Full table of PR firms
ranked by 2010
revenue in financial, food/beverage and agriculture
categories on pg. 7...

EDELMAN BOOKS BRAZIL

Edelman has picked up the Brazilian tourism account ahead of that country promoting the FIFA World Cup in 2015 and the Olympics in 2016.

Teamed with Brazil’s FSB, the No. 1 independent firm is to handle media relations, consumer engagement and issues management, for Embratur during the next five years.

Embratur president Mario Moyses expects attendance at the premier sporting events are going to catapult Brazil into the top 10 list of international travel destinations by 2020.

The Edelman team is headed by Cathleen Johnson, practice leader of the travel and hospitality unit in Chicago, and Julie Bradler, deputy travel practice leader in New York.

Matthew Harrington, Edelman U.S. president and CEO, added: “The country will enjoy the global spotlight over the coming years.”

CHURCHILL DOWNS BETS ON GLOVER PARK

Churchill Downs Inc., which is mainly noted for the Kentucky Derby, has hired Glover Park Group to handle legislative issues concerning online gambling.

Reps. John Campbell (R-CA), Peter King (R-NY), Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) and Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced a measure last week to legalize Internet gambling.

The bill would repeal a 2006 law that restricted most gambling and banned credit card companies from processing Internet betting.

In reporting 2010 financial results on March 17, CDI CEO Robert Evans noted that the company spent “significant capital” to invest in its gaming and online businesses that recorded record revenues and income.

He said CDI faces challenges including “nationwide declines in handle and intense competition for racehorses with tracks that are able to subsidize their purses with alternative gaming revenues.”

CDI, which owns Youbet.com, Calder Casino and Harlow's Casino Resort & Hotel, has tapped GPG staffers Joel Johnson (formerly President Clinton’s advisor for policy and communications), John Emling (chief of staff to now Majority Leader Eric Cantor) and Alex Mistri (chief of staff to Rep. Bill Shuster) to handle its D.C. push.

FORMER FCC CHIEF GETS TOP CABLE TV JOB

Michael Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 2001-05, has been elected president/CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Assn. He is to serve as industry spokesperson and top liaison to Congress, the White House and the FCC.

Patrick Esser, chair of NCTA and president of Cox Communications, said Powell’s “vast insight into public policy” makes him an ideal fit to lead the industry as it addresses regulatory issues and to promote cable’s “commitment to jobs, investment and innovation.”

Powell succeeds Kyle McSlarrrow, who took the president job at Comcast/NBC Universal. Prior to his FCC duty, Powell was chief of staff at the Justice Dept.’s antitrust division, attorney at O'Melveny & Myers and policy advisor at the Defense Dept.

Powell called cable a business that provides “cutting edge services and content that Americans love.” He believes its broadband platform is “a critical part of the infrastructure needed to realize our national ambition to be a great nation in the Information Age.”

McSlarrow has led NCTA since 2005.

GRAY LOEFFLER REPS KUWAITI PEACE GROUP

Gray Loeffler, the firm of former Congressmen Bill Gray (D-PA) and Tom Loeffler (R-TX) are promoting the effort of a non-profit bankrolled by Kuwait's ruling family to "increase awareness and promote peace to those influenced by extremist groups."

The job is to assist Levant Suez Consulting Corp on behalf of the Fahad Al Salem Center for Dialogue Among Civilizations and Defense of Liberty," which was formed in the aftermath of the liberation of Kuwait in the Persian Gulf War.

The Center's website says its mission is to "combat ignorance, which is a major threat to peace, by building cultural bridges to strategically overturn constant brainwashing of populations orchestrated by extremists through promoting citizen journalism and constructive messages in different media."

GL’s fee is $450K for working Congress, Obama administration officials and U.S. media, according to its federal filing. Missouri City, TX-based Levant is headed by Thomas Coleman, who has done extensive business in northern Africa and the middle East.

FITZGIBBON HANDLES MANNING PR

Former Fenton Communications VP Trevor FitzGibbon is building PR support for Pfc. Bradley Manning, the soldier being held by the U.S. military on charges he transferred data to WikiLeaks.

FitzGibbon runs his own three-year-old, Washington, D.C.-based shop, FitzGibbon Media, with a handful of consultants around the country and recently handled media strategy for the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU School of Law, which is defending detainees who were allegedly tortured at CIA “black sites.”

FitzGibbon told O’Dwyer’s that Manning’s plight drew his interest and he signed on to work on the soldier’s PR through the Bradley Manning Advocacy Fund. He is paid for his services through the fund, which is supported mostly by small donations.

