacramento is the incumbent.

To qualify, firms must have been in business for the last three years and have strategic communications experience with a “significant” public policy issue in that time frame. Proposals are due April 8. The RFP is at odwyerpr.com.

FINANCIAL GROUP PLANS D.C. IMAGE PUSH

The Financial Services Roundtable has bought in APCO Worldwide, along with a polling firm and ad agency, to burnish Wall Street's image in D.C. as industry reform is eyed by the White House and Congress.

Luntz Maslansky Strategic Research and Omnicom's DDB round out the roster for the FSR, the lobbying entity for 150 banks and insurance companies.

Bloomberg reported that a PR push will come to fruition as the mid-term election season heats up.

An RFP was issued earlier this year by the FSR, which includes high-profile members like Citigroup and Wells Fargo. Qorvis Communications and Waggener Edstrom were among firms pitching for the work.

BKLYN CRUISE TERMINAL SEEKS EVENTS

The New York City Economic Development Corp. is looking for a programmer to organize and promote festivals, markets, arts, recreational and performance events throughout the year on two-acres of empty space adjacent to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in the revitalized Red Hook section.

The events are to run when Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and Caribbean Princess liners are not in port, which is about 300 days a year.

The NYCEDC has conducted roundtables to receive input from the Red Hook community about potential events at the Atlantic Basin space.

Recommendations including concerts, dances, flea/green/food & wine markets, art/antique shows, volleyball, equestrian competitions, movies, sailing regatta, remote control car races, bike rentals, skateboard park, kayaking, sailing regatta and the Red Hook Country Fairgrounds.

The programmer must take charge of attracting visitors beyond Red Hook via advertising and PR, work with local merchants/community organizations and reinforce the maritime heritage of the neighborhood.

NYCEDC wants to kick off the action this summer.

A site visit is scheduled for April 19. The proposal deadline is May 27.

RFP is at odwyerpr.com/rfps.

CBS’ DOZIER TO AP

Kimberly Dozier, one-time Middle East correspondent for CBS News, joins the Associated Press next month as its chief intelligence officer. Reporting from Iraq in `06, she was injured from a car bombing attack.

Dozier has been working in CBS' Washington bureau, covering the Pentagon and White House. Earlier, she was the network's London bureau chief and top European correspondent for CBS Radio. Dozier has worked for BBC Radio's World Service and has freelanced for the Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle.

At the AP, Dozier is to work with the service’s reporters on stories about the terror threats faced by the U.S. and other nations.

NYTC SAYS 'SORRY' TO SINGAPORE

The New York Times Co. apologized for an opinion piece critical of Singapore's political leadership and paid a $114K fine in damages for the commentary about dynasties.

The offending “All in the Family” piece ran in the Feb. 15 edition of the International Herald Tribune, NYTC’s worldwide paper.

The company apologized for any inference that Singapore's leader Lee Hsien Loong “did not achieve his position through merit.”

CPB PONIES UP FOR LOCAL JOURNALISM

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has announced that it will spend $10.5M with stations during the next two years to create seven local journalism centers for local/regional communities.

Patricia Harrison, CEO of CPB, says the funding comes as “access to high quality, original reporting is declining.” The CPB has a “responsibility to ensure that journalism can continue to thrive and serve the needs of our democracy.”

Harrison noted that participating stations are “locally owned and operated and work in partnership with other community-based organizations.”

The CPB also is backing the public media platform project that aims to distribute, present and monetize digital media more efficiently.

The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism and Poynter Institute earlier this month estimated that $1.6B in newspaper reporting/editing capacity has been lost in 2000.

A little more than $140M on non-profit money has been earmarked for citizen journalism projects.

WSJ NAMES WINE COLUMNISTS

Jay McInerney, author of “Bright Lights, Big City,” and Lettie Teague, a Food and Wine veteran, will write alternate Saturdays in the “Weekend” section of the Wall Street Journal. They begin next month.

McInerney has been doing monthly wine columns for “House and Garden.” His work has been collected in two books, “Bacchus and Me” and “Hedonist in the Cellar.”

Teague, according to a memo from Robert Thomson, WSJ managing editor, is renowned for her “irreverent, entertaining writing style and smart takes on broader themes from wine counterfeiting to the intricacies of restaurant wine lists.”

Also, Pia Catton, features editor at Politico, is joining the WSJ to head the “Arts and Leisure” section of the New York section that is being introduced in April.

