September 2014
=====================================================
MEETINGS
Lorri Allen, the Soundbite Coach, knows all kinds of media-savvy techniques you need to
confidently represent your organization on camera. She will offer tips at the
Sept. 23 IABC meeting — at the city of Grand Prairie’s TV studio — on how to guide external communications and promote a positive public image for
your company’s brand.
A former broadcast journalist, she will present case studies, engage in
role-plays and provide video examples. Expect as takeaways:
• Two phrases that rile journalists
• Two things that every reporter wants from you
• Soundbites that sizzle
• How to intrigue the news media
Allen has spent considerable time in front of the camera and is known for an
engaging, energetic, entertaining and content-driven presentation. Organizers
say she definitely has a take on how to tame the media.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23
Place: GPTV Studios at the Public Safety Training Complex, 310 College St., Grand
Prairie 75050 (map)
Cost: members $25, nonmembers $30, students $20; online add $1,
walk-ins without a reservation add $5; lunch included
walk-ins without a reservation add $5; lunch included
-----
Your CEO is receiving an award from a nonprofit. She gives you her bio for a
release, and it says she is "the first woman to receive the award" and includes
her background. You check the background material and find a few errors. You
make a note of the items, including the source for your information. What to
you do?
Your client is a local candy maker who claims that the chocolate his company
uses is not harvested by children in the country of import. You check this and
find that the country is notorious for using child labor to harvest the cocoa
beans. Now what?
Public relations professionals encounter ethical dilemmas daily. Dr. Doug Newsom, APR, Fellow PRSA, will facilitate a discussion at the Sept. 10 luncheon on
ways to resolve sticky PR issues, adding personal insights from her perspective
as a nationally renowned author and TCU educator.
Attendees are encouraged to download the PRSA ethics app for a head start on the
discussion and to take the ethics quiz at prsa.org.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10
Place: Colonial Country Club, 3735 Country Club Circle, Fort Worth
Cost: chapter members $25, national members $30, nonmembers $35, students $20;
walk-ups add $5
-----
Next at Fort Worth SPJ ... Meet new SPJ president Dana Howard Neuts at a reception in her honor Saturday, Sept. 27, at Paul and Paula LaRocque’s home in Arlington. More here.
=====================================================
STRAIGHT STUFF
The co-founder/CEO of Dark Red Press, an independent press for authors of dark
speculative fiction, has a question for you: “Are You Ready for Your Close-Up?” C.L Stegall, who’s also the company’s senior editor, will provide tips on preparing a manuscript and query for
submission to editors, agents and publishers at the next Writers’ Guild of Texas meeting, 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15, at the Richardson Public
Library. Stegall writes the Progeny series of novels and shorts, the first of
which, “The Weight of Night,” was published in January 2011. The second in the series, “The Light of Chaos,” is scheduled for 2014. More on Stegall
here.
IABC local update: IABC Dallas will explore “Tactics, Strategy, Technology, Talent” at its Fall Communications Conference, Tuesday, Sept. 9, at Maggiano’s NorthPark. Info here.
PRSA local update: Don’t be trashy. GFW PRSA members will help clean up the river at the Trinity River Trash Bash, 8:30-11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20. Visit the site to sign up. Under “Section you want to clean,” PRSAers are selecting Crystelle Waggoner Trailhead. Participants who register
by Sept. 7 get a T-shirt. An after-party is scheduled for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at
Panther Island Pavilion, with free food and door prizes. Questions? Contact
PRSA member Jeff Rodriquez at jeffreyrodriquez@texashealth.org.
PRSA local update II: J.O. is providing lunch and will share how it can help the independent PR pro — design services, marketing strategy, even PR backup — at the Independent Practitioners SIG quarterly meeting Tuesday, Sept. 9, from
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the J.O. offices, 440 S. Main St., Fort Worth. More
info on Facebook or contact Brian Murnahan, brian@murnahan.me.
PRSA local update III: Cyndee Woolley, APR, owner of C2 Communications in Naples, Fla., will conduct a chapter-only
webinar on self-branding Tuesday, Sept. 16, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Fort
Worth office of Global Prairie, 2836 Bledsoe St. RSVP to michelle.clark@global-prairie.com.
PRSA local update IV: The trail into the depths of the Grand Canyon is a steep, winding path with
soul-touching views of Mom Nature’s best work. The route I’ve chosen descends at a sharp angle, so by the time I reach the Colorado River
campground four hours later, I’m in a crab-like position and every muscle in my legs is trembling.
