PR Week (UK) articles from February 2004

PR Week (UK) archives from February 2004

BBC rules out any comms changes.(British Broadcasting Corporation Ltd. public relations resignations)
February 6, 2004... The BBC has ruled out any changes to its comms structure despite the resignations of chairman Gavyn Davies and director-general Greg Dyke in the wake of last week's Hutton report. BBC head of press Donald Steel insisted: 'There are no...

H&K set to handle Vodafone international PR brief.(Hill & Knowlton U.K. public relations retainer)
February 6, 2004... Mobile-phone giant Vodafone is understood to be on the verge of hiring Hill & Knowlton to handle an international PR remit. The agency hire would be the first fruits of newly recruited director of group consumer and brand PR Aileen...

Magnier's battle with Ferguson escalates.(John Magnier vs. Alex Ferguson)
February 6, 2004... LONDON/DUBLIN: Multi-millionaire Irish racehorse-owner John Magnier is using London-based PR chief Brian MacLaurin to bolster his case in his dispute with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, PRWeek can reveal. MacLaurin, the PR man...

Prince Charles PR challenge looms.(public relations U.K.)
February 6, 2004... In the week that Paddy Harveson starts his new job as Prince Charles's press secretary, a third of the population still think the prince is 'completely out of touch with modern Britain'. According to a PRWeek survey carried out by...

Liguori fills top Sony Ericsson global comms job.(Aldo Liguori appointed)
February 6, 2004... Sony Ericsson head of global communications Nina Eldh is to leave her post at the beginning of April. Replacing her in the London-based role will be the comms chief for Sony's consumer electronics portfolio, Berlin-based Sony Europe...

BP launches internal PR push over expanded EU.(British Petroleum Company PLC public relations on European Union)
February 6, 2004... BP has kicked off a global internal communications drive to brief staff about the forthcoming enlargement of the European Union (EU). The company has called in Beattie Communications to manage the campaign, which uses posters, postcards and...

Bluetooth moves US work to Ink PR.(Bluetooth Special Interest Group)
February 6, 2004... KANSAS, US: The Bluetooth Special Interest Group, a trade association that promotes wireless technology, has dropped Porter Novelli as its US agency of record to follow the two account leads who left recently to start their own company. ...

Band & Brown lands schoolchildren grants PR task.(Band & Brown Communications "Education Maintenance Allowances" U.K.)
February 6, 2004... The Government is poised to mount a publicity blitz for its grants for 16-year-olds, set to roll out in September, aimed at encouraging more students to stay on at school. Band & Brown Communications has been hired to promote Education...

Hoon adviser in Portland position.(Portland PR appoints Geoff Hoon)
February 6, 2004... Portland PR has appointed Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon's special adviser of the last three years, Richard Taylor, as an account director, after he resigned following the Hutton inquiry. Portland managing director and former Downing Street...

Landmine group festival in the US.(South Florida Landmine Action Group)
February 6, 2004... WASHINGTON: A Miami park was turned into a mock minefield at the end of January in an effort to raise awareness of 'a tragic after-effect of war'. The South Florida Landmine Action Group (SFLAG) teamed up with the US State Department for a...

Brunswick hired for Group 4 takeover bid.(Group 4 Falck public relations retainer)
February 6, 2004... Danish security group Group 4 Falck has drafted in Brunswick following the leaking of its takeover talks with UK rival Securicor. A spokesman for Group 4 confirmed the appointment of Brunswick this week after news of plans to merge Group...

Midlands target for Thomsonfly Holidays giant.(Lexis PR retained)
February 6, 2004... Thomson has kicked off a consumer PR campaign to woo passengers to its no-frills airline Thomsonfly. Lexis PR, which has been Thomson's retained consumer PR agency for two years, is to target the national, trade and regional media in the West...

NEWS BRIEF: Ruder Finn U.K. appoints directors.(Claire Astle and Pat Pearson appointed)
February 6, 2004... AGENCY PROMOTIONS: Ruder Finn UK has appointed client services directors Claire Astle and Pat Pearson as deputy managing directors. They still report to MD John Preston.

NEWS BRIEF: Outside Organisation appointed.(Sorted public relations retainer)
February 6, 2004... CONSUMER PR: Sorted, the new magazine for 12 to 16-year-old boys, has appointed The Outside Organisation for promotional work, targeting potential readers and their parents, according to Sorted founder Russell Church. Band & Brown...