“I saw what was going on with him and there was nobody helping this kid,” said FitzGibbon, who has visited Manning about once a week at the Marine Corps. brig in Quantico, Va., since starting the assignment in late January. “Every American deserves humane treatment and due process.”

Manning’s nine-month detention is a contentious issue for the military and Obama administration, as human rights groups and media criticize what are said to be the harsh conditions of his detainment.

FitzGibbon, who said he can’t discuss the legal case, said a key aspect of his PR work over the past month has been to show Manning’s true persona, which had been previously ill-defined. “He’s clearly not an anti-war activist,” he said. “So the first thing we needed to do was present an accurate view of who he is – an independent kid who's very much pro-military.”

That effort involved lining up supporters including former JAG attorneys, Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, and other ex-military and spokespeople to express support for Manning. FitzGibbon said he also is working to organize grassroots supporters.

FINSBURY, JF WORK IRON MOUNTAIN PLAY

Finsbury and Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher are working hedge fund Elliott Management's push to revamp Iron Mountain, an information management company with $3.1B in revenue last year.

Elliott, which manages about $17 billion and owns just under 5% of Iron Mountain's shares, nominated four directors to Iron Mountain's board this month and is pushing the company to become a real estate investment trust, which would distribute more gains to shareholders and significantly cut its tax bill. Elliott says Iron Mountain’s core business is “mature” and questions pursuing growth through expenditures and acquisitions, as IM has recently done.

The hedge fund is working with Finsbury's New York office and proxy firm Mackenzie Partners on its push. Iron Mountain has hired Joele Frank and Innisfree M&A, in addition to legal and banking advisors, as it weighs Elliott’s slate and proposals.

BURSON FETED FOR 90TH BIRTHDAY

Harold Burson, co-founder of Burson-Marsteller with Bill Marsteller, was given a 90th birthday party by more than 500 friends and business associates March 15 at Gustavino’s restaurant under the 59th Street Bridge.

Well-wishers came from 40 countries including Australia and India to fete the PR executive who built one of the largest PR firms in the world.

Burson gave a lengthy address to the gathering, expressing first his sorrow that his wife Bette could not be present to witness the celebration. She died Sept. 16 in the 63rd year of their marriage.

Burson described himself as consistent if nothing else -- having one marriage, staying with B-M since its founding in 1953, and even keeping the same breed of dog for 40 years -- West Highland White Terrier.

Among those attending were president and CEO Mark Penn and four regional CEOs of the firm -- Jeremy Galbraith, Europe; Santiago Hinojosa, Latin America; Patrick Ford, U.S., and Bob Pickard, Asia-Pacific.

Recalls Childhood

Burson traced his life back to his childhood when he showed an early interest in reading and writing.

Born in Memphis, he graduated from high school at the age of 16 and received an A.B. from the University of Mississippi in 1940 when he was only 19. His first job was with the Memphis Commercial Appeal as a reporter from 1940-41. He served in the U.S. Army from 1944-46 and credited his experiences there as being helpful throughout his business career.

After being a PR consultant from 1946-52, he teamed up with Marsteller to create an ad/PR firm that would concentrate on providing across-the-board services to heavy industrial companies.

“There weren’t too many firms that were doing that then,” Burson told the O'Dwyer Co. in 1977. He likened the agency to a “department store” where any and all services were provided to clients.

BURNS CHARGES UP H&K

Hill & Knowlton has tapped Duncan Burns as its first global energy practice director as power consumption is slated to rise nearly 50 percent by 2030.

He is to concentrate on traditional oil/gas/coal sources, alternatives, clean tech and manufacturing, according to a statement from Ken Luce, COO of the WPP operation.

Burns, a senior VP in H&K's Washington office, also worked in London during the past decade. He handles accounts such as Better Place (charging infrastructure for electric cars), Clean and Safe Energy Coalition and Qualcomm.

NYT ANNOUNCES PAYWALL FEE

The New York Times will charge online readers $15 a month for access to its news and features, the paper announced March 17.

Starting March 28, readers of more than 20 articles a month will be presented with three options: $15 for a month of access and mobile phone app, $20 for a web/iPad combo or $35 for the works.

Home delivery subscribers will not be charged for digital offerings. Readers, who are delivered to the Times from search engines, blogs and social media, will get access, even if they surpassed their monthly story limit.

The Times believes its plan is designed to generate revenues from its heaviest users, while allowing casual readers to access the site.