A glowing dawn greets me the next morning. It is inspirational, and that’s good, because I have 10.5 miles ahead of me. I meet hikers from around the
world, all of us marveling at the canyon’s grandeur as we follow the ceaselessly uphill trail. Along the way, I regularly
wish for the ability to levitate. For an elevator. For an angel’s hand to scoop me up and take me to the rim. But at mile 9, I know I’m almost there, and I have an epiphany: I am now certain that I can do almost
anything, any time, anywhere.
I often think about that hike and the sense of achievement that came with it. So
what motivates us to hit the trail, run a marathon, take a class or learn a new
skill? Why do we pursue personal and professional milestones?
Probably because we are a society of strivers, because we live in a country that
was founded on the belief that we can move ahead, improve, succeed. We set
goals in business, in sports, in school and in our personal lives, and we work
hard to attain them.
Which brings me, less philosophically, to accreditation in public relations, an
achievement offered to members of PRSA and seven affiliated organizations.
Perhaps the APR designation is another example of our collective drive to
excel.
APR was established 50 years ago to demonstrate knowledge of public relations
theory and practice, ethics, strategic thinking and tactical skills. Celebrate
this milestone anniversary with a personal accomplishment.
Join other chapter members in APR Boot Camp, a series of free study sessions that lead to completion of the exam. Many of
our chapter APRs already have volunteered to lead these sessions and help
candidates prepare.
If you have questions, ask the chapter accreditation co-chairs (Linda Jacobson, APR, or me) or any APR. We look forward to seeing you at our first study session, 6:30
p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, in the Schieffer Seminar Room in the J.M. Moudy
Building on the TCU campus (West Cantey and South University).
Earn that APR! No hiking required.
— Carolyn Bobo, APR, Fellow PRSA
PRSA local update V: Explore “The Shifting Nature of Content Marketing” Wednesday, Oct. 8, in a half-day seminar with award-winning communications
consultant/blogger Arik Hanson. Discussion will center around trends and tools, which companies are winning
with content marketing, and hands-on exercises that generate real ideas you can
use back at the office that afternoon. Watch for details.
PRSA local update VI: Chapter president-elect Michelle Clark is looking for volunteers to serve on committees or, better yet, to lead one.
E- her at
michelle.clark@global-prairie.com.
michelle.clark@global-prairie.com.
PRSA local update VII: The early registration deadline is fast approaching for the 2014 Southwest District Conference at the Hilton Downtown Baton Rouge Capitol Center, Oct. 29-30, with an optional
excursion to New Orleans on Oct. 31. Registration is $299 for PRSA members,
$399 nonmembers, with a $50 discount through Sept. 29. Among other highlights,
keynoter Devin Lemoine, president of the leadership development company Success Labs, will present “Tales from the Crypt: Secrets to Managing a Successful Career & Being a HiPo,” or how to get tagged as “high potential” in an organization.
PRSA local update VIII: Tony Pederson, the Belo Distinguished Chair in Journalism at Southern Methodist University,
will present "Ethics of Convergent Media" at the PRSA Dallas monthly luncheon
Thursday, Sept. 11, at Seasons 52 at NorthPark Center. Info here.
-----
THIS MONTH IN PR/MARKETING HISTORY BY JEFF RODRIGUEZ
An irreverent look at the people and events that keep us up at night
Goal-line Stand
Striking Football Players Had Strong Defense but Couldn’t Score
Pro football is as much a contract game as a contact game, and that became
acutely obvious in September 1982 when the players went on strike. For eight
weeks they battled the owners in the trenches, seeking to gain the upper hand
in negotiations — and with the public.
The players wanted 55 percent of the league’s gross revenues, which had just gotten grosser with a three-network TV deal
worth $14 million per team per year, more than double the previous annual
payout. The owners had their own expenses to worry about, like paying for their
private jets, and said no.
Players rep Gene Upshaw, a former All-Pro lineman large enough to use two smart cars as roller skates,
vowed “no practices, workouts or trainings, and no games ... until management abandons
its unlawful course and engages in good faith bargaining." The Chicago Bears
countered that a canceled season would cost the team more than $18 million in
lost income — before beer sales. But the players had much at stake: They had no strike fund
to draw on, and, to show they were serious, they had forfeited that year’s pension payments. The average player then made about $6,000 a week, not the
serious dough of, say, a Texas high school football coach, but not an amount to
casually forfeit.
Dallas Cowboys star Tony Dorsett said he “had enough money stashed around the country that I can go as long as they want
to go.” Other seasoned players were more concerned for you, little buddy. “These rookies haven’t had a chance at the big money,” one veteran said, “so they haven’t gone into debt.”