NEWS BRIEF: Microsoft poaches Pretorius.(Tracey Pretorius appointed)
February 6, 2004... TECH PR: Microsoft has poached Banner PR senior director Tracey Pretorius as analyst and PR manager.

NEWS BRIEF: Lawson Dodd hired.(Close Motor Finance public relations retainer)
February 6, 2004... CORPORATE PR: Close Motor Finance, the motor trade insurance company set up by financial group Close Brothers, has hired Lawson Dodd to handle its corporate PR, targeting at trade, regional and consumer press. The agency reports to CMF managing...

NEWS BRIEF: Rooster hired.(PlacestoStay.com public relations retainer)
February 6, 2004... CONSUMER PR: Hotel reservations website PlacesToStay.com has hired Rooster to handle its consumer PR across the UK and five continental markets including Germany and France. Rooster will work alongside US firm The Castle Group, which promotes...

NEWS BRIEF: IIR Exhibitions launches push.(to promote Vitafoods and retains Storm Communications)
February 6, 2004... FOOD EXHIBITION: IIR Exhibitions is launching a PR push to promote its Vitafoods exhibition to the makers of food and cosmetic ingredients. Storm Communications is to manage a press office in London and Geneva, where the show takes place from...

NEWS BRIEF: Codemasters hires Cohn & Wolfe.(LMA Manager 2004 launch)
February 6, 2004... CONSUMER PR: Game publisher Codemasters has hired Cohn & Wolfe to handle the launch of LMA Manager 2004 for PlayStation 2 and X-Box. C&W's sport and sponsorship team is handling the account.

NEWS BRIEF: Errors in Imperial Tobacco report.
February 6, 2004... CLARIFICATION: Last week's report about Imperial Tobacco contained a number of errors. The successful pitching agency will report to Imperial head of corporate communications Jacqueline Smithson. The Commons public accounts committee did not,...

Plymouth Gin brief out to pitch.(Maxxium U.K. public relations retainers)
February 6, 2004... Maxxium UK has put the consumer PR account for its Plymouth Gin brand out to pitch as it prepares to double its PR spend. Communications manager Susy Atkinson said the national brief centres on tasting opportunities. The budget increase is...

Smythe to drive McKinsey change.(John Smythe appointed)
February 6, 2004... Management consultancy McKinsey has hired internal communications specialist John Smythe. The founder and former chairman of change management consultancy Smythe Dorward Lambert will spend six months dividing his time between client facing...

Insurance claim twist loses Tesco its top slot.(public relations U.K. includes "Reputation monitor - 27 January-2 February 2004" statistical table)
February 6, 2004... Negative coverage about a Bristol woman who claimed on her Tesco home insurance policy for injuries she received when she fell in a Tesco store - effectively forcing it to sue itself for compensation - has lost the company its top spot in this...

Pfizer appoints WPP to global account.(public relations U.K.)
February 6, 2004... NEW YORK: Pfizer has appointed WPP to handle global PR work for three leading products in its cardiovascular franchise, including Lipitor, the world's best-selling drug. WPP's Cohn & Wolfe (C&W) will lead the team. WPP has formed a new...

Edelman to push BenQ football link.(international public relations)
February 6, 2004... Taiwanese tech firm BenQ has appointed Edelman to manage the international PR campaign promoting its link up with Euro 2004 as the football tournament's official IT sponsor. The firm, a manufacturer of hi-tech convenience gadgets and...

Tech PR expert Thomas dies.(public relations U.K.)
February 6, 2004... Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to Golin/Harris director and tech PR expert Lynne Thomas who died on 29 January at the age of 42, two weeks after suffering a brain haemorrhage. Golin/Harris MD Zoe Arden said: 'We haven't just lost...

Harpers & Queen promotes revamp.(TheFishCanSing)
February 6, 2004... Society magazine Harpers & Queen has drafted in TheFishCanSing to promote its forthcoming relaunch. The March issue, out on 12 February with US singer Beyonce Knowles as cover-star, will be the first issue of the revamped magazine in which...

Philips moves to align global agency line-up.(Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. has dropped Brodeur Worldwide)
February 6, 2004... AMSTERDAM: Royal Philips Electronics has dropped Brodeur Worldwide as its global corporate PR agency as part of a PR consolidation that sees Manning, Selvage & Lee and The Hoffman Agency as global agencies of record. Philips will continue...