She is a veteran of the defunct New York Sun, serving as features editor, dance critic and arts chief during six years up to the demise of the paper in ’08.

Earlier, she was a member of the New York Post’s editorial board.

LINKEDIN ESTABLISHES DUBLIN BASE

LinkedIn, the social networking site for business professions, is establishing its international headquarters in Dublin.

Ireland’s capital city proves “access to a highly skilled workforce and enables us to co-ordinate our business growth across Europe and beyond,” according to a statement from Kevin Ayers, managing director of LinkedIn/Europe.

The Silicon Valley-based company has European offices in London and Amsterdam. It has tripled European membership to 14m during the past two years.

LinkedIn counts more than 60M users and has received more than $100M in venture capital. The Irish Times reports that LinkedIn’s move to Dublin creates jobs in marketing, sales, finance and customer services.

‘W’ SNATCHES ‘T’s’ TONCHI

W, the fashion title of Conde Nast, has snatched Sefano Tonchi from the editorship of T: The New York Times Style Magazine. He takes over W on April 12.

Tonchi joined the Times as style editor for its Sunday magazine in ’03. Previously, he worked at Esquire, Self and L’Uomo Vogue.

Tonchi succeeds Patrick McCarthy, editorial director, who is exiting Conde Nast.

Both W and T had been hit with the decline in fashion and luxury advertising.

IFC TEAMS WITH ‘THE ONION.’

Independent Film Channel has teamed with the satirical news operation, “The Onion,” to develop a cable TV series.

The “Onion News Network” will be a half-hour program featuring the off-the-wall video clips that run on the Onion's website.

A recent Onion video reports that Nestle’s Stouffer's unit is putting suicide prevention tips on all of its single-serving microwaveable meals because eating a mac & cheese is a “cry for help.” Another covered how the tragic death of a toddler could have happened to any family that owns a 20-foot, 300-lb. python.

Will Graham, executive producer at the Onion, told the New York Times he plans to give viewers the “most authentic, aggressive, snarky, in-your-face news show out there.”

IFC, part of Cablevision, draws an audience of 70M with independent movies and comedies such as the classic “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.”

(Media news continued on next page)

FCC LAUNCHES NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN

The Federal Communications Commission has unveiled a comprehensive national initiative to give cheaper, faster Internet service to all U.S. households.

Delivered to Congress on March 16, the plan details a strategy to give all U.S. citizens reliable access to broadband Internet service by 2020. The plan also requires faster, more reliable broadband service for national safety and health institutions.

It is expected to cost $20 billion.

The Commission's goal is to connect approximately 110 million American households to affordable service within the next decade, with connection speeds of at least 4-megabits-per-second. Some living in U.S. cities could see their connections reach 100 Mbps, about 25 times faster than current average speeds.

As outlined in the FCC's report, while data and storage requirements have gone up for Internet users, average connection speeds have not grown at a rate commensurate. About 100 million in the U.S. (or about 35% of the population) surf the Internet with connections below broadband. Nearly 14 million live in areas where there is still no access to broadband connections at all.

Some Americans are also surfing with broadband speeds below what has been promised to them by their service providers. The FCC has created a site, www.broadband.gov, where users can test their connections, as well as report broadband dead zones.

The U.S. currently lags in international connection speeds. Americans surf the Internet at an average of 3.9 Mbps, somewhere between the 16th and the 18th place when compared to other industrial countries.

Japan has an average measured connection rate of 7.9 Mbps, and South Korea surfs at an astounding 14.6 Mbps. Sweden, Ireland, Poland, Netherlands and Romania all connect at average speeds faster than the U.S.

New York-based web solutions firm Akamai announced in January that U.S. average broadband speeds declined 2.4% between 2009's third quarter and the same time a year before, a dip some blame on canceled connections during the recession. Connection speeds in most other industrialized countries meanwhile, have continued to increase.

Safety first

Besides increasing the nation's broadband connectivity, the FCC's National Broadband Plan also calls for connections with especially fast speeds (1-gigabit-per-second) to be installed at area hospitals and military installations, and for bolstering the FCC's current E-Rate program, which provides broadband connections to schools and classrooms.

A portion of the plan (about $6 billion of its projected operations support) includes improving broadband access for emergency services, including rural clinics and national first-responder units.

"There's a specific push to create a broadband public safety network for first-responders who can communicate faster with fire and police departments," said FCC Spokesman Mark Wigfield. "The public safety community is united behind the idea that better communications can save lives."

