PR Week (UK) articles from August 2005

PR Week (UK) archives from August 2005

Football body G-14 briefs Glasshouse.(Glasshouse Partnership )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... G-14, the elite group of Europe's richest football clubs, is to use the start-up agency run by former Edelman UK CEO James Thellusson to handle its PR. The body, which now represents 18 top clubs - including Manchester United and AC Milan...

Bain exits brewer S&N for Hilton Group.(Linda Bain resigns from Scottish and Newcastle Breweries PLC)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) head of corporate comms Linda Bain has resigned from the FTSE 100 brewer after nine years. Bain, who has spent 15 years in brewing industry PR and previously headed comms for Carlsberg-Tetley, is leaving to join...

Coles-Barrasso returns as Thomas Cook chief.(Alexis Coles-Barrasso appointed as Thomas Cook chief)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The UK's second-biggest holiday firm Thomas Cook has brought back its former director of worldwide PR and comms Alexis Coles-Barrasso amid reports that the company might be sold. Coles-Barrasso (nee Coles), who left Thomas Cook in 2003...

E&J Gallo in talks over UK campaign.(Ernest and Julio)(United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Californian wine maker Ernest & Julio Gallo has held talks with agencies as it looks to boost its brands' UK profile. The brief up for grabs is for a major project to handle mainly consumer work as it seeks to refresh its creative approach...

Wegg-Prosser takes Downing Street strategic role.(Ben Wegg-Prosser takes charge as Downing Street director of strategic communications)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Former Peter Mandelson aide Ben Wegg-Prosser is returning to government as Downing Street director of strategic comms. Wegg-Prosser leaves his role as publisher of Society Guardian late this month to start his new job in September. He will...

Red Consultancy bags GNER comms contract.(Great North Eastern Railway)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... East coast mainline train operator GNER has drafted in The Red Consultancy to handle its PR. The appointment comes as GNER settles in to its second ten-year franchise - won in March - to continue to operate the route between London's King...

Research leads to evaluation guide.(guide to effectiveness of public relations campaigns)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Four marcoms trade bodies have unveiled a best practice guide for establishing campaign success. The guide, Evaluation, has been put together using research from the PRCA, IPA, ISBA and MCCA. It has been compiled from the first-ever...

Twinings in talks to consolidate comms account.(R. Twining and Company Ltd.)(Storm Communications)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Tea brand Twinings is planning to consolidate its PR support and was this week in discussion with agencies over its 2006 plans. The company currently uses the Clinton Partnership for corporate PR and Fuel PR for its consumer work, but is...

Amgen set to hire corporate agency.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... LUCERNE: Amgen, the world's largest biotech company, has held discussions with agencies over a European corporate contract. The California-headquartered firm, whose European HQ is in the Swiss lake town of Lucerne, is behind products such...

Media group UBM to hire for top role.(United Business Media)(Michael Waring retires)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... United Business Media, the group that owns PR Newswire and trade magazine publisher CMP Media, is on the hunt for a head of communications. The search comes ahead of the imminent exit of incumbent director of comms Michael Waring. He is...

Walt Disney beefs up Euro comms support.(appointments)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... PARIS/LONDON: The Walt Disney Company is ramping up its corporate PR across Europe, having unveiled a series of top comms hires. Pharma marcoms stalwart Beatrice Mathieu-de Lacharriere has taken the top communications job at Disneyland...

Virgin Games PR offensive looms.(public relation contracts)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Virgin Games, the embryonic foray into gaming by its parent group, has called in Nelson Bostock Communications to strengthen its foothold in the arena. Virgin Games MD Oscar Nieboer said PR spend for a consumer campaign around its Bingo,...

Eastoe promoted.(Susan Eastoe promoted at Edelman UK)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... AGENCY: Edelman public affairs MD Susan Eastoe has been promoted to deputy CEO. She retains her former responsibilities, leading the PA department, and reports to CEO Stuart Smith.

Be the Boss campaign.(fantasy football game)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... CONSUMER: Be the Boss, a fantasy football game played via mobile phones, is planning a consumer PR campaign based around its policy of donating money to football clubs. Brazen PR is using media relations and guerrilla marketing for the drive.