Toyota boosts UK team with Hepton.(Toyota Motor Europe appoints Sally Hepton)
February 6, 2004... Toyota Motor Europe has added to its UK external affairs department by appointing Sally Hepton as senior specialist, to cope with its expanding business in the UK. Mike Hawes, UK head of external affairs, said the hire was necessary as...

PUBLIC SECTOR: Union wades into York council spat.(National Union of Journalists and Neil Sterio vs. Steve Galloway)
February 6, 2004... A dispute at City of York Council hotted up this week when the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) called for the Liberal Democrat leader to apologise to a former council press officer. The union has backed calls from former press officer...

PUBLIC SECTOR: Home Office burglary campaign.(public relations U.K.)
February 6, 2004... The Home Office is launching a public education campaign to warn the elderly and vulnerable about so-called distraction burglaries. Concentrating mainly on the regional media, the campaign will target the elderly and vulnerable people such...

PUBLIC SECTOR: Police set to embark on ethnic recruitment drive.(public relations U.K.)
February 6, 2004... The Government hopes to boost the number of police officers from ethnic minorities with the launch of a publicity campaign run by The Forster Company. The campaign will run as a pilot on a regional level throughout February and March,...

PUBLIC SECTOR: Norfolk County Council offers free advice to SMEs.(small and medium-sized enterprises www.shapingthefuture.org.uk)
February 6, 2004... Norfolk County Council is believed be the first local authority in the UK to offer free PR consultancy advice to local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The initiative is part of the economic partnership project for the area,...

PUBLIC SECTOR: ESRC initiates an online comms kit.(Economic and Social Research Council provides public relations information guide for academics, www.esrc.ac.uk)
February 6, 2004... The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has launched the first online communications toolkit specifically for academics. It is modelled on an existing online guide for local authorities from the Improvement and Development Agency...

PUBLIC SECTOR: Back to the scene of a grime.(London Borough of Tower Hamlets to be featured on "A Life of Grime")
February 6, 2004... The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is to be the subject of the next series of BBC 1's fly-on-the-wall documentary series A Life of Grime. Previous councils covered in the series, which focuses on street cleaning and environment health, have...

PUBLIC SECTOR: Welsh Assembly broadband drive.(public relations campaign by Firefly Communications Ltd.)
February 6, 2004... The Welsh Assembly has launched a campaign to encourage people in Wales to sign up to faster broadband internet connections and attract investment from the broadband supplier industry. Michael Eaton, director of the Assembly's Broadband...

PUBLIC SECTOR: North-East regen body steps up PR.(Newcastle Gateshead Initiative to hire public relations head)
February 6, 2004... Newcastle Gateshead Initiative (NGI) is on the lookout for a head of corporate communications, to run its media, PR and corporate affairs team. NGI chief exec Neil Rami said the initiative's aims included 'changing outdated perceptions of...

PUBLIC SECTOR: Gardiner top PRO at police body.(public relations officer, Hannah Gardiner appointed at the Association of Chief Police Officers)
February 6, 2004... The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has appointed Home Office senior press officer Hannah Gardiner as its top PRO. The organisation, an advisory and consultative body made up of the UK's chief constables, has put Gardiner in...

PUBLIC SECTOR: Home Office PR push for anti-social behaviour unit.(public relations U.K.)
February 6, 2004... The Home Office is launching a PR drive to publicise its Anti-Social Behaviour Unit. It has appointed Grayling for the campaign. The agency will be supporting the Government's Together campaign launched last September to help communities...

PUBLIC SECTOR: Patient body set for comms hire.(public relations U.K.)
February 6, 2004... The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health is on the hunt for a head of comms to spearhead the new body's mission to get the public involved with local and national health provision. The commission, which was created in...

PUBLIC SECTOR BRIEF: NCS hunts for head.(National Crime Squad U.K.)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... POLICE: The National Crime Squad (NCS) is on the hunt for a new head of corporate comms. The post, has been vacant since last autumn. NCS was set up to target international criminal organisations following recommendations in a 1995 Home Affairs...

PUBLIC SECTOR BRIEF: Elements PR appointed.(by English Nature U.K.)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... ENVIRONMENT: English Nature, the Government-funded body for the conservation of England's wildlife, has appointed Elements PR as its first regionally-based PR firm. Located in Cambridge, Elements will head English Nature's national pilot scheme...

