PR Week (US) articles from October 2004

PR Week (US) archives from October 2004

Siebel slams Reg FD as violation of firms' First Amendment rights.(Siebel Systems Inc., Regulation Fair Disclosure)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... SAN MATEO, CA: Siebel Systems is defending itself on First Amendment grounds against a charge of violating Regulation Fair Disclosure - claiming it violates companies' rights to free speech. The enterprise-software maker raised the defense...

APCO employees become agency's majority owners.(WindRiver)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... WASHINGTON: Public affairs agency APCO announced Tuesday that it has completed a management buyout from Grey Global, making it a majority employee-owned company. WindRiver, a Utah-based merchant bank that specializes in management buyouts,...

Weaver stepping down as head of AT&T comms amid rebranding.(Connie Weaver)
October 4, 2004... BEDMINSTER, NJ: In the midst of a global branding and marketing campaign, the head of AT&T's communications team has announced she is leaving by the end of the year. Connie Weaver, EVP of PR, marketing, and brand, said she recently sat...

NJ PR firms claim contribution rule isn't a hindrance.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... TRENTON, NJ: New Jersey PR agencies are saying they will be unaffected by an executive order signed by New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey (D) forbidding companies that contribute to a gubernatorial candidate from holding state contracts. Fewer...

BoA transitions Fleet while trying to allay MA concerns.(Bank of America)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NEW YORK: Bank of America (BoA) is spending millions on an integrated-marketing campaign designed to showcase the conversion of hundreds of Fleet branches throughout the Northeast to the BoA brand. At the same time, it is juggling personnel...

FL seeks comms help after hurricanes.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... TALLAHASSEE, FL: Visit Florida, the state's tourism agency, has issued an RFP for communications help following the slew of hurricanes that have battered the area in recent weeks. The RFP, for dollars 135,000, was given to four agencies...

Imperial Sugar appoints Morgan & Myers its AOR.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... SUGAR LAND, TX: Imperial Sugar, which sells five brands of sugar to consumers, food companies, and food-service operators, has hired Morgan & Myers as its new PR agency. Imperial, with dollars 1 billion in annual sales, is in the midst of...

Taylor exits Home Depot for new role at Sara Lee Foods.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... CINCINNATI: Goldie Taylor has left The Home Depot to take the new post of director of global communications and public affairs with the Sara Lee Foods division of Sara Lee. Sara Lee Foods, which sells brands like Jimmy Dean and Hillshire...

News Brief: Resignation at CBS.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... LOS ANGELES: Nancy Carr, CBS' VP of communications and its number-two West Coast PR person, has quit the network. Carr was with CBS for more than 15 years.

News Brief: Appointment at TiVo.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... ALVISO, CA: TiVo has named Matt Wisk SVP and CMO. Marketing VP Susan Cashen will focus more on corporate communications and PR. She'll report to Wisk.

News Brief: Appointment at Novartis.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NEW YORK: Kathryn Metcalfe has left Cohn & Wolfe and is joining Novartis as VP of communications, effective today. Metcalfe will handle internal and external communications for the US and will be based out of East Hanover, NJ. Full story at...

News Brief: Appointment at PalmSource.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... SUNNYVALE, CA: Maureen O'Connell has joined PalmSource as its new senior director of worldwide communications, replacing director of PR Cynthia Harris. O'Connell was director of PR at Portal Software. Full story at prweek.com.

News Brief: Appointment at Paul Werth Associates.(Haunty Agency)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... COLUMBUS, OH: PR agency Paul Werth Associates has acquired The Haunty Agency, a branding and ad agency also located in Columbus. Full story at prweek.com.

News Brief: Topaz Partners launches new online service.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... MALDEN, MA: Topaz Partners has launched a new online service, Buzz Marketing and Online Communications, to use weblogs, wikis, RSS, online communities, social networking, and other communications platforms that allow direct audience contact....