The players association needed PR, so it organized two not-really games between
players from the National Football Conference and the American Football
Conference. Alas, these “all-star” scraps, in Washington, D.C., and the next day in Los Angeles, featured few
actual stars and couldn’t attract 15,000 paying fans, even with TV blackouts and tickets as low as $6.
It didn’t help that Washington’s John Riggins said of his participation, “I guess I'll do just about anything for money.”
The strike plodded on for 57 days, ending ignobly Nov. 16 with players revolting
against the union (the owners said they’d been revolting all along) and calling for Upshaw to resign. But a new
agreement did include a severance package for retiring players, a salary hike
and bonuses based on experience.
The sides tried to salvage the season. They played nine games, followed by a
"Super Bowl Derby" involving the top eight teams. The Cowboys advanced to the
NFC championship game and were punished by the Redskins, who went on to win the
consolation ’Bowl. Fun fact: Troy Aikman was 16 years old.
Still hanging were revenue and free agency issues. When the agreement ended in
1987, the players struck again, washing out three weeks and resulting in the
infamous “scab” games, featuring hastily organized teams of replacement players. But that’s a PR headache for another day.
A work stoppage in athletics resembles a strike in any other industry in one big
way. The workers are depicted as villains. The players association made “demands” (Time magazine, Wikipedia, fan website), management made “offers.” The phenomenon occurred again in 2012, when NFL referees struck. Anyone
remember what they wanted? The union said its request would cost the owners an
additional four-hundreths of 1 percent of league revenue. But the greedy
referees took the blame.
Finally, once the media voices were done taking sides in the 1982 dispute, the
teams resumed courting the fans. Not to worry: In 1983 the NFL recorded its
second-highest total attendance, and in ’84 a national poll proclaimed that football had eclipsed baseball as the most
beloved spectator sport in the land.
So which side won the 1982 strike? Given that football appears to be more
popular than motherhood, perhaps the answer is: both.
=======================================================
Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas update: After critics raised a stink about the tax dollars being spent to provide
security for Gov. Rick Perry while he was gearing up to run for president, lawmakers passed a bill in 2011
designed to let Texans know — eventually — what they were getting for their money. Now, thanks to a ruling from Attorney
General Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety will not have to provide itemized travel
records for the security after all. Details. ... State District Judge Jean Boyd abused her discretion when she barred the media and public from two juvenile
court hearings without showing evidence of good cause, the 2nd Court of Appeals
unanimously agreed. Boyd was ordered to promptly vacate the two closure orders
and take immediate steps to make the transcripts of the Jan. 10 and Jan. 22
hearings available to the media group. Details. ... Light of Day Project: Tarleton student service fee totals top $3.3 million. ... Large commercial data requests are slowing down city secretaries and county
clerks, who need to be exempt from some Texas Public Information Act requests,
those officials told state lawmakers. Comal County Clerk Joy Streater told the House Government Efficiency and Reform Committee that the Public
Information Act, which dates to the early 1970s, was intended to let taxpayers
know how their money is being spent and not for large businesses obtaining
public information to profit from it. She said information maintained by county
clerks, which includes divorce decrees and probate records, should be exempt
from the act. Details.
=======================================================
Seduce Me, You, You ... Wordsmith!
How does a written passage sound? Prose coach Carmen Goldthwaite says that may be as important to its impact as its readability. People write for
the ear as much as for the eye, the popular author and former newspaper
journalist told the August meeting of IABC Fort Worth, and the really good
writers can seduce the reader with techniques that enhance the music of the
words.
Goldthwaite advised to vary sentence and paragraph rhythm to establish “the background music to the message you want to deliver.” She explained that rhythm comes through word choice, number of syllables, even
the consonants versus vowels that are used. “The placement of dependent clauses within the sentence is a part of that. Then
the underlying voice of the company or the service you’re writing for all comes into that musicality.”
Among Goldthwaite’s favorite literary techniques are synecdoche and metonymy, the former being a
relatively common figure of speech “that lets you choose different words for a part of something rather than the
whole.” Example: using “bread” for the generic “food.” Metonymy is using the name of one thing in place of another associated with it,
such as referring to the movie industry as “Hollywood.”
With these tricks, “instead of just a synonym, writers can avoid repeating words,” she said. “Of course there’s simile and metaphor,” too, as well as personification.
“Most literary techniques come out of everyday usage,” she said, but “we don’t recognize them as literary techniques because they’re so common. But once we do recognize a technique for what it is, we
deliberately use it if we want to create emotions or the sense of sound, a
particular mood or a mental image.”