Funding uncertain

The FCC's broadband rehaul is the response to a legislative requirement in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which mandated the FCC to study recommended changes to current domestic broadband access.

Total funding sources for the ambitious initiative remain uncertain, and in some cases could spark a lobbying battle between telecom companies and lawmakers.

The FCC has proposed using spectrum auctions to pay for part of the plan, an announcement that raised ire in the U.S. broadcast industry, which acquired large swaths of empty wavelengths after U.S. TV signals switched from analogue to digital formats last year.

Other funds would come from existing Universal Services Fund support, which would require an undetermined amount of legalese, considering the fund is currently written to partition money solely for voice support services.

The FCC has recommended subsidies for telecom companies that agree to wire rural areas without broadband.

The Commission has also requested $9 billion in funding from Congress to speed up implementation of the plan.

‘BLAGO’ CREDITS PR PRO FOR COMEBACK

Rod Blagojevich credits Glen Selig, head of The Publicity Agency, for helping him put his life together after impeachment from the Illinois governorship following charges that he tried to “sell” Barack Obama’s ex-Senate seat.

“Just as I was marching into the abyss, Glen came into my life and helped me navigate,” Blago told Felix Gillette of the New York Observer, which has a glowing two-page profile of the ex-gov in its March 29 issue.

Selig geared his PR strategy to pushing Blagojevich back in the public eye. The goal was to make people understand who the embattled former politico is and what makes him tick. “You don’t do that by hiding in the corner,” said Selig.

Facing mounting legal bills, Selig vetted TV deals to raise cash for his client.

Selig turned down an opportunity for Blagojevich to appear in HBO’s “Cathouse” set in a Nevada bordello.

According to the NYO, Selig “didn’t think that working as an understudy pimp at a TV whorehouse was the right positioning for his client.” An offer to “endorse a Blago-shampoo marketed in a phallic-shaped bottle” also was rejected.”

Blagojevich agreed to appear on ABC’s reality show, “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here,” but could not travel to Costa Rico because as part of the criminal probe he had to turn in his passport. His wife, Patti, took his place. Blagojevich’s debut on Donald Trump’s “The Celebrity Apprentice 3” debuted March 14. Legendary New York City newspaper man Jimmy Breslin is writing a book on Blagojevich.

Selig believes his PR strategy is working because Blago gets positive feedback from the people he meets on the street.

The federal corruption trial begins June 3.

EDELMAN DOUBLES IN BRUSSELS

Edelman has doubled its size in Brussels via a merger with The Centre, which the No. 1 independent firm describes as the “first think-do tank” in Europe’s “capital city.”

The surviving entity will be known as Edelman The Centre. It will be co-managed by Centre co-founder Martin Porter and Edelman Brussels chief Laurent Chokouale Datou.

In announcing the deal, Richard Edelman noted that since the crisis of 2008, governments worldwide are playing a much more activist role in regulating business, even serving as investor of last resort.

The Centre deal provides Edelman a greater opportunity to “support clients for further engagement of EU institutions and national governments across Europe to address key societal challenges from healthcare to trade, as well as regulatory initiatives,” said Edelman.

Edelman The Centre has clients and capabilities in energy/climate, environment/sustainability, financial services, trade/competition affairs, consumer, and healthcare.

NEW FIRMS FOR DITTUS, WIRTHLIN VETS

PR veteran Gloria Dittus announced her latest venture, D.C.-based Story Partners, on March 19, although the firm has been operating since January.

Dittus, who built Direct Impact (sold to Burson-Marsteller in 1999) and Dittus Communications (sold to FD in 2005) into respected D.C. firms, calls Story Partners a “21st century public affairs firm” that strives “not to be biggest public affairs firm but simply the best.” She has a mix of PR and PA veterans on board, including some former Dittus staffers, and additional offices in New Orleans and Birmingham.

Staffers include Powell Tate and Smith & Harroff vet Loran Aiken, former Dittus staffers Amos Snead and Shelton Jones, and Rick Heartsill, former chief of staff to Rep. Sonny Callahan (R-Ala.).

Info: storypartnersdc.com.

Greenville PR Partners Split

The three partners of Greenville, S.C.-based LinningSmoakCrawford PR have split to form two agencies.

Marion Rose Crawford, who joined Sandy Linning and Katherine Smoak Wood’s firm in 2008, has set up Crawford Strategy LLC, with Linning and two other staffers.

Wood, meanwhile, has formed Smoak PR with two staffers. Info: smoakPR.com; crawfordstrategy.com.

