The Flack

This weblog attempts to shine a brighter light on the subtle role public relations plays in politics, culture, media, business and sports. Through greater transparency, the author hopes to make the profession better understood and perhaps more widely appreciated.

Archive for July, 2006

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Pitch and Make-up

Posted by Peter Himler on 31st July 2006

Wow! A triple-espresso of a publicity coup! Steve Perlman and his team at Contour, the new digital effects company, must be celebrating today’s front page troika in The New York Times

“Business”, Wall Street Journal “Marketplace” (by sub. only) and San Jose Mercury News

“Business” sections. That’s the good news.

Here’s the bad: I bet John Markoff, Nick Wingfield and Dean Takahashi, the premier SF-based tech reporters for The Times , Journal and Merc News, respectively, were none too happy to see each other scooped so prominently on the same story. Of course, I’m only speculating on whether the PR reps for Contour fully disclosed what other outlets intended to coronate the new company. (For their sake, I hope so.)

BTW - When disclosing what else is “in the works” editorially, I would advise against giving a reporter the exact name of the rival publication. Just as the reporter would not want you to disclose his or her editorial plans, you should not reveal the competitor’s. Instead, go with “a national daily newspaper,” or something that provides enough specificity to satisfactorily avoid any surprises.

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Gibson the Greek

Posted by Peter Himler on 31st July 2006

As Lindsey Lohan’s mother weighs in to defend her party-hardy daughter against a very public

tongue-lashing by the top executive on her latest fim, Hollywood is debating just how deep a hole wacko Mel Gibson has dug for himself with his DUI arrest over the weekend.DUI arrest? Big deal. In today’s world, that kind of happenstance might actually elevate one’s standing on the celebrity-o-meter. (Think Kate Moss.)

No, it was the venemous anti-Semitic diatribe spewed by Mr. Gibson during his arrest that set off this latest firestorm. As one Hollywood go-to PR guy quipped to The AP:

“It’s a nuclear disaster for him,” said publicist Michael Levine, who has represented Michael Jackson and Charlton Heston, among others. “I don’t see how he can restore himself.”

Michael makes a valid point, but for a different time and place. Ten years ago, a heinous story like this would have put the death knell on any public personality’s career. Today, however, the fragmented, 24/7 media environment allows a supposed career-ending incident to disappear into a speeding car’s rear view mirror as fast as one can say Pee Wee Herman or Jimmy the Greek.

Also, let’s not forget the rising tide of anti-Semitism in this country and abroad. Mr. Gibson’s remarks will certainly gain traction with the nation’s growing amoral majority. As far as Hollywood, if the incendiary “Passion” didn’t derail his celebrity stature, who’s to say that this will.

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CNBC.com to Stand Alone

Posted by Peter Himler on 28th July 2006

 While not as high brow as the

Always On Summit held at Stanford University this week, the Publicity Club of New York*’s con-fab in the city yesterday drew some 180+ PR pros. The audience came from all walks of the industry — big and small agencies, financial services firms, media and publishing companies, healthcare providers, universities, entertainment providers, etc. The subject of this distinctly PR 1.0 event: Business TV News.On the panel sat a handful of the top business news and guest segment decisionmakers for CNBC, CNN ”

American Morning,” Bloomberg TV & Radio, and ABC-TV News. Some of what we heard:

– ABC’s Charlie Herman tell us that 24-hour all news program ABC

World News Now has two slots for business news guests (at 9:30am and 4:30pm).

– Bloomberg’s Karen Toulon said that Bloomberg TV takes lots of (”hopefully”) live guests. One day she said the network carried some 200 live interviews over its 24-hour programming window. She also relayed how fab the company’s new worldwide headquarters is, and that they still serve snacks in the waiting area.

– CNN “American Morning’s” Paul Amin said that he looks for lighter business features in the second half of the four-hour program, and is especially interested in some of the unusual viral marketing campaigns being mounted by established marketers.

– Finally, Nick Dunn, who came in from CNBC’s HQ in leafy Englewood Cliffs, reiterated the business network’s policy of being first in terms of guest appearances. (It was he who cancelled at the last moment an appearance by the U.S. Secretary of Treasury after the Secretary’s PR reps misled him and had their charge on Fox News Channel before CNBC.)

Nick also let on that this fall CNBC will no longer reside under the MSNBC.com domain. CNBC.com will be born (again?) and stand alone with its own branded web site complete with streaming video and other digital accoutrements to which we’ve grown accustomed from the digital minds at NBCUni.

For those who attended, thanks for coming. We hope to post the opening remarks on the PCNY website before too long, and you may even see the full event on mediabistro.com.

* This blogger serves as president of PCNY.

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