PR Week (UK) articles from April 2003

PR Week (UK) archives from April 2003

Chadlington plays down Huntsworth loss.(Lord Chadlington is CEO of Huntsworth Group )(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... The quoted Huntsworth Group lost pounds 1m in 2002, according to its full-year results unveiled this week. But the company, led by CEO Lord Chadlington, has seen revenues rise from pounds 8.2m in 2001 to pounds 14.5m, reflecting the...

City shop Cubitt cuts PR ties with SABMiller.(public relations firm Cubitt Consulting has resigned SABMiller account)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... City PR shop Cubitt Consulting has resigned the SABMiller account, triggering a FTSE 100 corporate and financial PR pitch, but leaving a question mark over what caused the breakdown in relations between the agency and one of its biggest...

Freud meets AOL boss in New York with view to deal.(Freud Communications)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Internet service provider AOL is this week understood to be on the verge of signing a deal with Freud Communications. AOL is planning a blitz of PR activity with a focus on promoting its entertainment, music and broadband content, and UK...

BT appoints Ferrara for corp PR push.(Ellen Ferrara to head public relations push for telecommunications firm's Major Business division)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Telecoms giant BT has drafted in former Brodeur Worldwide client services director Ellen Ferrara to spearhead a PR blitz for its Major Business division. Ferrara, who joined last week in a newly created head of PR position, will seek to...

Consumers in US choose UK firms over 'old' Europe.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Evidence emerged this week that US consumers are set to buy British as they move to boycott French and German products in greater numbers. Brands associated with America's allies in the war on Iraq, in particular Britain and Spain, are...

BVCA merges comms and PA work.(British Venture Capital Association consolidated its financial public relations account into its existing public affairs agency, Hill & Knowlton)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... The British Venture Capital Association has consolidated its financial PR account into its existing public affairs agency, Hill & Knowlton. The move, following a three-way pitch, means that for the first time since comms director Mark Fox...

Domestic PR push looms as VisitBritain assumes control.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... VisitBritain, the newly created tourism promotion body, is on the verge of hiring an agency to handle PR for a pounds 4m domestic campaign to launch within weeks. The news comes in the same week as the body took control of marketing the UK...

CSR awareness among IR bosses is on the increase.(CSR Europe and investor relations)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Investor relations bosses are increasingly seeing the business case for corporate social responsibility, according to research published this week by CSR Europe, INSEAD business school and the Investor Relations Society. According to the...

Partnership leads Tavistock to take over City Insights.(Tavistock Communications)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... City PR firm Tavistock Communications has acquired investor relations specialist City Insights. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, follows a strategic partnership formed last year, whereby each company recommended the other to its own...

STOP PRESS: Agencies have until 11 April.
April 4, 2003... LEAGUE TABLES: Agencies have until next Friday (11 April) to enter the healthcare, tech and consumer league tables. To take part companies must complete the relevant sections of the Top 150 league table form, including section 9:...

STOP PRESS: In Brief names consultancy.(legal marketing magazine names Grandfield its public relations consultancy of the year)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... LAW: Legal marketing magazine In Brief has named Grandfield its PR consultancy of the year. Lehmann Communications was named runner up at the awards ceremony, held at Madame Tussauds in London last week.

STOP PRESS: toptable.co.uk hires Four Communications.(on a consumer public relations remit)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... CONSUMER: The restaurant booking company toptable.co.uk has hired Four Communications on a consumer PR remit after a competitive pitch (PRWeek, 21 February).

STOP PRESS: British Waterways hires RED.(RED Consultancy)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... PUBLIC SECTOR: British Waterways, the public body that manages around 2,000 miles of canals, rivers and docks, has hired the RED Consultancy to promote its revamped website when it launches in the summer. RED won the account in a five-way...

STOP PRESS: First Drinks Brands hires PBC.(to support its corporate public relations strategy)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... CORPORATE: First Drinks Brands has hired PBC to support its corporate PR strategy. The agency has also been hired to handle a consumer project for the Glenfiddich brand, to target 30 to 40-year-old men.