News Brief: Appointment at Citigate Sard Verbinnen.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NEW YORK: Citigate Sard Verbinnen has named Hugh Burns as managing director and partner. Burns joined the firm in 2000 as a principal and was named the firm's general counsel in 2002. Full story at prweek.com.

News Brief: NewsMarket announces distribution agreement.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NEW YORK: The NewsMarket, which provides news video to broadcast outlets, announced a distribution agreement with Google. Full story at prweek.com.

News Brief: CKPR changes name of New York office.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NEW YORK: CKPR has changed the name of its New York office from Nichol-CKPR to CKPR. Executive director Betsy Nichol, founder of the former Nichol & Company that CKPR acquired a year ago, is leaving to start Betsy Nichol Communications. Arthur...

News Brief: RDW Group new opening.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... PROVIDENCE, RI: RDW Group is opening a Boston arm led by John Bermingham, who joins from Mcgarrybowen.

News Brief: Appointment at Res Publica Group.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... CHICAGO: Res Publica Group has hired Steve Kennedy as VP. He joins from Hill & Knowlton Chicago, where he served as a VP.

News Brief: Appointment at Charleston-Orwig.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... HARTLAND, WI: Charleston-Orwig has named Mike Aabram to the newly created position of director of PR. Most recently, Aabram was SVP in the corporate practice of Ketchum's Chicago office.

News Brief: First Consulting Group announces selection.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NEW YORK: First Consulting Group has selected M Booth & Associates as AOR to increase the consulting firm's visibility and to attract new clients in its core focus areas of healthcare and the life sciences.

News Brief: Appointment at The Brownstein Group.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... PHILADELPHIA: The Brownstein Group has hired Robert Brodo as VP, director of business development. Brodo was CMO and CEO of online learning for Strategic Management Group.

News Brief: Appointment at The American Academy of Neurology.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... CAMBRIDGE, MA: Bell Pottinger USA has been named AOR by The American Academy of Neurology and its foundation. The agency will launch the groups' first-ever public awareness campaign.

News Brief: Appointment at Americans for the Arts.(Americans for the Arts)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... WASHINGTON: Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the arts in America, has added three people to its public- and government-affairs staff: Lina Garcia, formerly the press secretary for the Democratic National Convention,...

H&K helping Wal-Mart fix reputation in CA.(Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Hill & Knowlton Inc., California)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... LOS ANGELES: Wal-Mart is working with Hill & Knowlton on a PR campaign designed to rehabilitate the much-maligned company's reputation in California and pave the way for 40 new Wal-Mart Supercenters in the state in the next few years. ...

Report: Ambassadors lack skills to support US comms.(US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy's reports)
October 4, 2004... WASHINGTON: American public diplomacy efforts overseas continue to be plagued by mixed messages, poor coordination, and inadequately trained officials, according to the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. In its annual report,...

DHS' Roehrkasse defends reaction to 'CQ' questions.(Department of Homeland Security, Congressional Quarterly Homeland Security, Brian Roehrkasse)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... WASHINGTON: A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesman recently gained notoriety for practicing a unique brand of media relations. Tim Starks, a reporter with Congressional Quarterly Homeland Security (CQ), wrote a story claiming...

Label makes 'Space' for fan base to reclaim band.(Matador Records Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NEW YORK: The major law of indie rock is that the more popular a band gets, the less its ardent fan base stays devoted. To try to counter that trend for its band Interpol, which broke out in 2002, when it sold 500,000 copies of Turn on the...

Vigilante appoints MGP & Associates agency of record.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NEW YORK: MGP & Associates PR has become the agency of record for Vigilante, the urban advertising and marketing agency that was integral in GM's decision to give Oprah Winfrey's audience members free cars. Terms were not disclosed. Mike...

Children's charity opens LA office to attract celebrities.(St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Los Angeles appoints Joel Goldman and Tara Dhar)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... LOS ANGELES: The nation's largest children's charity has opened an entertainment-marketing office in Los Angeles in an effort to boost its profile through celebrity association. Memphis, TN-based St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which...

