The Committee to Protect Journalists is mixing it up with Brown Palace public relations manager Shannon Dexheimer over the arrest of an ABC News producer during the DNC.
Month: August 2008
McClain Finlon Clients ‘Scrambling’
The Denver Daily News talks to Denver Zoo and Vail Resorts about their plans following McClain Finlon’s decision to close its doors.
And So It Ends …
50 Percent of DNC Reporters Think There Are Too Many Reporters
Columbia Journalism Review analyzes the 15,000 reporters in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, and comes to some very believable conclusions. (Hat tip: Brad Bawmann)
‘Hi Destiny, My Name’s Billy Jeff’
Bill Clinton’s three-night stand at Shotgun Willie’s is apparently over.
5280 Web Editor Sucker Punches Purse Thief
Don’t screw with 5280, lest you suffer the consequences. Brava, Vanessa.
Hillary in Pepsi Center ‘Elevator Mishap’
Welcome to conventionland, where this becomes news at ABC. Of course, an elevator mishap is better than a wardrobe malfunction.
Great Moments in Journalism, DNC Edition
It’s all fun and games when the cable news show hosts turn on their guests, but tensions at MSNBC are so high that Joe Scarborough is turning on his colleagues. It gets fun at the 2:15 mark.
Latest Economic News
It’s time to raise your rates … Denver’s economy is better than we thought.
So How’s the DNC Going So Far II
It’s starting to look more like a convention finally — body-armored police riding on the sideboards of SUVs and pepper-spraying protesters, and protesters finally showing enough nerve to get arrested. Things were so pathetic on Monday that we saw a guy in a convertible Miata making fun of the so-called protesters who were trying to block traffic. If you can’t scare a guy in a Miata, well, there’s probably little hope for your protesting skills. Here’s what others are reporting:
- Denver police arrested 100 protesters this morning and have taken them to “Gitmo on the Platte”
- Police also arrested three losers who may or may not have intended to assassinate Barack Obama
- The “Freedom Cage” isn’t getting quite the workout organizers had hoped
- Delegates from Guam rode the light rail (seriously, the RMN covered this)
- Penny Parker is getting annoyed that A-list stars keep bypassing her to talk to the national media (Hey Penny, is George Clooney coming to the DNC?)
- And, finally, Bill and Hillary are still mad
Now It’s Starting to Look Like a Convention
RTD FasTracks Leader Departs
The rats are starting to jump ship train. Liz Rao, who heads the RTD FasTracks project that can charitably be described as “financially troubled,” has accepted a position in the private sector. Says an RTD spokesperson, “It’s totally coincidental that (her departure) came about at the same time (as the financial woes), it’s been in the works for a while now.”
DPD Gets Praise for Handling of Protesters
U.S. News & World Report is giving the Denver Police Department high marks for how officers are handling DNC protests.
So How’s the DNC Going So Far?
We are downtown today, and we’d be pretty happy if the DNC was here every day. Sure, the helicopter noise gets a little old, but traffic is light, people are smiling and the protesters don’t smell bad yet. All in all, a better-than-average day. Here’s a run down of what others are reporting:
- Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi will perform at Obama’s acceptance speech Thursday
- The Republicans are bringing Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney in for their war room response
- Dusty Saunders is still alive
- Despite the Fort Worth Star-Telegram calling Denver a cow town (and those Billy Bob’s-loving rednecks probably meant it as a compliment), the DNC host committee is loving the national press the city is getting
- The biggest story of the day seems to be that Joe Biden eats barbecue (here, here, here, here, here and here)
- And, finally, there’s waterboarding going on at the federal courthouse
Post: If Anyone is Going Away After the DNC, It’s the Rocky
Denver Post editor Greg Moore issued his quarterly memo to staffers reminding them that the Rocky Mountain News is a weak, failing newspaper that would certainly go away long before anything happened to the Post:
“It seems foolish to think The Post would disappear. The Rocky Mountain News declared itself a failing newspaper in 2000, and nothing has changed.”
Metzger Adds ReLogic
Metzger Associates has picked up the commission-free, full-service real estate brokerage ReLogic as a client.