Band & Brown adds directors.(Band and Brown Communications appoints Lisa Quinn, Paul Lucas and Valerie Weisenreder)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... AGENCY: Band & Brown Communications has added three board directors to its management team - brand division head Lisa Quinn, consumer head Paul Lucas, and deputy technology head Valerie Weisenreder.

Golley Slater briefed.(Reeds Rains )(contracts)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... MEDIA RELATIONS: Reeds Rains, an independent estate agent based in the North, has briefed Golley Slater to execute national, regional and trade PR. The account is being handled from Golley Slater's Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle offices.

Beattie hires Stone.(Beattie Communications appoints Louise Stone )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... AGENCY: Beattie Communications has hired former Nexus Communications associate director Louise Stone as a consumer director. She reports to group MD Laurna O'Donnell.

Cake promotes.(advertising contracts for Ben & Jerry's Sundae)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... CONSUMER: Cake is promoting Ben & Jerry's Sundae, an 'ice cream and music' festival in London this weekend to mark the brand's tenth anniversary in the UK. The agency is producing and promoting the event.

Wyllie director full-time.(Jean Wyllie appointed at Porter Novelli)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... AGENCY: Porter Novelli acting managing director Jean Wyllie has taken on the role full-time. The former technology practice director had been acting MD since Fiona Joyce stepped down in April (PRWeek, 8 April).

Obituary: Doug Walker.(Obituary)
August 5, 2005... DOUG WALKER: Department of Health communications adviser Doug Walker died on 27 July following a stroke. As well as the DoH, where he was working when he died, Walker's career included spells at Scotland Yard, BT and Hill & Knowlton.

Packard Bell to focus on lifestyle.(Packard Bell Electronics Inc.)(contracts)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... PC manufacturer Packard Bell is planning a PR assault on the lifestyle pages as it unveils new consumer electronic products. The firm has replaced three-year incumbent Blanc & Otus with icas PR on an initial 12-month contract. ...

CIPR reports rise in PRide entries.(Charted Institute of Public Relations)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Submissions for the CIPR's annual regional awards have surged by a quarter this year, according to the institute. The CIPR received more than 1,000 submissions from within the participating regions by the deadline, 250 more entries than in...

EUjet collapse impacts Planestation reputation.
August 5, 2005... A 12-month high for shares and predictions of 'a 3G Christmas' from CEO Arun Sarin sent Vodafone to the top of this week's Reputation Monitor. With a reported pounds 2.5m bonus on the cards if he improves shareholder return over the next...

FT reduces cuttings output in subs drive.(Financial Times Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The Financial Times is reducing distribution of its content to cuttings services, such as Factiva and Lexis, as part of a strategy to boost its own subscriptions. The move means that from 1 September, comms staff in agencies and in-house...

AirMiles' Keane exits for Ireland.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... AirMiles Travel Company, the wholly owned BA subsidiary best known for its loyalty scheme, is on the hunt for a comms head following the departure of Claire Keane. Keane, who joined AirMiles in 2003, left last week to return to her native...

Grayling hires duo for director roles.(Fiona Reece appointed)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Grayling has poached Fiona Reece, director at travel specialist BGB Communications, to be a director at its Bristol office. In the newly created role she reports to Bristol managing director Chris Davies. Crispin Slee has also joined...

Call for entries to Amec awards.
August 5, 2005... PRWeek has teamed up with the Association of Media Evaluation Companies as media partner for this year's Communication Effectiveness Awards. The trade body is inviting entries, with the awards ceremony on 21 November at Claridges in...

End of Leedex moniker as firm adopts parent brand.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... One of the best-known brands in regional PR, Euro RSCG Leedex, bit the dust this week when the agency took the name of its parent firm to become Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster. The agency, which has Edinburgh and Manchester offices, said it...

Esure calls in 77 for 'Mouse' drive.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Esure is gearing its annual late-summer consumer media relations drive around its new 'Mr Mouse' branding. It has hired Seventy Seven PR to run the account, which covers the August to October period of traditionally high car sales. The...