DeVries PR helps out on 'Apprentice' task.(DeVries Public Relations, The Apprentice)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NEW YORK: Madeline de Vries got some publicity by teaching the contestants of the reality show The Apprentice how to manufacture their own. Procter & Gamble brand Crest, a client of DeVries PR, used the two Apprentice teams to help promote...

Lawmaker urges pharma industry to up public trust.(Henry Waxman, Pharmaceutical Marketing Congress)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... PHILADELPHIA: Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) Tuesday admonished delegates at this year's Pharmaceutical Marketing Congress that the public views their industry 'with a great deal of suspicion.' Waxman, who sits on the House of Representative's...

MIT hires Plesser to expand reader base for 'Review'.(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Andrew P. Plesser Associates Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... CAMBRIDGE, MA: One of the oldest tech publications in the US, MIT's Technology Review, has a new editor-in-chief, new content, and a new look. And the publication has tapped Plesser Associates to introduce it to a new audience. Firm...

AMD focuses on educating consumers.(Advanced Micro Devices)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... SUNNYVALE, CA: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) will be celebrating the holidays with a campaign aimed at letting consumers know that everything they enjoy in their digital lifestyle - from digital photography to MP3s - is greatly enhanced by AMD's...

Questions over Zocor open door for statin makers to tell their story.(advertising)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NEW YORK: Drug companies that make cholesterol-lowering statins now have an 'enormous window of opportunity' over the next month or so to tell their products' stories, according to Jonathan Carson, president and CEO of BuzzMetrics, which tracks...

Trozzolo marks 15 years by donating services to charity.(Trozzolo Communications Group)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... KANSAS CITY, MO: Over the past 15 years, Trozzolo Communications Group clients have taught kids how to read and have sought a cure for childhood diseases. So to honor its 15th anniversary, the firm is helping one local charity fight...

'Closing The Gap' panelists call for unity of PR and legal.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NEW YORK: As the public takes a greater interest in the legal process - and cases are increasingly being tried in the media - wedding corporate PR and legal departments has become a necessary, if uncomfortable, reality. Seven panelists at...

Budget concerns force FDA to once again call off RFQ.(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... WASHINGTON: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has for the second time canceled a February RFQ seeking a firm to run a wide-ranging media campaign for its 100th anniversary. The RFQ was first cancelled in August, due to budget...

Editorial: Bay Area firms still face challenging market despite recent success of smaller agencies.(Editorial)
October 4, 2004... The analysis of technology-account trends on the opposite page is bound to irritate some of the big firms, those who see the spate of small-agency success stories as mere aberrations. But without overstating the trend, the subject highlights...

Op-Ed: Diversity strengthens organizations.
October 4, 2004... Following two well-publicized embarrassments over insensitive player behavior, the San Francisco 49ers pro-football team conducted a diversity workshop that covered a wide range of diversity issues, including race, gender, and sexual...

Op-Ed: PR must hone its strategy to secure a seat at the table.(Editorial)
October 4, 2004... The other night, I was watching The Wizard of Oz with my two girls. When we came to the scene where the curtain is drawn back and the Wizard is revealed, I got to thinking about our industry. I've heard complaints about communications not...

Analysis: Technology Accounts - More small firms winning tech companies' business.
October 4, 2004... That thud heard in July was jaws dropping everywhere over the news that, after nearly a decade with global powerhouse Porter Novelli, EMC had selected OutCast Communications - a 30-person, one-office outfit - as its new US agency of record. ...

Paul Holmes: Honesty is the strongest weapon corporations can use in battle against activist accusations.
October 4, 2004... Corporations have been quick to accuse activist groups of playing 'Chicken Little' with their predictions of environmental gloom and doom and their use of fringe science to justify calls for stricter regulations. But while those...