Wirthlin Vets Announce Research Shop

Former partners of Wirthlin Worldwide, the firm of Ronald Reagan’s pollster, Richard Wirthlin, said March 25 they have set up a market research and communications consulting firm Heart+Mind Strategies in D.C.

Wirthlin is serving as a board member of the new venture headed by CEO Dee Alsop. He is joined by four former Wirthlin staffers who serve as partners – Michael Dabadie, pres., managing partner; Beth Strackinbein Forbes, chief of staff/operations; Jennifer Aiery, senior solutions strategist, Jim Hoskins, senior consultant and executive advisor. Info: heartandmindstrategies.com.

‘STEVIE’ DEADLINE LOOMS

The American Business Awards deadline to enter its annual "Stevie" awards contest is March 31. Entries are accepted up to April 30 with a late charge.

Makovsky + Co. grabbed the "PR Agency of the Year" in '09. MWW Group chief Michael Kempner earned the "Communications, IR or PR Executive of the Year."

Other notables: Quinn & Co./Queensland Best Job in the World Campaign grabbed the best campaign of the year, while the American Legacy Foundation's "truth" anti-smoking effort took top honors in the non-profit category.

Single, campaign entries that meet the deadline cost $225, $300, respectively. The late fee is set at $35.

Winners are announced on June 21 at a gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Information is at www.stevieawards.com/aba.

DILENSCHNEIDER PENS AMA HANDBOOK

Organizations, whether corporations, city hall, the local Salvation Army, or the line manager of a service organization, want to squeeze every last bit of value out of their PR dollar, writes Robert Dilenschneider, founder and principal of The Dilenschneider Group, New York, in “The AMA Handbook of Public Relations” published in February.

Those using PR “want to know how to do more with less, using ‘Smart’ public relations,” he says, adding that “Measuring has become imperative in PR.”

Introducing “metrics” at the start of a client relationship shows clients that the agency “cares as much about your money as you do,” that the agency “knows what really counts in communications,” and that the agency knows how to “gather and interpret the data.”

Quantitative information, available from many web-based sources, can be used with management, boards of directors, shareholders, employees, members, contributors, government and the media, he notes.

Dilenschneider, former CEO of Hill & Knowlton who tripled its revenues to nearly $200 million during his tenure, is the author of the widely-used Power and Influence and other books.

He conducted hundreds of interviews with business leaders, consumers, media heads, government officials and college students in gathering material for the book.

Among sources were business leaders and bankers at the annual World Economic Forum which he has attended since 1986.

‘Human Voice Is Needed’

Most critical, he writes, is that companies adopt a “human voice” in communicating on the web, dropping the previous “statesman-like, formal” tone.

Messages must be linked to the “affairs of the day, to a bigger issue.”

Dilenschneider says that “for business professionals, there is no better place to go for publicity than the trade media.” Each medium has its own personality and preferred ways of being contacted, he notes.

Trade publications, he says, are read by media and financial analysts, journalists and Wall Street analysts.

More of this review is at odwyerpr.com.

Full Table of PR firms Ranked by 2009 Revenue in Several Categories

Leading Gainers of 2009

Click here for Leading Gainers of 2009.

Ranking of Beauty/Fashion PR Firms

Click here for ranking of Beauty/Fashion PR Firms.

Ranking of Professional Services PR Firms

Click here for ranking of Professional Services PR Firms.

Ranking of Home Furnishings PR Firms

Click here for ranking of Home Furnishings PR Firms.

The non-availability of Tom Eppes, ethics head of the PR Society, is one more reason why we have to call the group the National Assn. of Not Availables.

Eppes, who lives in Charlotte, N.C., is not available either to us or even to members. We want to talk to him-especially about his article on the NANA website condemning theft of "intellectual property."

That is exactly what NANA was doing to us and many others for about 15 years.

Neither his e-mail nor phone number is provided anywhere on the NANA website. Those who want to reach him must send a letter to his home address, which is provided. That's what we have done.

M&M Visit Was a Step Forward

We were heartened by the visit of chair Gary McCormick and COO Bill Murray to our offices March 19.

But numerous questions remain unanswered and many leaders continue to duck us.

One would think Eppes would be more available to members for ethics questions since the Society makes such a big deal about ethics.

The Society's Code of Ethics uses the words "ethics" and "ethical" 11 times on the first page alone.

"Ethical practice is the most important obligation of a Society member," says the preamble, adding that the code "sets the standard for the professional practice of PR."