Public Sector: European health body set for raft of agency hires.(European Commission Health and Consumer Protection Directorate)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The European Commission Health and Consumer Protection Directorate has put more than pounds 20m-worth of contracts up for grabs. Briefs include the creation of an 'information and communication policy', promotional material supply, media...

Public Sector: Hurst takes NHS social care role.(National Health Service appoints Clare Hurst)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The recently created NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has appointed Clare Hurst as interim head of comms. She was previously head of comms at Inventures, the trading arm of NHS Estates. The body was launched on 1 April...

Public Sector: DoH and Cancer Research flag up mouth cancer.(Department of Health)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The Department of Health is funding a three-year campaign to raise awareness of mouth cancer following evidence that the disease is on the rise. The DoH has teamed up with charity Cancer Research UK to run the campaign. It follows the...

Public Sector: DWP in staff comms drive around pensions reform.(Department for Work and Pensions)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has enlisted Verve Communications to manage an internal comms programme around pensions reform. The DWP is mulling numerous ways to reform a service that is creaking under the weight of an ageing...

Public Sector: Cambridge exam board in rebrand.( The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Examination board Cambridge Assessment has hired former Budget Group senior internal comms manager Amanda Hepton-Patchett after a rebrand. Formerly known as The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, the body relaunched last...

Public Sector: Sport England in E. Midlands drive.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Sport England East Midlands has called in Nottingham-based Perfect Motion Sports Marketing to raise its profile and boost sport participation in the region. A campaign beginning in September will piggyback events in the area, such as the...

Public Sector: FH to build voter trust in English democracy.(Fishburn Hedges Political activities)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The Electoral Commission has drafted in Fishburn Hedges to promote the democratic process in England. FH picked up the account from 20-month incumbent Band & Brown Communications after a four-way pitch, managed by the Central Office for...

Public Sector: Carmarthanshire in tourism drive.(Carmarthenshire Tourist Association)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Carmarthenshire Tourist Association (CTA) in South Wales has enlisted Golley Slater to help boost visitor numbers with its first ever PR campaign. Funded by the Welsh European Funding Office, the year-long drive, which will run under the...

Public Sector: Moorfields reviews staff comms.(Moorfields Eye Hospital)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Moorfields Eye Hospital has hired Blue Rubicon to assess its internal communications and advise on how to publicise its foundation trust status to staff. The famous London hospital - which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year - was...

Public Sector: Geronimo promotes.(Department for Trade and Industry)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... DTI: The Department for Trade and Industry's Small Business Service is using Geronimo Communications to promote its Enterprising Britain competition. Launched last year, the competition awards the town or city seen to have the most improved...

Public Sector: IDeA revamps toolkit.(Improvement and Development Agency)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... IDEA: Training and best practice body The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) has revamped its Connecting With Communities toolkit. Created in 2002 with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and other groups, it is designed to aid...

Public Sector: Kendal appointed.(Paul Kendal appointed to Stockport Council)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... STOCKPORT: Stockport Council has appointed Macclesfield Council promotions officer Paul Kendal to the newly created post of media and publications officer. He will concentrate on campaigns and the co-ordination of the council's civic magazine.

Public Sector: NHS Trust director hunts.(Pipa Roberts resigns from Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... NHS: The Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust is on the hunt for a director of governance and corporate affairs following the departure of Pipa Roberts to Wirral Hospital NHS Trust. Roberts has been acting in the role since it was created 12...

Public Sector: Hambridge enlisted.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... NATIONAL ARCHIVES: The National Archives has enlisted Girlguiding UK press and publicity officer Nicole Hambridge as its senior press and publicity officer. Reporting to head of press and publicity Robert Smith, she replaces Clea Relly who...

Public Sector: Blyth Valley Council appoints.(Sarah Hudspeth appointed)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... NORTHUMBERLAND: Blyth Valley Borough Council has appointed Sarah Hudspeth as comms officer. The Northumberland council hired Hudspeth after former comms officer Anna-Clare O'Neill was seconded to the post of Beacon Council coordinator. Hudspeth...