Corporate Case Study: Toyota's PR team drives carmaker to higher sales.
October 4, 2004... By playing up the attributes of its hybrid Prius and targeting younger car buyers on behalf of its new Scion brand, Toyota's PR unit has been able to shift the company's sales into high gear. The days have long since passed when Toyota was...

The Agency Business: Bite reaches out to staff to ensure smooth Applied acquisition.
October 4, 2004... To maintain clients during its acquisition of Applied Communications' US PR business, Bite focused on retaining key employees to offer the same quality of service to clients. When the news broke last summer that Bite Communications would...

Media Roundup: Media ups coverage of gay issues.
October 4, 2004... Although once a controversial audience, gays and lesbians are gaining more media coverage, both through targeted outlets and in the mainstream media. The current debate over gay marriage may be a legal watershed event for the same-sex...

Media: Journalist Q&A - Robert Teitelman.(questions and answers)(Interview)
October 4, 2004... Name: Robert Teitelman Publication: The Deal Title: Editor-in-chief Preferred contact method: rteit@thedeal.com Website: thedeal.com Since the 1999 launch of The Daily Deal newspaper, the group has expanded to include The...

Media Watch: PR industry stung by CBS' reporting gaffe.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... CBS' September 8 telecast on now-discredited memos about President Bush's service record ignited a firestorm of reporting that questioned the credibility of both CBS and mainstream media. From a PR standpoint, CBS was criticized for circling...

Inside the mix: Coupled with the right PR approach, ads can inspire consumers to talk, not tune them out.
October 4, 2004... 'Nobody reads advertising. People read what interests them, and, sometimes, it's an ad.' Howard Luck Gossage, one of advertising's greatest philosophers, said this during the '60s, but it came to my mind last week when I saw the study by...

Profile: Political and PR acumen make Witter a natural leader.(Lisa Witter)
October 4, 2004... As a pretend presidential candidate on a reality TV show, Lisa Witter, GM of Fenton Communications, shows that PR savvy and political strategy can be a powerful duo - on and off screen. Lisa Witter is running for President - and she's...

Working for one message.
October 4, 2004... Government departments strive to align their communications. There's a moment in Office Space, the 1999 spoof of American office life, that elicits a knowing cringe from anyone who's ever occupied a cubicle. It's a morning meeting, the boss...

Market Focus: Food and beverage - The new health-food era.
October 4, 2004... Food companies are including health benefits and claims in their products more than ever. Beth Herskovits reports. While nutrition-focused PR is well-traversed terrain for the food and beverage industry, the quality of nutrition...

PR Technique: Satellite media tours - On the scene, live, from wherever you like.
October 4, 2004... An SMT can be expensive, but if it's done right, it can make for compelling TV. Hamilton Nolan finds out when it's worth doing. Do you need to join a morning news program live from Mount Everest? Is it imperative for your spokesperson to...

Campaign: CDOT involves the media in efforts to bring a stop to DUIs.(Colorado Department of Transportation)(Driving Under the Influence)
October 4, 2004... PR Team: Linhart McClain Finlon Public Relations and Colorado Department of Transportation (both Denver) Campaign: DUI Checkpoint Colorado Time Frame: Memorial Day through Labor Day 2003 Budget: dollars 718,589 To achieve its...

Campaign: Piedmont Hospital focuses in-house to strengthen its staff.
October 4, 2004... PR team: Piedmont Hospital (Atlanta) and Golin Harris Atlanta Campaign: Another Dose of the Cure Time frame: October 15, 2003, to January 31, 2004 Budget: dollars 75,000 With so many hospitals competing for a limited labor pool,...

Campaign: Carmel goes to the dogs in initiative to draw more visitors.
October 4, 2004... PR team: Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, and Graham & Associates (San Francisco) Campaign: 'Dog Heaven on Earth' Time frame: June 2003 to June 2004 Budget: dollars 17,000 Known primarily as an artist enclave, the Monterey Peninsula city...