STOP PRESS: Crown Estate hires Indigo.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... PUBLIC AFFAIRS: The Crown Estate, which manages the Queen's property portfolio, has hired Indigo Public Affairs to handle lobbying surrounding regeneration plans for the Regent Street area.

STOP PRESS: Age Concern encourage claims.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... CHARITY: Age Concern today launches a PR drive to encourage pensioners to claim the social security benefits they are entitled to. The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that up to pounds 820m in benefits go unclaimed each year.

STOP PRESS: Roger Staton lands contract.(Roger Staton Associates awarded public relations contract to boost inward investment in Sweden's IT sector)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... TECHNOLOGY: Roger Staton Associates has landed a PR contract to boost inward investment in Sweden's IT sector. RSA director Jennifer Janson reports to Invest in Sweden (IT and electronics) manager Lisa Naslund.

STOP PRESS: One week left for readers.
April 4, 2003... GREAT BRITISH COMMUNICATOR: Readers have just one week left to take part in PR Week's online poll for the greatest British communicator of the 20th century. Tell us who you think deserves the title, and why, at...

English Heritage pitches for regional shops.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... English Heritage is staging a series of pitches in a bid to create its first network of regional PR agencies. Following a strategic review of comms, led by corporate comms director Christine Wall, greater emphasis will now be given to...

Ptarmigan lands BMW PR account for its Mini brands.(Ptarmigan Consultants wins public relations account from auto maker)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Ptarmigan Consultants has won the four-way pitch to handle PR for BMW Great Britain's Mini brand. The pitch - which took place last month (PRWeek, 14 March) - saw the agency battling it out with Cartmell Communications, Performance PR and...

O2 set to appoint head of consumer and brand PR.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Mobile services firm O2 is on the verge of appointing a consumer and brand PR head to replace former incumbent Dave Massey. O2 head of comms Glenn Manoff confirmed that eight candidates have been interviewed for the role, vacated when...

City PR firms benefit from battle over Six Continents.
April 4, 2003... The lengthy bidding process in the Six Continents pub and hotels demerger has provided a boon to the City PR sector, with the top three agencies in this month's Deal Watch providing financial PR support in the deal. Brunswick moves from...

Inferno is given Microsoft Business Solutions brief.(public relations account)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Microsoft has handed the PR account for its Business Solutions division to newly created Next Fifteen firm Inferno. The agency has been set up jointly by Next Fifteen and its subsidiary August.One Communications specifically to handle the...

Epolitix to launch portal for benefit of PA community.(Epolitix.com will launch EUpolitix)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Politics portal Epolitix.com is to launch a European spin-off next month (May). Called EUpolitix, the Brussels-based portal will operate as a separate company led by CEO Adam Nyman, who has been involved in setting up the project for the...

Ketchum handed Wedgwood task for consumer PR.(public relations)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Ketchum has beaten Lexis PR in a two-way pitch to secure a retained consumer PR contract for crockery and home lifestyle goods firm Wedgwood. The agency has been hired to spearhead a PR drive to 'contemporise' the brand, a remit that had...

Two PR agencies named in list of UK best workplaces.(Fishburn Hedges and Firefly Communications are the agencies)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Fishburn Hedges and Firefly Communications have been named as two of the best places to work in Britain by The Financial Times, with FH ranked second in the country. In the FT's special report on the 100 Best Workplaces in the EU and 50...

RNS launches new product as part of disclosure service.(Regulatory News Service launches RNS Submit)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... The London Stock Exchange's Regulatory News Service (RNS) launched a product this week aimed at speeding up and simplifying the company announcement process for financial PROs. RNS Submit, a Word-based product, is planned to improve the...

Caudwell set to hire shop to handle his personal PR.(John Caudwell of Phones4U )(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Mobile phone tycoon John Caudwell is understood to be close to appointing a new agency to handle his personal PR, having invited six agencies to pitch. Caudwell, whose Phones4U business is Europe's largest independent telecoms company, has...

Fuel given Douwe Egberts account.(public relations)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Fuel has been hired to handle PR for coffee brand Douwe Egberts' 250th anniversary events this year. Events being promoted as part of the project include a balloon release across Britain to raise money for Douwe Egberts' corporate charity...