Washington Post Finally Goes Online and Discovers Blogs
Playing catch-up on a trend that started five years ago, the Washington Post examines corporate blogs, which, depending on your perspective, either represent the ultimate in high-touch marketing or are the scourge of the authenticity that should define online communication. And while we agree with the Post that corporations are increasingly using blogs to help distribute information in a controlled manner, the statistics the paper cites (“Of the approximately 112.5 million blogs on the Web, almost 5,000 are corporate”) are hardly persuasive.
Attacks on AP Reporter’s Objectivity Growing Louder
Ward Churchill … Griff Jenkins. Where’s a Runaway Truck When You Need It?
We put the odds at 3-1 that Fox News commentator Griff Jenkins gets out of Denver without being beaten up at least once.
DNC Veteran Offers PR Advice for Denver
The first arrests have been made, so the Democratic National Convention has unofficially started. How will the circus that surrounds the DNC affect Denver’s image? Jason Chupick of PRNewser has an interesting interview with Henry Miller, the head of New York’s 1992 DNC convention, that addresses how Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul can use the rapidly shortening news cycle to cultivate and reinforce positive perceptions of their cities.
It’s Starting
Regional Colleges Are Pretty Average in Latest U.S. News Ratings
U.S. News & World Report is out with its latest college rankings, just in time to make the poor freshmen moving into dorms rethink whether they should have gone somewhere else. The Colorado/Wyoming results:
77. University of Colorado at Boulder
80. Colorado School of Mines
89. University of Denver
125. Colorado State University
Tier 3 University of Colorado at Denver
Tier 3 University of Wyoming at Laramie
Tier 4 University of Northern Colorado
And, even though it isn’t Colorado-related, Elaine Ellis would want you to know that Notre Dame is ranked 18th.
UPDATE: And Colorado College ranked 30th in the magazine’s rankings of Liberal Arts schools (thanks, Bree.)
Denver Agency News
- Schenkein has landed Idea Work Studios as a client
- PRSourceCode named Catapult PR-IR’s Guy Murrel and VisiTech’s Kendra Westerkamp as Top Tech Communicators
- Cactus landed the Center for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Is McClain Finlon Advertising Shutting Down?
In Memoriam
Longtime KCNC/Channel 4 reporter and anchor Bob Palmer passed away last night. He was 77.
Web Site Auctioning DNC Restaurant Reservations Shut Down
Penny Parker has the scoop on the DNCEats.com Web site that made restaurant reservations all over town during the DNC and then tried to auction them on eBay. The only two problems were the reservation times sucked (most were after 9:45 p.m.) and the restaurants were apoplectic when they realized what was going on and immediately cancelled the reservations listed on the site. The site has since gone dark, but you can see a cached version here.
Typo of the Week
From the Associated Press:
“(U.S. Sen. John McCain’s) top (vice presidential) contenders are said to include Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Less traditional choices mentioned include former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, an abortion-rights supporter, and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential prick in 2000 who now is an independent.”
Sustainable Wood Hotel Key Cards Make U.S. Debut in Denver
A wood hotel key card that replaces the traditional plastic version will make its U.S. debut in Denver at the Democratic National Convention. Sustainable Cards LLC has donated 70,000 of the sustainably harvested birch cards that will carry the logo of the Denver 2008 Host Committee. Denver’s Stefanie Jones PR is handling communications for Sustainable Cards.
Television Remains the Dominant News Source for Americans
It looks like your grandfather is more average than you thought.
Restaurant/Movie Critic McDaniels Reappears at 560 KLZ
The mystery/blessing of former 850 KOA critic Reggie McDaniel’s disappearance has been solved.
Denver Police Dept. Releases Helpful ‘How to Protest’ Flyer
The Denver Police Department has issued a flyer with suggested guidelines for Democratic National Convention protesters, and Paula Woodward can stand down. It is clear that none of the DPD money budgeted for new weapons has been illegally diverted to a graphic designer.
Hat Tip: 5280’s Elevated Voices.