PUBLIC SECTOR BRIEF: Life wins Gold PRide Award.(U.K.)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... CHELMSFORD: Life, Chelmsford Borough Council's free tabloid-sized paper, has won a Gold PRide Award for best newsletter in the Institute of Public Relations East Anglian awards ceremony. The paper, which aims to keep local people informed about...

PUBLIC SECTOR BRIEF: Knights appointed.(Kieran Knights, London College of International Business Studies)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... EDUCATION: The London College of International Business Studies has appointed the former planning director of Weber Shandwick, Kieran Knights, as its lecturer in public relations. The development is intended to demonstrate the college's...

PUBLIC SECTOR BRIEF: Friends for a Year.(feature Lewisham Leaving Care and Mentoring Project U.K.)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... LEWISHAM: Three volunteers from the Lewisham Leaving Care and Mentoring Project are to be profiled on the Community Channel documentary Friends for a Year. In addition, 11 teenagers will feature as extras in a BBC drama starring Billie Piper....

PUBLIC SECTOR BRIEF: Environment Agency Action Earth 2004.(U.K.)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... ENVIRONMENT: The Environment Agency has joined forces with Community Service Volunteers (CSV) to launch a four-month campaign encouraging people to improve their local environment. Environment Agency Action Earth 2004 runs until 5 June and...

VOLUNTARY SECTOR: Dog's Trust in neutering drive.(formerly National Canine Defence League U.K.)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... Dog's Trust, the charity formerly known as the National Canine Defence League, is to run a neutering PR and ad campaign in Northern Ireland that may be rolled out across England and Wales. The charity has appointed John Laird PR to manage...

VOLUNTARY SECTOR: National Asthma Campaign on hunt for top PRO.(public relations officer U.K.)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... The National Asthma Campaign (NAC) is on the hunt for a top communicator as it steps up its campaigning remit. It is seeking to replace Philippa Cowley-Thwaites as its assistant marketing director, communications. Cowley-Thwaites, who...

VOLUNTARY SECTOR: Cooper set to head PR in Chief Rabbi restructure.(Zaki Cooper appointed U.K.)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... The Chief Rabbi's office has poached T-Mobile public affairs manager Zaki Cooper for a newly created top PR post amid a restructure as the existing head of comms serves out his notice. The Chief Rabbi's director of communications Jeremy...

VOLUNTARY SECTOR: Mencap in AOL UK fundraising deal.(charity)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... Learning disabilities charity Mencap has teamed up with internet service provider AOL UK in an attempt to increase awareness of its fundraising campaigns. AOL members will be given the opportunity to donate online and have access to a...

PUBLIC AFFAIRS: ABPI launches fresh assault over NHS drug pricing.(Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry vs. National Health Service U.K.)
February 6, 2004... The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) is to launch a fresh lobbying push to coincide with Government negotiations over NHS drug pricing. Called 'the value of medicines', the campaign will also incorporate a media...

PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Serco analysis brief for AS Biss.(public relations U.K.)
February 6, 2004... Outsourcing company Serco has appointed AS Biss & Co to provide parliamentary information and analysis for its government services sector, following a pitch with four other consultancies. AS Biss will provide parliamentary monitoring in the...

PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Marconi appoints Nortel chief to head global PA.(public relations executive, Elizabeth Kanter appointed)
February 6, 2004... Technology firm Marconi has poached Elizabeth Kanter from rival Nortel Networks to head its global public affairs operation. Kanter joins on 16 February as head of government affairs, reporting to director of comms David Beck. She replaces...

PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Chime opens Bell Pottinger USA to boost PA offer.(public relations )
February 6, 2004... MASSACHUSSETS: Chime Plc has bolstered its public affairs offering in the US with the opening of Bell Pottinger USA, to add to its tech PR shop LNS Communications. Chime Communications commercial director Nicholas Taylor, said Chime has a...

PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Piracy alliance reviews comms.(Alliance Against Counterfeiting and Piracy reviewing public relations)
February 6, 2004... The Alliance Against Counterfeiting and Piracy is reviewing its PR and PA account, pitting five-year incumbent Luther Pendragon against GPC International and Hill & Knowlton. 'It's just a means of checking we're doing the right thing after...