Stationery Office hires Lewis PR as it aims for growth.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... The Stationery Office has hired Lewis PR to run a media relations campaign aimed at supporting new business growth for the company. The agency is believed to have pitched against 12 other firms for the business. Plans already in place...

Bluetooth comms targets mass market.(company hires Porter Novelli for public relations services)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Wireless software system company Bluetooth has embarked on a fresh PR drive designed to build mass market acceptance for its brand of wireless technology. Porter Novelli was last week appointed to run the campaign after an eight-way...

Winterhalter and Fieldhouse use ad agency as model.(Karen Winterhalter and Pamela Fieldhouse form Onyx Consultancy)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Two former directors of IPG subsidiaries have teamed up to launch a new agency staffed on the ad agency model. Former European director of healthcare at Weber Shandwick Karen Winterhalter, who was made redundant last September, has linked...

PUBLIC SECT0R: Prince's Trust hires Homden in PA overhaul.(Carole Homden joins as interim commercial director including public affairs)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... The Prince's Trust has hired former British Museum comms head Carole Homden to help drive through an overhaul of public affairs. Homden has joined the charity as interim commercial director after four years at the British Museum, where she...

PUBLIC SECT0R: English Partnerships set to create its first PR roster.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Government regeneration body English Partnerships is looking to create its first roster of PR Agencies to handle pounds 1.2m worth of promotional activity over the next three years. The move has been taken to formalise the body's...

PUBLIC SECT0R: NE Lincs to boost comms after review.(North East Lincolnshire Council)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... North East Lincolnshire Council is set to boost its comms team following a review last year. According to head of communications Ros Rimmer, two PRO posts are to be created to bring the total team, including herself, to five. Rimmer...

PUBLIC SECT0R: McGill joins Breast Cancer Care to fill new comms post.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Breast Cancer Care has completed a restructure of its in-house comms function, appointing Scope press and PR manager Christina McGill as its first assistant director of communications. McGill takes the newly created role to handle the...

PUBLIC SECT0R: Fishburn Hedges is hired by DoH for drugs campaign.(UK Department of Health)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... The Department of Health has hired Fishburn Hedges to handle PR for a major drugs misuse campaign to launch later this year. It is understood the campaign will begin by summer and will target the young over the dangers of Class A drugs, in...

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEF: Sutton Council hires Citigate Communications.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... SUTTON: Sutton Council has hired Citigate Communications to handle a three-year recycling campaign. The campaign, to launch later this year, aims to give advice on issues such as the type of materials that can be recycled, and its first stage...

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEF: Countryside Alliance appoints Golding-Barret.(Bryher Golding-Barret becomes south and central England media relations manager)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... LOBBYING: Rural lobby group The Countryside Alliance has appointed former Imperial Cancer Research Fund media relations head Bryher Golding-Barret as its south and central England media relations manager. Golding-Barret left the charity last...

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEF: Housing 21 hires Furner.(Ben Furner as interim marketing manager)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... ELDERLY: Housing 21, the not-for-profit organisation that runs accommodation and services for the elderly, has hired Ben Furner of Furner Communications as interim marketing manager. He will cover the role part-time, handling media relations...

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEF: Lancashire County Council promotes Varley.(Andrew Varley to public transport marketing head)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... LANCASHIRE: Lancashire County Council has promoted Andrew Varley to head of public transport marketing. The role includes heading the information and marketing group within the environment directorate's transport policy section.

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEF: North West Leeds Primary Care appoints Bispham.(Pauline Bispham becomes media officer)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... LEEDS: North West Leeds Primary Care Trust has appointed Pauline Bispham as media officer to promote positive coverage of mental health issues in the area. She will assist those dealing with mental health issues and careers on gaining media...

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEF: Charity programmes to be screened.(Media Trust produces Voluntary Matters television series)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... MEDIA: A series of TV programmes to help charities improve comms skills will be screened from next week. The Voluntary Matters series, produced by the Media Trust and to be shown on BBC2's Learning Zone from 7 April, shows charity workers...