In a letter posted on nytimes.com, Arthur Sulzberger, publisher, calls the paywall “an important step that we hope you will see as an investment in the Times, one that will strengthen our ability to provide high-quality journalism to readers around the world.”

Sulzberger believes the challenge is to price the NYT “without walling ourselves off from the global network, to make sure we continue to engage with the widest possible audience.”

The home page of nytimes.com and each section front will remain free to browse.

NEWSPAPER AD SPENDING SINKS TO LOW

The Newspaper Assn. of America reports that advertisers spent about $26B in newspaper advertising in 2010, which is the lowest amount since 1985. Adjusted for inflation, $25B represents $49B in today's dollars.

Newspapers reported a 10.9 percent growth in online ads, a sharp improvement over the 11 percent year ago decline.

NAA president John Sturm remains upbeat, saying “quarter after quarter, newspaper advertising has shown signs of a continued turnaround and an essential repositioning.”

MARQUEZ MARCHES TO PARADE

Jennifer Rainey Marquez has taken a senior editor post at Parade, responsible for health and medical coverage.

She joins from O: The Oprah Magazine, where she was senior health editor. Earlier, Marquez was at Women’s Health, Woman’s Day and Mademoisselle.

Maggie Murphy, editorial director, expects her 70M weekly readers, will benefit from Marquez's “impressive wealth of experience” and “innate interest in the health issues.”

GLOBE’S PAULSON TO NYT

Michael Paulson, an 11-year veteran of the Boston Globe, is joining sister paper, New York Times, as metropolitan political editor on April 1.

Paulson led the Globe’s coverage of the Catholic Church’s sex scandal for nine years. He joined the city desk in 2009 to cover the mayor and Massachusetts senate race.

Before the Globe, Paulson wrote for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

BIDEN HIRES POST REPORTER

Vice President Joe Biden has tapped Washington Post political reporter Shailagh Murray to fill his communications director slot vacated by Jay Carney.

“Shailagh’s years of experience covering a broad array of issues ranging from domestic policy to foreign affairs make her uniquely positioned to lead our communications team,” Biden said in a statement.

Murray was named Capitol Hill reporter for the Post in 2005 after covering politics for six years at the Wall Street Journal and filing from Prague and Brussels for the paper for the previous seven years.

Post national editor Kevin Merida called her a “master at explaining complex legislation and the unpredictable twists and turns of Congress.”

Biden added: “She is as well-respected among her peers as she is versed in the serious issues facing our nation and the world.”

Carney, also a former reporter, was named White House press secretary last month. Elizabeth Alexander is Biden’s press secretary.

NBCU NAMES TWO AT USA NETWORK

NBCUniversal has named Jeff Wachtel and Chris McCumber co-presidents at USA Network, the Comcast unit's most profitable cable channel.

Wachtel, who had handled original programming, and McCumber, marketing and digital chief, report to Bonnie Hammer.

Hammer lauded the “collaborative style” of Wachtel and McCumber, calling it “a critical part of USA’s DNA and a key component of the network's success.”

Hammer was president of USA Network. She assumed to chair of NBCUniversal's cable entertainment and cable studios when the Comcast deal was finalized.

ASSANGE CALLS ’NET ‘SPYING MACHINE’

The Internet is the “greatest spying machine the world has ever seen,” according to WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange, who addressed students at Cambridge Univ.

The web is no friend of free speech, human rights and civil life, but “technology that can be used to set up a totalitarian spying regime,” according to a report in England’s Guardian, one of the papers selected by Assange to publish his trove of U.S. diplomatic cables.

The Australian credited the Internet for focusing attention on repressive regimes and linking activist groups. It also is used by governments to monitor and track dissidents, he said. Assange said Egypt four years ago crushed a Facebook-inspired revolt and then used the site to round-up, interrogate and beat participants.

Assange, who is fighting extradition to Sweden, downplayed the role of social media in fomenting recent revolts in northern Africa and Middle East. In his view, Arab satellite TV network Al Jazeera had a much bigger impact than Facebook and Twitter.

(Media news continued on next page)

NEWS CORP. SUED OVER SHINE DEAL

A shareholder lawsuit filed March 16 in Delaware Chancery Court charges News Corp. with nepotism connected to its $675M deal to acquire U.K.’s Shine Group, which is headed by Elizabeth Murdoch, daughter of the media combine’s CEO Rupert Murdoch.