CITY & CORPORATE: Brunswick and FD battle for Sanofi.(Financial Dynamics and Sanofi-Synthelabo Ltd.)
February 6, 2004... Financial heavyweights Brunswick and Financial Dynamics are squaring off over Sanofi-Synthelabo's pounds 30bn hostile bid for Aventis. Sanofi has drafted in Brunswick to handle financial and corporate PR while Aventis is using Financial...

CITY & CORPORATE: Burdale selects Lawson Dodd to raise UK profile.(Burdale Financial retains Lawson Dodd)
February 6, 2004... Asset-backed lender Burdale Financial has hired Lawson Dodd to raise its profile with UK financial directors and chief executives. The company, which is a part of America's fifth largest banking group Wachovia, has briefed Lawson Dodd to...

CITY & CORPORATE: Finsbury to advise on Bertelsmann Sony deal.(public relations U.K.)
February 6, 2004... German entertainment group Bertelsmann has brought in Finsbury for financial PR advice on the planned merger of its music business with Japanese rival Sony. Finsbury founder Rupert Younger is advising the Bertelsmann group on strategic...

CITY & CORPORATE: New Star hires Hudson Sandler as it considers IPO.(initial public offering)
February 6, 2004... New Star Asset Management, the fund manager founded by John Duffield, has appointed Hudson Sandler as the company considers a stock market listing. New Star CEO Howard Covington said Hudson Sandler would be working on 'major corporate...

CITY & CORPORATE: Masons in talks for PR support.(public relations U.K.)
February 6, 2004... Corporate law firm Masons is looking for PR support. Masons managing partner Andrew Hibbert would not comment on the brief but confirmed that the firm was having 'a number of informal discussions' about PR advice. Hibbert added that Masons...

CITY & CORPORATE: FD back at the summit for January Deal Watch.
February 6, 2004... Financial Dynamics has returned to the top of PRWeek's Deal Watch table for PR advisers on M&A transactions in January. Advising French industrial gases group Air Liquide on its pounds 1.8bn takeover of Messer Griesheim's operations in...

CITY & CORPORATE: Disputes job for Macan Rice.(City Disputes Panel launches public relations campaign)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... The City Disputes Panel (CDP), an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) service backed by the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority, is launching a PR campaign to get more companies to join. The panel, funded by corporate...

CITY & CORPORATE: ART gears up for global PR drive.(ART Advanced Research Technologies)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2004... ART Advanced Research Technologies is launching an international PR and investor relations drive in a bid to broaden its investor and customer base. The company has appointed US-based Biosector 2 to handle the push, which will focus on the...

CITY & CORPORATE: Unexciting debut welcome for ITV.
February 6, 2004... At a recent lunch attended by the leading lights of Hong Kong, the host asked what the London media thought of the former colony. These days, the media do not think about it much, came the reply. The lack of media interest was taken as a sign...

HEALTHCARE: At a Glance - NICE guidance will double during 2004.(National Institute for Clinical Excellence)
February 6, 2004... What does this mean for pharma lobbyists? All National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance, which covers everything from multiple sclerosis to self-harm, is open to consultation. This means there will be more chance to influence...

HEALTHCARE: AstraZeneca enlists Red Door for Crestor.
February 6, 2004... Anglo-Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca is to overhaul the UK PR strategy for its anti-cholesterol drug Crestor, having appointed Red Door Communications to replace three-year incumbent Burson-Marsteller. B-M was one of four agencies that...

HEALTHCARE: Organon pitches contraceptives.(public relations planning)
February 6, 2004... Organon Laboratories is set to beef up its PR across its contraceptives portfolio. The company is set to draft in a PR agency within three weeks to promote its range of contraceptives, which are facing competition from rivals such as...

HEALTHCARE: Lee named health MD at Ketchum UK.(managing director)
February 6, 2004... Ketchum has promoted Avril Lee to healthcare managing director in London. Lee, who was formerly deputy MD, fills a role that has been overseen by European healthcare MD Mark Cater since May last year. Lee joined Ketchum from Chandler...

HEALTHCARE: Taylor quits job at Avenue for Wyeth.
February 6, 2004... Avenue HKM media relations manager Sarah Taylor has quit to join the UK corporate affairs department of pharma giant Wyeth. Taylor joined this week in the role of communications manager, reporting to the corporate affairs director, Gill...