The Publicist: TV's newest Hollywood gossip show isn't worth talking about.
October 4, 2004... So many movie stars shined at the Emmy Awards two weeks ago one might have thought it was the Oscars. Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, even Barbra Streisand, who held court at a swanky Showtime bash. The high-quality projects being made by the...

PR Play of the Week: 'Daily Show' does a number on O'Reilly.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... In media, as in politics, you never want to let the other guy define you. And when it comes to The Daily Show, no guy is more 'other' than Bill O'Reilly. So Comedy Central was wise not to let stand O'Reilly's September 17 crack that The...

Toy Box: Philips comes up big with the Key 019.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 4, 2004... Everyone knows that smaller is continually the future when it comes to the world of electronic gadgets. That said, I was still very surprised by how small - and how versatile - the new Philips Key 019 wearable camcorder is. Sleek, black,...

Book Review: Aaker makes mark on branding world.(Brand Portfolio Strategy)(David Aaker)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
October 4, 2004... Walk down the aisle of any supermarket or discount retailer and count the number of brands from a given manufacturer. You will see thousands. It's no secret brand proliferation is out of control. Companies such as Unilever are paring back...

PainePR sells majority stake to rapidly expanding Canadian firm.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... QUEBEC CITY and IRVINE, CA: Cossette Communication Group of Canada continued its acquisition strategy by purchasing an 80% interest in Irvine, CA-based PainePR. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. PainePR, with 50 full-time employees,...

Merck mulls future launch strategy amid Vioxx fallout.(Merck and Company Inc.)
October 11, 2004... WHITEHORSE STATION, NJ: As Merck faces what is perhaps its biggest PR trial in recent memory - the recall of blockbuster drug Vioxx - it is also confronting challenges that might impact patients' acceptance of its next arthritis pain reliever....

Cracker Barrel hires MS&L at a 'turning point' in company history.
October 11, 2004... ATLANTA: Just a month after it settled race-bias lawsuits and after a three-month search process that considered more than 20 agencies, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has selected MS&L as its first AOR in the company's 35-year history. ...

Fleishman retains PR segment of the ONDCP campaign.(Office of National Drug Control Policy)(public Relations)(anti drug campaigns)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... WASHINGTON: The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) said Wednesday that it had awarded the PR portion of its national youth anti-drug media campaign to incumbent Fleishman-Hillard. Originally valued at dollars 50...

PR vet assists US embassy with Kabul election efforts.
October 11, 2004... KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: The late San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen used to call San Francisco 'Baghdad by the Bay.' Now San Francisco PR veteran Jeff Raleigh is finding himself a bit closer to the real Baghdad. Since September,...

Sugar group kicks off an agency search.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... WASHINGTON: The Sugar Association is searching for an agency to handle an integrated advertising and PR campaign to tout sugar's virtues. The trade group hopes to have an agency selected by mid-November and a campaign under way early next...

Silent Scanlon to receive second Senate subpoena.(Michael Scanlon)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... WASHINGTON: The Senate Indian Affairs Committee is planning to issue a second subpoena for Michael Scanlon, head of PR firm Capitol Campaign Strategies, on allegations that he improperly took dollars 66 million in fees from six American Indian...

OutCast launches NY office to handle EMC assignments.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... NEW YORK: OutCast Communications has opened its second office, in New York, and has hired Rob Cronin as a partner to oversee it. Cronin is the first new partner at the San Francisco-based tech firm since its 1997 launch. OutCast opened the...

News Brief: Edward Howard hired.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... CLEVELAND: Wal-Mart has hired Edward Howard & Co. to work on PR issues involved with the opening of new stores across Ohio. Wal-Mart recently hired another agency, Shank Public Relations, to perform similar work in Indiana.

News Brief: Brodeur offices merge.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... BOSTON: Five Brodeur Worldwide European offices have merged with Germany-based European Communications Consultants Group to form a communications consultancy with more than 600 employees in nine European markets. The consultancy will operate in...