Amalgamated Bank of New York and the Central Laborers Pension Fund charge that Murdoch uses the $33B company as a “family candy store.”

The suit alleges that Murdoch loads the “executive ranks with his offspring” and “engages in transactions designed to benefit family members.”

According to the suit: “Although the transaction makes little or no business sense for News Corp. and is far above a fair and independent, a disinterested third-party would pay for Shine, it is unsurprising that that transaction was approved by the News Corp. board.”

The complaint calls the Shine deal another attempt to further the “selfish” interests of News Corp.’s chief.

The investors seek unspecified damages and want to inspect the financial documents associated with the Shine deal.

News Corp says the lawsuit is completely without merit.

The company announced the Shine deal in February. Chase Carey, COO of News Corp., called Shine a “leader in the global television production business with a proven track record of developing hit shows and new formats worldwide.”

Elizabeth Murdoch is expected to join the board of News Corp, if the acquisition is completed.

REAGAN POLLSTER WIRTHLIN DIES

Richard Wirthlin, pollster and political strategist for Ronald Reagan, died March 16. He was 80.

Politico reported that Wirthlin and his reams of dat

shaped Reagan’s public image “more than the public has ever realized.”
He began that work in 1968 during Reagan’s first term as Governor of California. Wirthlin polled for Reagan during his unsuccessful challenge to President Ford “and stuck around during the wilderness years to advise him,” according to Politico.

During Reagan’s two successful presidential runs, Wirthlin served as campaign director of strategy and planning. He is credited for identifying a political base for Reagan composed of traditionally Democratic blue-collar voters in the midwest and evangelicals in the south.

Wirthlin wrote “The Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught Me about Politics, Leadership, and Life” in 2004.

BARBOUR’S PRESS AIDE OUT IN JAPAN FLAP

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has accepted the resignation of press secretary Dan Turner after the aide joked about the Japanese tsunami.

In his March 11 press round-up, Turner noted that on the day in 1968: “Otis Redding posthumously received a gold record for his single,’(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’. (Not a big hit in Japan right now.)”

He also wrote: “In 1993: Janet Reno was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become the first female attorney general. (It took longer to confirm her gender than to confirm her law license.).”

Barbour’s office issued a two-sentence statement March 14 to say that Turner’s resignation was accepted and that Laura Hipp is his replacement.

Turner was communications director and district representative for now-retired Rep. Jim McCrery (R-La.) before joining Barbour in 2008. He was also a reporter for the the Shreveport (La.) Times for 11 years.

Reuters reports that the Turner flap is the “latest embarrassment for Barbour,” who was criticized earlier this year for downplaying white racism in Mississippi during the civil rights era. It also questions whether Team Barbour is ready for the national spotlight.

Former lobbyist Barbour next month will announce whether he plans to run for Republican presidential nomination.

GANNETT NAMES FIRST CMO

Gannett Co has hired Maryam Banikarim as senior VP and chief marketing officer, a new position at the media combine. The former NBC Universal senior VP/integrated sales and marketing takes a seat on Gannett's management committee.

Gracie Martore, Gannett’s COO, says Banikarim "understands how a media company can be an effective marketing partner for its clients, which is key to our solutions bases sales efforts."

Banikarim, 42, looks forward to being a part of Gannett's "transformation strategy."

Prior to NBCU, Banikarim ran her own consulting business with clients such as Time Warner, Bacardi and Deutsch Bank.

She was publisher at Macmillan Publishing, general manager at CitySearch, account planner at Turner Broadcasting and account manager at Young & Rubicam.

UNIVISION CHIEF RESIGNS

Joe Uva has decided to relinquish the helm of Univision Communications when his contract expires on April 2 to “capitalize on other opportunities,” according to a March 14 statement from the broadcaster’s board.

Executive chairman Haim Saban praised Uva for building a strong leadership team and positioning the New York-based Spanish language network for long-term growth. He has launched a search for a new CEO. Saban will assume some of Uva's responsibilities until his successor is hired.

Uva was president/CEO of OMD Worldwide media buying shop before joining Univison. Earlier, he spent 17 years at Turner Broadcasting.

Univision hired Randy Falco, a veteran of NBC Universal and AOL, as COO two months ago to run operations, distribution and ad sales.

The Univision Network is the most-watched Spanish station in the U.S., reaching 95 percent of Hispanic households. The company also owns/operates 62 TV and 70 radio stations.