Voluntary Sector: Moves for charity comms trade body gather pace.(Charity Commission of United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Charity comms staff could see their own trade body up and running by the end of the year, according to voluntary sector chiefs. Institute of Fundraising chair Joe Saxton, one of the figures behind the plan, said an 'exploratory meeting'...

Voluntary Sector: Student's internet portal raises cash.(Online Search Engine Launched by Jonny Platt)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... A Sussex University student has launched an online search engine that donates all profits to charity. The site, rectifi.org.uk, was set up by 22-year-old social campaigner and development studies student Jonny Platt, who has secured...

Voluntary Sector: Crimestoppers week to target youth knife culture.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Crime-prevention group Crimestoppers is to use its sixth annual awareness week to warn young people of the dangers of carrying knives. The charity will target schoolchildren and students from cities where it describes knife crime as a...

Voluntary Sector: Leonard Cheshire 'shames' hotels.(charity reports on the hotels in UK)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Leonard Cheshire has begun naming and shaming UK hotel chains it describes as 'failing disabled people'. The disability charity's 'No room at the inn' campaign stems from its research of 30 hotels owned by nine hotel chains across the UK....

Voluntary Sector: Stroke Association unveils own yacht for promotion.(40ft yacht to be named The Stroke Association)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The Stroke Association is hoping a 40ft yacht named after the group will become a useful PR and marketing tool. 'The Stroke Association', launched last week near Southampton, is owned by Doug Hassell, who has supported the charity since...

Voluntary Sector: Cats Protection revamps website.(cats.org.uk )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Cat welfare charity Cats Protection is promoting its relaunched website in a bid to boost awareness of its work with stray and abandoned cats. The cats.org.uk site has been redesigned to take advantage of what it describes as 'the public's...

Public Affairs: FD signals PA intentions with LLM takeover.(Financial Dynamics acquires LLM Communications)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Financial Dynamics has acquired LLM Communications, a firm at the centre of the 1998 'lobbygate' scandal. It marks the financial PR shop's arrival in the UK public affairs market, as revealed on PRWeek.com (26 July). It is understood FD...

Public Affairs: Think-tank SMF in private sector bid.(Social Market Foundation)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The new director of influential think-tank The Social Market Foundation has pledged to better engage with deregulation and competition issues. Ann Rossiter said she planned to appoint a chief economist for the first time at the SMF, which...

Public Affairs: Whitehouse wins Bridgeman art job.(Bridgeman Art Library enters into a contract with The Whitehouse Consultancy )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The Bridgeman Art Library, the world's biggest source of art images for reproduction, has called in The Whitehouse Consultancy amid a widespread review of intellectual property (IP) and copyright legislation. Bridgeman reproduces and...

Public Affairs: WS lures duo for South-West offering.(Weber Shandwick )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Weber Shandwick is bidding to capitalise on the raft of regeneration projects in the South-West with a dedicated regional offering. It has appointed former Labour MP Candy Atherton and Michael Green, the ex head of corporate comms at...

Public Affairs: Alliance Unichem hires first PA firm.(Fishburn Hedges )(contracts)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Alliance Unichem, the FTSE 100 pharmaceutical retailer and wholesaler, is poised to appoint Fishburn Hedges as its first public affairs agency as it prepares for the radical shake-up in delivery of healthcare. The firm operates 950 retail...

City & Corporate: City PRs and hacks stick to formulae.(Public relations)
August 5, 2005... It is a mantra of business that to achieve efficiency you need to simplify, standardise and automate. Complexity and variety require a high quality of employee - someone who has the knowledge and experience to apply judgement and initiative,...

City & Corporate: Pernod Ricard win takes Finsbury to top position.
August 5, 2005... Finsbury came top in July's Deal Watch after working on less than half the number of deals of previous table topper Financial Dynamics. Despite having worked on just 12 deals in July, compared with FD's 30 in June, Finsbury's chunkier...

City & Corporate: Kirk leaves WS Square Mile.(Mike Kirk )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Weber Shandwick Square Mile MD Mike Kirk has quit his job after two years for personal reasons. Kirk, who joined the financial PR shop from Cazenove as director in June 2003 and left last Friday, said he had quit to spend more time with...