News Brief: Malinowski SVP/director.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... LOS ANGELES: Mark Malinowski, formerly director and creative director of Ketchum Entertainment Marketing (KEM), is moving to the New York brand marketing practice as SVP/director. Malinowski founded KEM four years ago with Tom Freydl, who will...

News Brief: McGuirk SVP.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... SAN FRANCISCO: Kevin McGuirk, the former VP of corporate communications at BEA Systems, has joined Fleishman-Hillard's San Francisco office as an SVP. He will oversee that office's technology practice. Full story at prweek.com.

News Brief: Staffers at Weber Shandwick.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... DETROIT: Weber Shandwick is adding three new staffers in its Detroit office, including Dan Jankowski as an SVP. Jankowski had been director of public affairs for Comcast's Midwest division. Full story at prweek.com.

News Brief: RF Binder agency of record.(RF Binder Partners )(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... NEW YORK: RF Binder Partners has been named agency of record for DealerTrack, a New York company that operates online services for auto dealers. CooperKatz and Company is the outgoing agency on the account. Full story at prweek.com.

News Brief: Fleishman-Hillard appoints.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... LONDON: Fleishman-Hillard has appointed Kevin Bell and John Saunders as regional directors for Fleishman-Hillard Europe. The two have been promoted as EVPs and senior partners and will report to Dave Senay, regional president for Europe and...

News Brief: Pincus joins StevensGouldPartners.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... NEW YORK: Financial PR veteran Ted Pincus has joined PR-agency consultants StevensGouldPartners as a partner. Pincus' previous firm, The Financial Relations Board, was sold for dollars 40 million to True North Communications in 2000. Full story...

News Brief: Dawn Bridges named SVP.(Senior Vice President)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... NEW YORK: Dawn Bridges has been named SVP of corporate communications for Time Inc. She succeeds John Needham, SVP of public affairs, who has left to form his own marketing company after a 25-year career with the company. Bridges previously...

News Brief: Burke leaves GlaxoSmithKline's.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... MIDDLESEX, UK: Duncan Burke has left his post as GlaxoSmithKline's VP of corporate image and reputation amid a restructuring of the PR department in the UK. Burke, who joined the pharmaceutical company five years ago to establish a framework...

News Brief: Burgay joins University.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... BOSTON: Stephen Burgay has joined Boston University as VP for marketing and communications. He will oversee the school's brand and marketing initiatives, as well as PR for the president and board of trustees. He joins from John Hancock...

NOAA funds effort to inform public of shrimp's benefits.(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... NEW ORLEANS: Shrimp fishermen from eight states have united to launch a PR and marketing campaign to trumpet the virtues of American shrimp. Wild American Shrimp, a marketing organization for the shrimpers, is working with the Hauser...

Christian Country Music Assoc. taps Blackguard for PR.(Public Relations)(American Blackguard Media Relations )(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... NASHVILLE, TN: The Christian Country Music Association (CCMA) has chosen Tennessee-based American Blackguard Media Relations as its AOR. American Blackguard senior publicist Eddie Lightsey said the account encompasses PR for the...

AILA looks to ease limits on foreign workers.(American Immigration Lawyers Association )(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... LOS ANGELES: The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has begun a media outreach effort to bring attention to the limit on visas allocated for highly educated foreign workers, which it claims could hurt the US economy if not...

Holtzman hired to improve America's image overseas.
October 11, 2004... WASHINGTON: The US Department of State is taking another stab at putting private-sector marketing smarts to work for America and its image problem. But this time, it's being quiet about it. Mike Holtzman, a partner at PR firm Brown...

Hawaii Univ. under fire for PR billings after dismissal.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... HONOLULU: The University of Hawaii is facing press scrutiny for spending funds on PR in the wake of firing its president. Local papers are questioning the wisdom of spending public money on PR, what work was actually done, and why the PR...