BRUNSWICK SUPPORTS AT&T, T-MOBILE DEAL

Brunswick is proving PR support for AT&T as the mobile phone giant pursues a $39 billion acquisition of Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile USA unit, announced March 20.

Mike Buckley (San Francisco) and Steve Lipin (New York), partners at Brunswick, are serving as media contacts and advising Dallas-based AT&T in a deal that would create the largest mobile carrier in the U.S., surpassing Verizon. The firm has a Dallas/Fort Worth office headed by Jim Wilkinson.

Regulators are expected to take a close look at the proposed combine, which would give DT an 8 percent stake and a board slot at AT&T. Both boards have approved the merger.

AT&T is the No. 2 carrier and T-Mobile slots at No. 4 in the U.S.

AT&T said it will pay $25 billion in cash and the remainder of the $39B in stock.

DILENSCHNEIDER SPONSORS CIVILITY TALKS

The Dilenschneider Group, New York, will sponsor a series of lectures on civility with the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, starting in April, to mark the PR firm's 20th anniversary.

"Today, the virtue of civility has been abandoned in the United States," said Robert L. Dilenschneider, president of the Dilenschneider Group. "As a result, there is strife throughout America -- screaming blogs, political attacks, vicious reader comments, and the inability to work across the legislative aisle without rancor or demeaning acrimony. This series is an attempt to restore a measure of civility in our dealings."

The talks will take place at the Council's New York headquarters, starting April 11 with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) discussing civility in politics.

Charles Osgood takes on the media on April 21 and economist Henry Kaufman will cover civility and Wall Street on June 20.

Council president Joel H. Rosenthal said the talks will be recorded on video and audio, and disseminated globally through its websites, iTunes, YouTube, and public television.

Talks start at 5:30 p.m.

GRAYLING DIRECTS FOUNDRY SALE

Huntsworth's Grayling unit reps Advent Group, which is selling a majority stake in The Foundry, maker of visual effects software used by studios in "must-see" movies such as "Avatar," "The King's Speech," "The Matrix," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Black Swan."

The Foundry employs more than 100 staffers in its London headquarters and Los Angeles office.

Since an Advent/management buyout in 2009, The Foundry has tripled its headcount and revenues have risen about 150 percent to $22M.

CEO Bill Collis expects Carlyle's financial muscle will enable The Foundry to develop new opportunities and markets.

The Foundry is the latest addition to Carlyle's European Technology Partners Group, which has made investments in 20 firms since 2002.

PMK CHIEF BERGER TO GET MATRIX

Cindi Berger, chairman and CEO of entertainment PR powerhouse PMK*BNC PR, will receive the Matrix Award for PR from New York Women in Communications Inc. at its annual banquet April 11 at the Waldorf-Astoria.

Berger, 49, has represented an A-list roster of entertainers during her 30 years in the business, including Harry Connick Jr., Barbara Walters and Jessica Simpson.

She led PMK/HBH, where she started as a receptionist 20 years earlier, until parent company Interpublic merged it with BNC in December 2009.

WICI last year gave the PR Matrix to Anne Keating, senior VP of PR, special events and corporate philanthropy for Bloomingdale’s.

Other Matrix honorees this year include PBS’ Gwen Ifill; The Kaplan Thaler Group and WICI president Robin Koval; Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook; Abbe Raven, head of A&E TV Networks; actress Idinia Menzel, and Fairchild Fashion Group CEO Gina Sanders. Actress Betty White will receive a lifetime achievement award.

MORAN HEADS STRATEGYONE

Robert Moran was named U.S. president of Edelman's Washington, D.C.-based polling unit, StrategyOne.

The four-year SO veteran oversees the division's business across five offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Silicon Valley and the capital.

He was previously VP at Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates and senior project director at Public Opinion Strategies.

Moran has worked for clients like Visa, DuPont, Boeing, Monsanto, Aventis, Wal-Mart and The National Federation of Independent Business.

MULTIVU PLANS HISPANIC CO-OP TOUR

PR Newswire's MultiVu division has unviled its multimedia Hispanic broadcast co-op tour calendar for 2011, from Cinco de Mayo through major holidays and lifestyle events.

Tours are open to four non-competing brands and target TV, online and radio.

Info: 866/580-5326 or [email protected].

BRIEFS: Synaptic Digital has brought in U.K. TV host Adrian Simpson as director of media relations and operations. Simpson is a BBC vet and former presenter of "Top Gear," a popular auto program in the country. He takes responsibility for Synaptic's European media relations and production teams. Matt Thomson, managing director for Synaptic/Europe noted Simpson's blend of news experience, communication skill and creativity. PR Newswire has extended its agreement with Southern California life science association BIOCOM Purchasing Group for content distribution services for members.

