Archive for November, 2009
PBS Newshour Outsources International News
Consolidation … it’s a sign of our times in mainstream news media, as financially challenged news organizations struggle to stay vibrant and alive. Newshour, the respected television news program on PBS, announced today it is partnering with GlobalPost.com, a Boston company that runs an international news aggregator blog.
Tick … Tick … Tick … Tick, Tiger
It’s not good enough that Tiger Woods – the world’s best golfer – has accepted responsibility for a minor accident by driving his Cadillac Escalade SUV tank into a fire plug and tree. We all have bad days … or rather nights, because Woods car accident happened around 2:30 a.m.
5 Ways to Save Porter Novelli PR
In many ways, the old model of big PR agencies is catching up with Porter Novelli quickly. Suffering from a lackluster image … if any image at all … the agency represents the way PR used to be done, in bygone times. Today’s subtle communication styles in the digital era have eluded Porter Novelli.
Futurity is Now
Let me share an example – with some excitement – of a clever online site that consolidates news from academia. It’s Futurity.org. Futurity – edited by Jenny Leonard – has quite literally become the center of its universe by aggregating interesting and appealing stories from leading research universities.
Whatever You Think, Palin Wins
Okay, for the sake of the stone-throwers, I’m not a big Sarah Palin fan. But I do admire what she has achieved – whether masterfully or unwittingly – by manipulating and capturing enormous publicity for herself and her new book … especially through the dopey television carnival cable channels that bash her the most, like MSNBC.
Truth about Truth in Labeling
As I’ve gotten older … a condition we all cannot escape … I’ve become more conscious of what I eat … the quality of foods I consume. But, I’ve also become aware that what the U.S. government often labels as okay isn’t. High fructose corn syrup or HFCS or corn syrup is a good example.
Changing My Powerpoint Ways
I was giving a lecture the other day, and I turned to look at the screen where my Powerpoint was displayed … and, I realized that I was committing some of the most common mistakes of using Powerpoint.
Freelancers Union
Forget what the slick politicians wearing expensive suits are saying on Capital Hill. The job market in America is in bad shape. The “real” unemployment figure has risen to around 17.5 percent, according to a report in today’s New York Times. Many of those people are freelancers and don’t really get counted when they are out of work or when times are tough.
A New Low in TV News has Arrived
A new low point in integrity and quality of television news in the U.S. arrived yesterday. It was ushered in by CNN’s game show participant/news reader, Wolf Blitzer. Blitzer, in announcing the name of the Ft. Hood shooter as “Nidal Malik Hasan,” remarked that Hasan had “an Arab-sounding name.”
The Rise of Savvy Clients and Smart Boutiques
Clients today are, for the most part, far savvier and smarter about enlisting outside communications and public relations agency counsel than 10 or 15 years ago. The days of fat budgets and little agency supervision are on the wane. The emphasis is on accountability and results.