City & Corporate: Chaucer rehires Haggie Financial.(Chaucer Holdings PLC)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Lloyd's of London-listed underwriter Chaucer has re-engaged Haggie Financial and dropped Financial Dynamics following Amlin's abortive bid for the company. Chaucer hired FD in June after Haggie stepped down because of a conflict of...

Healthcare: Prager to lead AZ comms in the UK.(AstraZeneca PLC promotes David Prager )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Anglo-Swedish drugs giant AstraZeneca has promoted David Prager to the role of communications leader for its UK operations. The 28-year-old American is to replace Miriam Hughesman, who is joining Weber Shandwick in California. He had been...

Healthcare: Galliard appoints Heath for Merck.(Becky Heath appointed for Merck Sharp and Dohme Ltd. )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Galliard Healthcare Communications has enlisted Becky Heath to work on its Merck Sharp & Dohme UK business. Heath has joined as an account director and formerly worked at Euro RSCG Life, which she left in May after 18 months. She has...

Healthcare: GSK selects Clew and Virgo for Cervarix job.(GlaxoSmithKline PLC)(Virgo Health PR)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... GlaxoSmithKline has called in Clew Communications and Virgo Health PR as its first agencies behind pre-launch cervical cancer treatment Cervarix. Clew is handling consumer comms, while Virgo is to target healthcare professionals for the...

Healthcare: Athena tops Communique awards.(Athena Medical PR )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Athena Medical PR was the most successful agency at the eighth annual Communique Awards. The consultancy won four awards for its work for clients including Servier Laboratories and scooped the Consultancy of the Year prize. The firm's...

Healthcare: At a Glance - NICE demands further Alzheimer's drugs proof.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The battle to keep Alzheimer's drugs available via the NHS took a fresh twist last month. What happened? NICE's provisional decision - that it does not believe they are cost-effective enough to be available on the NHS - still stands. But...

Media Relations: 2 Minutes with... Stephen McDowell, Editor, Total Gambler.(Letter to the Editor)
August 5, 2005... You've just launched monthly betting mag Total Gambler - tell us about it. Total Gambler, as it sounds, is designed to appeal to anyone who is inclined towards a flutter on sports, horses or casino games. Where can the punters get...

Media Relations: What The Papers Say - Tiny failure hints at bigger malaise.(Granville Technology Group Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... There was little positive in the news that Granville Technology Group, parent company of the Time, Tiny and Computer Shop businesses, called in the administrators last week. 'Time runs out for Tiny: a British system failure' (The Independent,...

Media Relations: Contact Book Update.(Financial Times to relaunch FT Digitaql Business)
August 5, 2005... PRESS The Financial Times' technology report, FT IT Review, is to relaunch as FT Digital Business in September (see p13). As well as tech business, it will focus on the IT and telecoms industries and will include two new features: a...

Media Analysis: Net revival requires fresh approach.(newspaper coverage of internet economy)
August 5, 2005... Five years after the dotcom crash, the internet economy is buoyant and back in the news. But how are the national dailies treating its second coming and how can tech PROs best take advantage? Ian Hall finds out. The internet economy is...

News Analysis: PR's role in the 'World Cup' of brands.(Public relations)
August 5, 2005... Google, eBay, HSBC, Samsung and UBS were the biggest gainers in this year's Interbrand ranking of global brands. But what part does PR play in helping firms climb up the value table? Alex Black investigates. Brand perception determines...

Profile: Guided missile - Charlotte Lambkin, group communications director, BAE Systems.(Interview)
August 5, 2005... Charlotte Lambkin loves to talk. Ask her anything and she leaves you wondering where she paused for breath. Lambkin, who at 33 is one of the youngest comms chiefs of a FTSE 100 company, also moves at a frenetic pace. But she is relaxed enough...

Opinion: Avoiding TV only gives detractors the edge.(Supermarkets)
August 5, 2005... Broadcasters have certainly switched on to business. On Tuesday evening, two primetime terrestrial TV slots were given over to the kind of stories that were once confined to the Money Programme. At 7.30 on BBC1, Real Story's Fiona Bruce...

