Next month: scenes from the NAHJ-SPJ mixer!
PRSA local update: What tools does an independent or agency need to be successful? The Independent
Practitioners SIG will explore answers at a networking/luncheon meeting
Thursday, March 6, at Saviano’s, 300 N. Main St., Euless — 11:30 meet and greet, noon for lunch.
PRSA local update II: Eat free nachos out of the back of a loaded nacho car and sip on a margarita
while you pick your perfect bracket in the inaugural PR After Dark March
Madness Billion Dollar Tournament of Greatness, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, at
Chuy's on West Seventh Street. No knowledge of college basketball is required.
Choose your teams based on which mascot would win in a fight, which teams’ ad campaign you like better, or, you know, which team will likely score the
most points. The 64 teams picked for the NCAA playoffs will be announced March
16. The PR After Dark March Madness Billion Dollar Tournament of Greatness is
open to all Greater Fort Worth PRSA members, and you don't have to attend the
March 18 event to join. But all the cool kids will be there, so go ahead and
put it on your calendar.
PRSA local update III: Break out the bubbly and balloons! Greater Fort Worth PRSA is celebrating the
50th anniversary of accredited in public relations (APR) this year and plans to
celebrate at an upcoming meeting. Last year the chapter introduced its local
accreditation mentorship program, or LAMP. This year the chapter added an
easy-to-use form on the Accreditation page (new logo!) for potential candidates to request a mentor or inquire about the process.
Accreditation Committee co-chairs Carolyn Bobo, APR, Fellow PRSA, or Linda Jacobson, APR, will assist with the request.
PRSA local update IV: More APR. Do those three little letters after the name really spell success? Is
accreditation worth the time and effort? What’s the ROI on APR, and does it pencil out? Join Sue Walton, APR, vice president for university and public affairs, University of North
Dakota; Grace Leong, APR, managing partner, Hunter Public Relations; and Steven Zenofsky, APR, assistant vice president and manager, public relations, FM Global, for a
fast-paced webinar Thursday, April 10, 2-3 p.m., on how the APR took their
career to the next level and how it continues to deliver value. Register here.
PRSA local update V: PRSA Dallas Pro-Am Day on Friday, March 14, will connect students with
experienced PR professionals through a shadowing opportunity followed by an
educational luncheon program. Info here.
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THIS MONTH IN PR/MARKETING HISTORY BY JEFF RODRIGUEZ
An irreverent look at the people and events that keep us up at night
Catch the Oscars this year? In all, a pretty good show. Jennifer Lawrence tripped again and laughed it off, and host Ellen DeGeneres took the most glam-clamorous selfie in Twitter’s short history. Other Oscar ceremonies have been less successful; in fact, the Oscars
consistently create headaches for PR pros. read more
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Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas update: Questions have been raised about whether a recent meeting involving a quorum of
Collin County commissioners violated the Texas Open Meetings Act. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz met with a number of local elected officials Feb. 7 at the Commissioners Court
in McKinney. There was no public notice of the meeting, where water,
transportation, economic development and other issues were discussed. County
Judge Keith Self, who attended the meeting with Commissioners Mark Reid and Chris Hill, said public notice wasn’t needed. Others disagree. Details here. ... Sunshine Week is March 16-22. Co-sponsored by the American Society of News Editors and the
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the annual initiative focusing on
the importance of open government began in 2005 and quickly became a nationwide
event.
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