MEDIA RELATIONS: Methodist Church seeks media boss.
February 6, 2004... The Methodist Church in Britain is looking for a media relations officer following Murray White's decision to move to Tanzania after three years in the role. White said the ideal candidate would have good media experience and, although his...

MEDIA RELATIONS: GlobeCast has all sectors in sights.(ing media hired)
February 6, 2004... Satellite firm GlobeCast has beefed up its media relations work to better target the non-broadcast sector. The firm is looking to target all sectors to raise awareness of the use of its technology in a range of corporate events. It has...

MEDIA RELATIONS: National parks body readies media drive.
February 6, 2004... The Association of National Park Authorities (ANPA) is gearing up for a media relations push to mark its first National Park Week, from 1 to 9 July 2004. ANPA public relations coordinator Sara Long said that, although the UK's 13 national...

MEDIA RELATIONS: What The Papers Say - Fergie bites back over allegations.(Sir Alex Ferguson )
February 6, 2004... The reputation of a sporting legend and the public face of an institution are at risk for the sake of... a horse? Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson faced a tough week as a 'private matter' concerning ownership of racehorse Rock Of...

MEDIA RELATIONS: 2 Minutes with... Steve Janes, Editor, Bullit.
February 6, 2004... You launched in November. Why did you add a travel and games section for the second issue in February? We realised that many people have more interests than just music these days and we want to reflect that. How is Bullit different...

MEDIA RELATIONS: MediaCoach sets up interview offer.
February 6, 2004... Media training firm MediaCoach has launched an emergency interview coaching service for professionals. Just-in-Time Coaching is telephone-based and aimed at company directors, celebrities, sports personalities and public sector workers who...

MEDIA RELATIONS: Croatia in media push to attract more Britons.
February 6, 2004... Tourism authorities in Croatia have hired Brighter PR to woo British journalists to the formerly war-torn western Balkan country. The Croatian National Tourist Board has drafted in the UK agency to launch a media relations campaign aimed at...

MEDIA RELATIONS: South Africa bids to boost tourism.(College Hill hired for public relations)
February 6, 2004... South African Tourism (SAT) has launched a media relations blitz to reposition the country as a year-round holiday destination and boost UK visitor numbers. The body has teamed up with South African Airways for the 'Sunsation 2004'...

MEDIA RELATIONS: Contact Book Update.
February 6, 2004... PRESS Steve Richards, politics writer at The Independent on Sunday, is to take over from Donald McIntyre as chief political commentator on its daily sister broadsheet The Independent. McIntyre is heading out of the UK to head the...

MEDIA ANALYSIS: Financial press ready for recovery.
February 6, 2004... As Financial News ushers in a new editor, the investment press is gearing up for what many are predicting will be a recovery on the stock market. Mark Johnson examines what the key titles in this sector have to offer A bad financial wind...

NEWS ANALYSIS: Can BBC rise above comms crisis?
February 6, 2004... As the dust settles on the aftermath of the Hutton inquiry and report, the BBC faces an uphill struggle to rebuild its reputation for fairness and integrity, says leading media commentator Maggie Brown The BBC is enduring a massive PR...

NEWS ANALYSIS: Questions abound over APCO future.
February 6, 2004... APCO, the once-dominant public affairs agency, has seen its client base shrink, two managing directors depart and is now up for sale, yet the company argues it is experiencing healthy growth. The last year has been a tumultuous one for APCO...

PROFILE: Fox thrives when crisis looms - Chris Fox, director of corporate relations, Tate & Lyle.
February 6, 2004... Chris Fox is in surprisingly ebullient mood over a snippet in the The Sun's City section reporting Tate & Lyle's recent profits warning. It might seem strange that Fox, the company's director of corporate relations, finds the coverage...

OPINION: Vocational courses are creativity's enemy.
February 6, 2004... On Wednesday 28 January, while Tony Blair faced up to his moment of truth, we at PRWeek were looking at university education from a different angle. As reports came in that Blair had squeaked a narrow victory on tuition fees, a select gathering...

OPINION: Campbell remains Blair's biggest mistake.
February 6, 2004... As most astute political commentators predicted, a judge appointed by the Prime Minister was never likely to criticise him much. I'm reliably informed that when Tony Blair read the Hutton report, he thought at first he had the wrong document...