Denver PR Jobs
Among those hiring this week: Voca PR, CoorsTek, Engineers Without Borders, Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, US Airways, Village at Lowry and Waste Management. And if you like Texas, the American Heart Association and City of Austin are also hiring.
Conflicting Economic Stats of the Week
Colorado lost 13,700 jobs in July … but that is actually good news because it is a slightly lower-than-usual drop for the month … but the number of unemployed Coloradans has increased significantly since April and is roughly 41,000 higher than a year ago … but statewide payrolls have grown by 31,400 (or 1.3 percent) over the past 12 months.
Post Using e-Edition/Free Copies to Inflate Circulation Numbers
Mark Harden at the Denver Business Journal has taken a hard look at the latest ABC audit of the circulations of the local dailies and found that the Denver Post’s numbers aren’t quite as good as it might seem. The Post actually “trails the Rocky by about 6 percent in sales of full-price weekday copies,” but has been inflating its numbers with “sales of its discounted ‘electronic edition’ as well as copies distributed to hotel guests and sales to ‘third parties.’ “
Qwest Reaches Agreement with Union, Avoids Strike
Qwest has avoided a potential public relations disaster at the Democratic National Convention (and the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis) by reaching a contract agreement this morning with its largest union, the CWA.
RMN’s Temple Responds to Obama Gaffe
Credit Rocky Mountain News publisher John Temple for addressing the “eight-word gaffe” that caused Keith Olbermann to name the paper the “Worst Person in the World” Tuesday. The timeline of what happened is clear, but left unexplained is exactly what process exists that lets staffers rip “facts” from the Internet and package them as verified material.
AWWA Adds to Public Affairs Staff
The American Water Works Association has added Deirdre Mueller as Public Affairs Manager. Mueller formerly was with LeGrand Hart.
Newspaper Update, Sponsored by Zoloft
Newspaper publisher (and KUSA/Channel 9 parent) Gannett is in the process of laying off 1,000 employees from its local newspapers across the country. Reuters has the details.
JohnstonWells Wins ‘Best Place to Work’ Award
The Holmes Report named JohnstonWells the fourth best agency to work for in the small agency category. The agency ranked seventh last year.
In Memoriam
Rockmount Ranch Wear CEO “Papa Jack” Weil passed away yesterday at the age of 107. Weil was believed to be the oldest working CEO, and was featured in a national ad campaign for Denver last year.
Grand Junction Sentinel Among Newspapers Cox Set to Unload
Time to check under the couch cushions for any spare change –- the Grand Junction Sentinel is for sale.
9News DNC Plans Include Broadcast, Web Cast Coverage
KUSA/9News will carry nearly 60 hours of broadcast and online news coverage of the Democratic National Convention. The coverage will appear on both Channel 9 and KTVD/Channel 20, as well as include a six-hour daily live Web cast from the Pepsi Center anchored by Gregg Moss and Shawn Patrick.
Isn’t It Amazing How Surveys Always Support the Ideas of Those Who Fund Them?
A survey funded by the Colorado Environmental Coalition finds that … (GASP!) … a majority of Coloradans have “negative feelings toward the oil and gas industry.”
Olbermann Slams Rocky Mountain News
Westword has the details on Keith Olbermann naming the Rocky Mountain News the “Worst Person in the World” last night.
Metzger Names Albee President, Makes Several New Hires
A number of changes are afoot at Metzger Associates, which has promoted Doyle Albee to president, promoted Lisa Metzger to Vice President of Agency Services, hired Bevo Beaven as Vice President of Client Services and Senior Account Executive, and hired Lauren Preston as Account Coordinator.
China: Buck-teeth Kids Should be Heard, Not Seen
Already reeling from the disclosure that the Opening Ceremony’s electrifying fireworks display was digitally enhanced, Chinese Olympic officials are now facing their own Milli Vanilli moment.
Scripps Announces $874M Write-off
Rocky Mountain News parent company E.W. Scripps Co. is taking a $874 million write-off “to account for the diminished value of its newspaper holdings. The write-off includes a $779 million noncash charge to reduce the value of goodwill and a $95 million reduction in the value of its investment in the Denver Newspaper Agency and Prairie Mountain Publishing.”