O’Dwyer’s Ranking of Food/Beverage PR Firms

(Click Here for Ranking)

Ranking of Financial PR Firms

(Click Here for Ranking)

Ranking of Agricultural PR Firms

(Click Here for Ranking)

Forty-seven PR firms, including 12 in the top 25 that grew in double figures, are in the “Leading Gainers” list of PR firms based on their 2010 revenues reported to O’Dwyer’s. (See chart below and at odwyerpr.com.)

WCG, San Francisco, healthcare specialist, led among the top 25 with a gain of 37.6% to $37,008,000. A close second is Coyne PR, Parsippany, N.J., growing 32% to $16,051,100.

Imre, Baltimore, led in the 26-50 segment with a jump of 33% to $7,698,000. Second was Beckerman, Hackensack, N.J., up 23% to $6,131,666.

Revive PR, Santa Barbara, healthcare specialist, was the fastest growing in the 51-100 category with a burst of 334%. Second was Morgan & Myers, up 68% to $3,866,266. Borders + Gratehouse, San Francisco, high tech specialist, led in the 101-150 category with a rise of 110% to $1,793,864. Feintuch Communications, New York, grew 74% to $827,427.

The “Leading Gainers” does not include all 72 of the firms that had double figure gains in 2010. Ninety-seven of the ranked firms had gains of at least 5%.

We feel there is a correlation between growth and being in the O’Dwyer rankings. PR firm income is the added work of dealing with the web including social media and the digitizing of information.

PR pros must not only deal with traditional media, which remain a force, but with a Tower of Babel of voices in blogland including some that are expert and influential. With traditional media in a weakened state, companies are creating their own media. Much of this work is falling to PR firms that have the arms, legs and expertise needed to cope with this new reality.

Leading Gainers of 2010

(Click Here for Leading Gainers)

O'Dwyer Rankings Open Year-Round

To help clients shop for PR and wind up with legitimate firms, odwyerpr.com is opening its ranking process to PR firms throughout the year. [rankings form, PDF]

The current ranking of more than 150 firms will remain unchanged but there will be a section on the site beneath the list that will include firms that have satisfied the O'Dwyer ranking rules – supporting fee and employee totals with income tax and W-3 forms and providing a current account list.

The entire counseling industry will benefit by having as large a database as possible of firms that have met these reporting requirements. The bigger the database, the more accurate a picture that can be painted as to how the PR counseling industry is faring.

An “O’Dwyer Seal” will be provided to firms that document their revenues, staff and accounts.

Our experience is that seeking financial information from firms during the two-month window of Jan.-Feb. is not enough time for many firms to consider whether they will reveal their financial documents. Some firms contact us after the rankings are published and wonder why they're not in them. When they see that virtually all the major firms are in the rankings and almost all of them are doing well, they are apt to change their minds.

Opening the rankings throughout the year, while not changing the initial rankings, will give them time to think this through. We are glad to discuss this with any firm.

IPR Carries Rankings: Others Should Also

The Institute for PR, headed by president and CEO Bob Grupp, immediately saw the value of the 2010 PR firm statistics and posted the story and full table on its website, living up to its identification with PR research.

Still considering whether to do this is the PR Society of America. The rankings story should be on Tactics Online as well as in the printed Tactics and carried by the Foundation of the Society on its website.

Also considering whether to run the ranking story is the Council of PR Firms, whose chair is Andy Polansky, president of Weber Shandwick. Both PRSA and the Council have plenty of members that would benefit from the positive results being shown by PR firms.

PR firms with the most members in PRSA include Weber Shandwick with 77 members; Fleishman-Hillard, 46; Edelman, 39; Fahlgren Mortine, 34; Ketchum, 31; Padilla Speer Beardsley, 24; Porter-Novelli, 19; WCG, 12, and Ruder Finn, MWW Group, Coyne PR and Zeno Group, ten each. Total is 322.

There are 270 Society members in the 50 largest firms ranked by this website and 41 of them have members in the Society. Forty-seven of the 81 Council members that are independent are in the O'Dwyer rankings.

Leaders of the PR firms named above should put pressure on PRSA, its Foundation and the Council to spread the statistics compiled about PR firms by O’Dwyer’s.

This is good news that benefits the entire counseling industry including its many thousands of employees.

— Jack O'Dwyer