INTERNATIONAL: AstraZeneca hires shops after a PR business review.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... NEW YORK: AstraZeneca has ended its nine-year relationship with Ketchum, hiring Edelman, Fleishman-Hillard, Burson-Marsteller and Signova following a review of its multi-million pound PR business. AstraZeneca senior director of public...

INTERNATIONAL: EC seeks agency for environment.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... BRUSSELS: The European Commission is on the hunt for PR agencies to join its environment division roster for the first time, as it reviews the 3,000-strong list of preferred service providers. Bosses at the EC's Directorate-General...

LETTER FROM AMERICA: Terminology of war is throwing up a smokescreen.
April 4, 2003... Terms being used by the military and media in the reporting of events in Iraq show signs of a subtle propaganda campaign, writes US commentator Paul Holmes. Ah, the language of war. The attack on Iraq is less than a week old, and already...

INTERNATIONAL: PR bodies unite to forge ethics code for entire industry.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... MILAN: PR bodies across the globe have joined forces to launch an international code of ethics, designed to raise standards across the industry worldwide. The Global Alliance - which comprises PR associations such as the Public Relations...

INTERNATIONAL: PPR set to handle Australian media work for Daewoo.(Professional Public Relations)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... SYDNEY: Professional Public Relations (PPR) has landed a retainer to manage media relations for the rebranding of Daewoo in Australia, following the group's acquisition by General Motors last April. It is believed that the business was won...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEF: Welch joins American Express.(Patricia Welch to head public affairs at American Express)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... SINGAPORE: Former ABN AMRO regional head of strategic marketing and public affairs, global events and sponsorships Patricia Welch, has left the bank to head public affairs and comms for Japan, Asia-Pacific and Australia at American Express. The...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEF: Lois Paul to close office.(Lois Paul & Partners to close its San Francisco office)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... SAN FRANCISCO: Tech agency Lois Paul & Partners is to close its San Francisco office. The Fleishman-Hillard-owned shop opened the office in 1991. Its four staff will either move to Lois Paul's Massachusetts and Texas offices, or work from F-H...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEF: Liew takes new role.(Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore appoints Mike Liew to new role in client servicing, relationship management)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... SINGAPORE: Ogilvy PR Singapore director of corporate and finance practice Mike Liew has taken a newly created role in client servicing and relationship management, with a focus on growing profit and managing revenue. As V-P for the Singapore...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEF: PRWeek US teams with Manning Selvage & Lee.(partners will launch survey of marketing executives)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... NEW YORK: PRWeek US has teamed up with Manning Selvage & Lee to launch a new survey of marketing executives. The PRWeek/MS&L Marketing Management Survey is asking brand managers, chief marketing officers and marketing V-Ps to shed light on...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEF: Weber Shandwick to extend operation.(public relations firm to offer full service public relations in Czech Republic)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... PRAGUE: Weber Shandwick is to extend its public affairs operation in the Czech Republic to include full service PR. It is merging the PR arm of sister ad agency McCann-Erickson Prague into its PA offering to create an office specialising in...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEF: Electricite de France promotes Gerard Trouve.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... PARIS: French energy firm Electricite de France has promoted Gerard Trouve to director of public affairs. He was formerly head of EDF's institutional relations, reporting to chairman Francois Rousselly. His appointment follows that of Philippe...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEF: Aviva hires Deva Comunicacion Financiera.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... MADRID: Insurance group Aviva - headquartered in the UK - has hired Deva Comunicacion Financiera to handle media relations across Spain. Deva will work on communicating Aviva's strategy and plans for business development in Spain.

MEDIA: Creative Business in hire.(Carlos Grande named editor of Financial Times' new Creative Business supplement)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... The Financial Times' has named Carlos Grande as the new editor of its weekly Creative Business supplement, it was announced this week. Grande said issues connected with brand marketing and careers would take centre stage as topics to be...

MEDIA: The Times set to dedicate section to public services.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... The Times is to launch a new weekly supplement for readers in the public sector with the aim of tackling issues in public services. The first issue of Public Agenda appears next Tuesday, jointly edited by David Rowan and Parminder Bahra....