Eppes, in a commentary on the NANA website, railed against "Expropriation of the Intellectual Property of Others." That is the title of "PS-14," a new advisory" of NANA.

We Were Robbed

That is what NANA was doing to our "intellectual property" and those of others for more than 15 years via its information packet business. The business was closed soon after we outed it in 1994.

NANA fought the demands of us and others for compensation, insisting that it was only "loaning" our intellectual property and was not selling it.

As a library, NANA said it had the right to loan the articles as long as it got them back.

What nonsense! Articles were not involved, either, but heavy duty "professional development" pieces that showed users how to craft contracts, write non-compete agreements, make placements in specialized media, etc. Users stood to make or save money by using the content.

The heavily-promoted business got up to a volume of 3,800 packets yearly, robbing us and other authors of a large amount of income.

The O'Dwyer NL price in 1992 was $175. Had these 3,800 purchasers (almost all of them Society members) subscribed to the O'Dwyer NL instead of reading us through the Society's info service, we would have made an additional $665,000 in income in one year alone.

But why buy the cow when you can milk it through the fence?!

Policy of Non-PR Staff Heads Backfires

The non-New York Society leaders who ousted the New York-dominated leadership and staff in 1980 did not want another New York PR pro like Rea Smith heading the staff. The OOTers felt their leadership would be undercut.

The non-PR staff headed by association pro Betsy Kovacs from 1980-92 allowed the illegal copying business to flourish, something PR pros would never have done.

Another scandal in the mid-1980s was the tossing of hundreds of Silver Anvil entries for minor infractions such as binders that measured more than three inches on the outside.

PR Pro Would Not Have Tossed Entrants

No PR person would ever have been so cavalier with the hundreds of hours of work that went into a Silver Anvil submission.

The O'Dwyer Co. exposed this practice and counselor Lou Capozzi forced a change in how "nit-picking" rules were applied to submissions.

Kovacs initiated strict control of the Society's press relations. We only lunched three times in ten years with PR director Donna Peltier and each time Kovacs was present.

Kovacs' successor, career ad executive Ray Gaulke, also strictly controlled press relations.

When the copying scandal broke in 1994, Gaulke and Society leaders decided to fight the concept that payment was owed to the authors.

We believe that a PR pro as head of staff then would have sought a settlement of some kind. Some authors would have been satisfied with free ads in Society media.

Gaulke Left Suddenly

Gaulke, after receiving a five-year contract from the 1999 board headed by Sam Waltz, suddenly left the Society as of 2001 to work for its Foundation. His contract was reportedly bought out for $250K.

With the removal in 1999 of Atlanta counselor Lee Duffey as a contender for chair-elect (following charges his firm was using a front group in a PR battle vs. the EIFS form of construction), power in the Society passed to a group of Northeasterners headed by Kathy Lewton, Maria Russell and Anthony D’Angelo.

They installed as staff head PR pro Catherine Bolton, who had been hired in July 2000 as the first “chief PR officer.”

Control of the Society, as indicated by the appointment of Murray at the start of 2007, had again passed from the Northeast to the South and West. Newly dominant were Rhoda Weiss of Los Angeles, Jeff Julin of Denver, Del Galloway of Jacksonville, Fla., and Dave Rickey of Birmingham, Ala.

They went back to a “command-and-control” association pro-Murray.

Info Flow Choked

Murray is no doubt a good administrator and is running a tight ship at h.q. but no administrator can control facts.

Under his reign, information control practices have multiplied, standing on its head the pledge in the Society Code to “advance the free flow of information.”

The 110 chapter presidents and their contact info can no longer be printed out by hitting a single key. Instead, officers of each chapter have to be downloaded separately. Also, only seven h.q. staffers appear by name now whereas all 55 used to be listed.

PRSAY, started in January 2009 as a forum for members and non-members, appears moribund, the last entry being March 5.

There's no hiding the copying scandal and numerous other abuses including the invalid 2009 Assembly.

That meeting, while professing to follow Robert's Rules of Order, violated such rules as those forbidding proxy votes and those demanding that in a bylaws revision all articles be placed before the Assembly.

Only a few were.

Ignored was advice that a revision be done in a series of meetings and never at the annual meeting and the rule that all actions be reflected in the minutes.The minutes mention only one of scores of votes that were taken.

The entire Assembly could easily and cheaply have been audiocast to the membership but it wasn't.

--Jack O'Dwyer