Denver PR Jobs
Among those hiring this week: AIMCO, CoBank, CTA, Level 3 and Quantum.
Weise Relocates
JohnstonWells isn’t the only one on the move. Weise Communications has relocated from downtown Denver to East Colfax, which offers cheaper rent and better client access.
Seattle Times: Denver is ‘Rocky Mountain Hip’
The Seattle Times offers a nice antidote to this weekend’s New York Times DNC preview titled “36 Hours in Denver.” The Times‘ advice:
“Ditch the cowboy boots. Pack the party clothes. More new West than old, Denver has morphed from sleepy former Gold Rush town in the foothills of the Rockies to urban outpost with an artsy, outdoors vibe.”
Magazine Sales Drop Significantly in Q1/Q2 2008
Mirroring the trend of declining newspaper circulation, newsstand sales of U.S. magazines dropped 6.3 percent during the first half of 2008. Analysts blamed rising food and gas costs that have “led consumers to cut back on nonessential spending.”
MSNBC ‘Celebrity Mama’ Article Features Denver PR Exec
104 West’s Elaine Schoch discusses why she quit reading the “mind-numbing” US Weekly.
CABJ Names Award Winners
The Colorado Association of Black Journalists held its annual awards ceremony this weekend. Among the winners:
- Public relations — Derrick Hudson, Metro State College
- Special “Trailblazer” Awards — Faye Wilson Tate, CH2M Hill; Bertha Lynn, KMGH/Channel 7
- Print news — Kevin Simpson, The Denver Post
- Print sports — John Henderson, The Denver Post
- Print enterprise — Mike Littwin, Rocky Mountain News
- Print investigative — Miles Moffeit/Susan Greene, The Denver Post
- Print series — David Olinger, The Denver Post
- Print feature — Chuck Plunkett/Jennifer Brown, The Denver Post
- Print business — Lisa Marie Martinez, Denver Urban Spectrum;
- Print photography (multiple images) — Bernard Grant, Denver Urban Spectrum
- Print photography (Single Image) — Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
- Print overall Excellence — The Denver Post
- Radio Enterprise — Jerry Bell, 850 KOA Radio
- Radio feature — Donnie L. Betts, No Credit Productions
- TV news — TaRonda Thomas/Anne Herbst, 9News
- TV enterprise — Kirk Montgomery, 9News
- TV investigative — Kevin Hartfield, CBS 4
- TV series — Byron Reed, 9News
- TV feature — Nelson Garcia/Byron Reed, 9News
- TV business — TaRhonda Thomas/Byron Reed 9News
- TV public affairs — Bazi Kanani/Tom Cole/Colleen Locke, 9News
- TV photojournalism — Byron Reed, 9News; TV overall excellence — 9News
Useless – But Interesting – PR Fact of the Week
Sharon Linhart participated in rodeos while growing up in northern Colorado.
JohnstonWells to Leave Writer Square After 20 Years
In an article about escalating rents that are driving out tenants at Writer Square, the Denver Post notes that JohnstonWells will relocate to the Rocky Mountain Seed Building on 15th between Larimer and Market streets.
FBI Apologizes for ‘Improperly’ Obtaining Reporters’ Phone Records
The FBI has apologized to The Washington Post and The New York Times for “improperly obtaining phone records” of their reporters while investigating terrorism four years ago.
New York Times Offers its Take on Denver
The New York Times’ Sunday Travel section features “36 Hours in Denver.” And it isn’t exactly pretty. Among the highlights: the Mile High Flea Market, The Fort (“a 1960s rendition of the Alamo”), the new Ritz-Carlton (“sort of looks like the Embassy Suites it replaced, and it’s across from a Greyhound station”) and, of course, Molly Brown’s house.
Struggling Crocs Lays Off 75 Employees
Crocs laid off 75 employees today, which represents about 4 percent of its workforce. Crocs said the majority of the layoffs were in Colorado.