MEDIA: The Observer picks Jowit for new role.(Juliette Jowitt named trasport, environment correspondent)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... The Observer has appointed Juliette Jowit as its new transport and environment correspondent. She is expected to join the Sunday broadsheet's news desk in June, after leaving her current transport reporter role at The Financial Times. ...

MEDIA BRIEF: Cook director of Wedding and Home.(Karen Cook named fashion, beauty director of IPC SouthBank Publishing Co. publication)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... WEDDING AND HOME: Karen Cook was this week named as the new fashion and beauty director of IPC SouthBank's Wedding and Home. She previously freelanced for the bridal magazine and has been fashion editor of Bliss and deputy fashion editor of...

MEDIA BRIEF: Thomas editor of People.(Mark Thomas named editor of 'The People')(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... THE PEOPLE: Mark Thomas has been made editor of The People. He replaces Neil Wallis, who joined the News of the World as deputy editor earlier this year. Thomas, former deputy editor of The Sunday Mirror, has also worked at the News of the...

MEDIA BRIEF: Future launches Bang.(Future Publishing launches music magazine)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... BANG: Future Publishing has launched Bang, its music title for 16 to 24-year-olds. Edited by co-founders Crispin Parry and Danny Ford, its editorial team also includes news editor John Doran and features editor Simon Price, who has worked for...

MEDIA BRIEF: Computer Weekly publication Tuesdays.(Reed Business Information Ltd. redesigns, enhances information technology publication)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... COMPUTER WEEKLY: Reed Business Information IT journal Computer Weekly is to move publication from Thursday to Tuesday next week as part of a raft of changes. In a redesigned package, tech developments will be given more space and a new section,...

MEDIA BRIEF: Wall Street names Page One editor.('The Wall Street Journal Europe' names Ken Gepfert Page One editor)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE: Ken Gepfert has been named Page One editor of The Wall Street Journal Europe, co-ordinating front page features. Meanwhile, Adam Horvath has been named as bureau chief for the paper in Brussels, covering...

MEDIA BRIEF: What Mountain Bike? increases frequency.(of magazine)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... FUTURE PUBLISHING: What Mountain Bike? has increased frequency to monthly this week, following a redesign. The title launched in 2000 as a quarterly and became bimonthly 18 months later. Product testing will remain at the heart of the magazine,...

MEDIA BRIEF: Vibe launches nationwide.(in the UK)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... VIBE: Vibe Magazine has launched nationwide after a year of being published in Scotland. The bimonthly magazine, published by Vibe Media, is aimed at those who 'appreciate music, culture, lifestyle and going out' and is available to pick up...

OPINION: Desperate PR measures reflect progress of war.(Column)
April 4, 2003... With the war battle strategy not exactly going to plan, the PR war has definitely hotted up. Even the very idea that things aren't going as well as the Americans had thought has been the subject of a bitter war of words, although that...

EDITORIAL: War changes US spending habits.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Divisions between what Washington has dubbed the 'old' and 'new' Europe now seem to have extended beyond the political dimension into consumer spending, according to a survey carried out by Fleishman-Hillard last week. News that American...

EDITORIAL: FH and Firefly send right message.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
April 4, 2003... It will be easy for agency bosses envious of Fishburn Hedges and Firefly Communications being named among the best employers in the country to snipe that the most important step the two firms took to pick up this gong was to enter the...

ANALYSIS: Legal threats are liable to backfire.
April 4, 2003... Recent legal settlements between PR employers and their staff have focused attention on cases where good faith disappears and the only avenue open to people is the legal one. One of the more startling details to have emerged from the recent...

ANALYSIS: Media attention to CSR varies around the world.(corporate social responsibility)
April 4, 2003... Fresh research into media coverage of CSR issues on a global level has revealed a gulf in attitudes between different countries, writes Chris Scott The rise in media coverage of CSR in the UK is out of all proportion to corresponding...

VIEW FROM THE TOP: Tough times for Eddington.(Interview)
April 4, 2003... BA's CEO talks to Kate Nicholas about crisis comms plans in the midst of conflict Times don't get much tougher than this for the airline industry. War, threat of terrorism, rising aviation fuel prices, weakening economies - in not...