Goldthwaite’s latest book, “Texas Ranch Women: Three Centuries of Mettle and Moxie,” will be released Sept. 30. A seventh-generation Texan, she teaches in SMU’s creative writing program and hosts writing circles for small groups in her
Fort Worth home.
=======================================================
GET A JOB The Corpus Christi Caller-Times is looking for a sports reporter. E- cover
letter, résumé and clips to sports editor Greg Rajan, greg.rajan@caller.com. ...The Star-Telegram is looking for a part-time, mostly features designer. E- Sarah Huffstetler at shuffstetler@star-telegram.com with work samples and résumé. Serious inquiries only. The paper also seeks a targeted publications manager
for its niche efforts Indulge, K, La Estrella En Casa, Sun Select, TMC and
Print & Deliver. Send résumé to rscroggins@star-telegram.com. ... North Texas Public Broadcasting, the Fort Worth-Dallas member station for
National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, seeks a digital coordinator. ... Community Impact Newspaper is looking for a graphic designer for its Pflugerville paper. Applicants should have at least a year of experience
in graphic design.
=======================================================
NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS SPJ ... Stephanie Arbetter, Agency Entourage ... Icess Fernandez, UTA Student Publications
PRSA ... Kim Todora, PPAI ... Sarah Schimpff, Apex Capital ... Pam Roach, Pam Roach Public Relations ... Nicole Yorba, Karlan Capital Resources
=======================================================
STAYING CONNECTED
Betsy Deck, IABC Fort Worth
I’m really looking forward to our upcoming luncheon. How often do you get to hang
out in an actual television studio? A very big thank you to Amy Sprinkles, director of communications and libraries for the city of Grand Prairie, for
making it happen.
And you remember our presenter, Lorri Allen, she was a reporter in the area who relocated to East Texas to be news director
at a CBS affiliate. She is incredibly knowledgeable of the reporter's mindset
and can advise on the best ways to gain publicity and avoid problems. This is
invaluable training you don’t realize you need until that reporter is knocking on your door.
If you weren’t able to make our August luncheon, Carmen Goldthwaite inspired us with her suggestions for making our writing sing. It’s easy to get in a rut and just focus on churning out information. The tips she
offered were fantastic, and then, “Shazam!” we’re focused on prose instead of production. (That was for you, Carmen.)
As always, our board is committed to serving our members through education,
career advancement and peer networking. I strongly encourage you to become more
involved in the chapter and share your ideas. Feel free to send me or any board
member an e-mail with your thoughts and suggestions.
Now let’s charge ahead through the rest of the year!
-----
OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
Not sure how many stars “My Parents Open Carry” deserves (OK, I am sure), but the reviews rate six out of a possible five. ...
On July 8, SPJ sent a letter to the White House with 37 other journalism and
open government organization's signatures, urging the Obama administration to loosen public information officer restrictions and
encouraging public transparency. More than 40 journalism groups retroactively
signed on. The popularity of the letter and the cause also took off in the
news. After almost a month of no response, SPJ sent a follow-up letter Aug. 5.
On Aug. 11 the White in a letter laid out all the ways it believes it has been
transparent with the media and public since President Obama's inauguration. SPJ
released a statement that the White House response was more of a non-response.
After the fact, SPJ catalyst
Kathryn Foxhall did an interview on the National Press Club's podcast with another SPJ member
and director-at-large Bill McCloskey. In the interview, Foxhall talks through the process and the importance of
keeping up the fight. More here and here and here.
Caught my eye. Comprehensive investigation of voter impersonation finds 31 credible incidents
out of one billion ballots cast. ... World’s first climate change refugees arrive in New Zealand. ... 5 egregious eco crimes committed by the Koch brothers. ... Hemp supercapacitors as good as graphene at a fraction of the cost. ... U.S. bike-sharing stats since 2007: 23 million rides, 0 deaths. ... Amazing energy tower in Denmark generates electricity from trash. ... A closer look at the horrors of ocean acidification. ... WaterBean purifies tap water to reduce plastic bottle waste. ... Oil spill-absorbing material inspired by cactus needles. ... Wave Energy technology produces both clean water and clean energy. ... Scientists achieve human brain-to-brain interface. ... America’s oldest pear tree still bearing fruit at 383 years. ... Coastal flooding could cost $1 trillion by 2050, task force warns.
Closing words: "I'd rather live in a private hell than a public heaven." — Henry David Thoreau ... "Bad luck for the young poet would be a rich father, an early marriage, an
early success or the ability to do anything well." — Charles Bukowski, "the laureate of American lowlife" (Time magazine)