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Solomon McCown & Cence strategic communications shop and Murphy Donoghue Partners government relations firm have merged to form Issues Management Group in Boston.
Dan Cence will helm the more than 50-member firm, which also has an office in New York.
He said the combination will “enhance our ability to shape the conversation in an increasingly complex media political and regulatory environment.”
MDP co-founders Jack Murphy and Roger Donoghue will serve as partners of IMG.
Murphy did a 14-year stint in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Donoghue also founded the Donoghue Barrett & Singal law firm.
Helene Solomon & Ashley McCown, who launched Solomon & McCown in 2003, are senior advisors of IMG.
Massachusetts Health & Hospital Assn., Beacon Capital Partners, New England Journal of Medicine, Altrius Health, Rockland Trust Bank and Women’s Foundation of Boston are IMG clients.
Public Policy Holding Company registered 23.8 percent Q3 growth to $48.8M, with organic growth contributing 4.5 percent and the balance driven by merger & acquisition activity.
Publicis Groupe reported 3.1 percent in Q3 growth to $4B, sparked by a 3.6 percent jump North America, its biggest market.
WPP suffered a 10.2 percent drop in 1H revenues to $6.7B and a 47.8 percent plunge in operating profit to $297M.
Interpublic reported Q2 net revenues dropped 6.6 percent to $2.2B and operating income tumbled 23.4 percent to $243.7M. 
WPP has adopted a gloomier profit and sales forecast due to a deteriorating Q2 financial performance triggered by weak client spending as companies cope with the challenging economic backdrop.