Denver Post Parent Company Sells Papers to Manage Debt
MediaNews CEO Dean “Shut the F&%@ Up, We’re Doing Fine” Singleton disclosed that the media company has sold the Connecticut Post and seven weekly newspapers to Hearst in an effort to “manage its balance sheet.” Singleton dismissed the move as business as usual (“This is not our first rodeo”), and insiders are speculating whether this is the first of several deals that will bring Hearst and MediaNews much closer together.
The only remaining question is whether Singleton will make Aldo Svaldi write an article tomorrow about what a shrewd move it is.
UPDATE: Aldo Svaldi’s article is here. Interestingly, Singleton says the biggest threat to newspapers isn’t the Internet, but rather an “old-fashioned recession” that is hurting ad revenues.
Print vs. Online Coverage
What’s better: print or online coverage? A survey from London-based PR firm Parker Wayne & Kent finds that 53 percent of PR people say print. Details are here.
Bill: ‘Honest, Hillary, I’m Taking Them for the Oxygen’
Now this is the kind of insider information we were expecting from Metzger’s ‘DNC After Dark’ blog.
DBJ ‘Best Places to Work’ Deadline Today
Today is the last day to nominate your agency for the Denver Business Journal’s fifth annual “Best Places to Work” award.
Great Moments in Advertising I
Greyhound has dropped its new ad campaign that touted the relaxing virtues of bus travel following last week’s incident in which one of its passenger stabbed, beheaded and then began eating the pieces of a fellow bus passenger. The ad campaign’s tagline was, “There’s a reason you’ve never heard of ‘bus rage.’ ”
KOA Critic ‘Mysteriously’ (and Thankfully) Disappears
Have you missed 850 KOA Radio movie and restaurant reviewer Reggie McDaniel? Neither have I. Let’s be honest – he’s arguably the worst radio presence in the state. Nevertheless, Westword’s Michael Roberts has the details on his “mysterious” departure. Let’s hope the new business is successful, lest he return to the airwaves.
ProConnect Lands New Client
ProConnect PR has added custom book publisher Outskirts Press as a client.
PRSA Colorado ‘Gold Pick’ Snafu Leaves Seven Entries Missing
There has been some grumbling around town today after PRSA Colorado notified seven unlucky Gold Pick entrants that their submissions were lost prior to being judged. PRSA Colorado is refunding the entry fee and promises to evaluate any entries that are resubmitted.
PRSA Colorado Chapter President Amy Johnson contacted each of the seven entrants personally, and Gold Pick Award co-chair Maggie McMonigle says they have been understanding. But some of those responsible for assembling the original entries aren’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of recreating them. Said one of those affected, “Naturally I am pretty angry since I spent countless hours putting my entry together and simply don’t have the time to duplicate those efforts again this month.”
No Comment? Fuggedaboutit!
Drew Kerr offers alternatives to the Eight Most Overused Phrases in Public Relations.
Denver PR Moves
- Xcel Energy added Joe Fuentes to its media relations staff. Fuentes formerly was with Quark.
- Linhart PR added Russ “Ratso” Rizzo as an account executive. Prior to joining Linhart, Rizzo ran his own PR consultancy and was a reporter at the Salt Lake Tribune.
Political Columnist Novak Announces Retirement
Chicago Sun-Times political columnist Robert Novak today announced his immediate retirement. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor last week.
How Well Do You Know the Newspaper Industry?
This handy-yet-simple test will let you find out.
New Denver Magazine Focuses on Modern Movement
The Denver Business Journal reports that former Colorado Homes & Lifestyles editor Alaina Gonzales is launching Modern in Denver, a “magazine devoted to modern art, design and architecture.”
Local PR Execs Discuss Post/News Rumors
Mark Harden at the Denver Business Journal talks to various public relations executives in town about the rumors of a Post/News consolidation, and quotes perspectives from Schenkein’s Leanna Clark, Story + Welch’s Jeremy Story, GBSM’s Steven Silvers, Linhart’s Paul Raab and Cutter Communications’ Lisa Cutter.
Denver Public Relations Blog 