Opinion: Tory infighting slips out of public view.
August 5, 2005... When the former Whitehall spin doctor Jo Moore suggested 9/11 was 'a good day to bury bad news', she was only saying what many PR people must have been thinking. Following the attacks on London, the news agenda has inevitably been dominated by...

Editorial: Brand value league proves PR's worth.(Public Relations)(Editorial)
August 5, 2005... Since PRWeek last hit the streets, the annual league table of the world's biggest brands has been published by Interbrand/Business Week. Although a little limited, in that (for various reasons) it does not include brands such as Mars,...

Opinion: My Best Hire - Piers Gibbon.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Belinda Lawson, director of Lawson Dodd, on the 'alternative' Piers Gibbon. 'Piers came to us in 1993 with no experience but the unshakable conviction that he was absolutely right about pretty much everything. Why did we hire him? Because...

Professional Development: Turn over a new leaf.(Effective Writing Skills for Public Relations)(PR Power: Inside Secrets from the World of Spin)(Tom Peters Essentials: Trends)(Risk Issues and Crisis Management)(Book Review)
August 5, 2005... There's more to holiday reading than trashy airport fiction. Peter Crush reports on the latest PR-related titles. 'Anyone who thinks they can't learn anything new about PR is an idiot.' This wise counsel comes not from some obscure...

Campaign: Kids' charity targets Christmas clubbers - Voluntary Sector.(Special events at Luminar venues)
August 5, 2005... Campaign: Give a Kid a Quid Client: Echo Trust PR team: In-house Timescale: Ongoing from December 2004 Budget: pounds 2,000 Objectives To mark the start of 2005 with a campaign that would help Echo Trust stand out through...

Campaign: Wooden Spoon gets rugby fans involved - Voluntary Sector.(Wooden Spoon Mascots Challenge)
August 5, 2005... Campaign: Wooden Spoon Mascots' Challenge Client: Wooden Spoon PR team: ENS Timescale: Ongoing from February 2005 Budget: Part of retainer Since its foundation in 1983, the charity has suffered from low awareness among club rugby...

Campaign: Paddy Power uses pope vote to gain notoriety - Consumer.
August 5, 2005... Campaign: Papal Betting Client: Paddy Power PR team: In-house Timescale: 10-20 April Budget: Less than pounds 1,000 Following its launch in the UK, Paddy Power has also become London's fastest-growing bookmaker, with group turnover...

Ethical Healthcare: Under the microscope.(Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's code)
August 5, 2005... Pharmaceutical firms' transparency in their relations with patient groups is under scrutiny as never before. Ian Hall investigates. Are patient groups the 'unwitting footsoldiers' for the drugs industry? Are medical charities stooges for...

Diary: BBC satire tells a few home truths.(British Broadcasting Corporation)("Absolute Power")(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... BBC2 show Absolute Power, starring Stephen Fry and John Bird, has again got PROs glued to their TVs. The show, which depicts the goings-on at fictional agency Prentiss McCabe, has many moments to make those at the more cut-throat agencies...

Diary: Mail pinpoints top industry bachelors.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The Daily Mail kept three PR men's peckers up this Monday by naming them as among the 40 'most eligible bachelors in Britain'. Freud Communications director Oli Wheeler is worth pounds 2m and possesses a Chelsea townhouse 'renowned for its...

Diary: Text 100 players get lost under Westway.(tech agency Competitions)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... PRWeek was delighted to spare an evening last week to rise to tech agency Text 100's challenge of a five-a-side football match. The date (Wednesday 27 July), time (7-8pm) and venue (Westway Sports Centre, near Latimer Road tube station)...

Diary: Pharma PROs get ribbed by Norton.(Public Relation Officer)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Graham Norton proved an inspired choice to compere the pharma comms industry's recent Communique Awards at Grosvenor House. The camp comic couldn't resist politely extracting a metaphoric urine sample from revellers and delighting at the...

Diary: Hit or Miss... AGM heckling batters O2 image.(AGM-Public Relations)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Recent headlines surrounding mobile phone firm O2 have had echoes of the labour-relations climate of the early 80s. A 'furious' pensioner was 'bundled out of the firm's AGM with directors being 'heckled' with dissent over 'fat-cat' pay,...