CAMPAIGNS: UK launch of high-risk tool for investors - Financial PR.
April 4, 2003... Client: London Stock Exchange PR Team: In-house and Capital Communications MS&L Campaign: The launch of a new financial product under the strapline 'Rise Above It' Timescale: 28 October launch Budget: pounds 40,000 The product is...

CAMPAIGNS: Bad press for 3's focus on special date - Consumer PR.
April 4, 2003... Client: 3 PR Team: In-house and Joe Public Relations on consumer PR, Blue Rubicon on strategic PR Campaign: Launch of new 3G handsets Timescale: Two-and-a-half years Budget: Outside contracts believed to be over pounds 100,000 But...

CAMPAIGNS: Fairer council funding after TACFIG push - Public Sector PR.
April 4, 2003... Client: Town and Country Finance Issues Group (TACFIG) PR Team: Waverley Borough Council in-house, with LLM Communications Campaign: A Fair Deal for Town and Country Councils Timescale: July 1998-February 2003 Budget: pounds 300,000 over...

PROFILE: Brian Gunson, Munro & Forster Communications - Gunson will keep up the pressure at M&F.(Interview)
April 4, 2003... Brian Gunson has growth plans for Munro & Forster after the recent MBO It is ten minutes into the interview and Brian Gunson has so far covered Impressionist painting, river traffic on the Seine, the origin of the Russian word for 'railway...

DIARY: Gloves are off as Lexis PR is brought in to promote schookids' fight club.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Lexis PR has been drafted in to promote a holiday camp at which schoolkids learn how best to smash each other over the head with bottles. Sadly, (for those with a love of extreme violence), the bottles will be made of sugar-glass. The...

DIARY: Haslimann Taylor gives the media a glimpse of its new London offices.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Birmingham-based Haslimann Taylor used April Fools day this week to hit back at critics of its lack of a London office. A release on 1 April declared the opening of an office in Hyde Park. The unappealing office, seen above manned by...

DIARY: Dynasty star Samms is back in the limelight at annual pub quiz event.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Emma Samms, Fallon in 1980s shoulderpad-fest Dynasty, took on the less glamorous role of pub quizmaster at this year's annual Banner Corporation PR bar quiz last week. Samms was there to publicise the charity she co-founded, Starlight...

DIARY: Responses fall short of Ingham's expectations.(Sir Bernard Ingham runs a book competition)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... Sir Bernard Ingham is distinctly dissatisfied with the quality of entrants to the book competition we ran here two weeks ago. The former Thatcher press chief offered a signed copy of his book, The Wages of Spin, to the supplier of the most...

DIARY: Beattie's HP staff find welcome mat at CPN's door.(Hewlett-Packard Co. moves public relations business from Beattie Media to Porter Novelli, Hill & Knowlton Inc, Burson-Marsteller)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2003... A happy ending to a messy saga: the mammoth review process for tech giant Hewlett Packard's PR business around the world eventually led to Porter Novelli, Hill & Knowlton and Burson-Marsteller forming a worldwide roster, with the firms then...

Lansons drafted in over 'split-caps' battle.(Real Estate Opportunities )(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... Split capital investment trust Real Estate Opportunities - the company embroiled in an acrimonious fight with Aberdeen Asset Management over more than pounds 165m of losses - has hired Lansons Communications for PR support. The trust firm...

MyTravel hires Olivant to fill comms vacancy.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... Troubled holiday group MyTravel has filled its vacant communications director position seven months after resurrecting a role it did away with just a year earlier. The post has been taken by director of corporate communications at airports...

Committee calls for clearer roles in Civil Service PR.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... The Committee on Standards in Public Life made a raft of recommendations this week aimed at defining the roles of special advisers, civil servants and government spin doctors. The committee, chaired by Sir Nigel Wicks, has recommended it be...

Yahoo! in search of agency for UK PR.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... Internet portal Yahoo! is staging a pitch for its UK and Ireland corporate and trade PR. UK head of PR Georga Douglas confirmed incumbent Fleishman-Hillard was now serving out its notice period. She cited a decision to 'align our...