Month: March 2010

PRSA Colorado Luncheon to Feature #journchat’s Sarah Evans

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Public relations and new media consultant Sarah Evans — the founder of #journchat who is one of Forbes’s 14 Power Women to Follow on Twitter — is the speaker at this month’s PRSA Colorado luncheon on Wednesday, April 21.

Evans will share successful ways to create online media relationships and shed light on balancing social media with traditional PR tactics, including:

• What motivates both local and national journalists in the online world.
• How to define online media targets and objectives.
• How to pitch in 140 characters or less.
• Time management tricks to help you manage the growing number of tools at your disposal.

Click here to register or for more information.

Great Moments in Journalism XXVI

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Ahhhh, Russia. It is so quaint how you are always 30 60 years behind us. If you were watching cable news here in the states on Monday morning, it was nearly impossible to avoid updates on the Moscow subway bombing. In Russia, not so much. As the New York Times reported, “Channel 1, a main government station, reported briefly on the attacks at 8:30 a.m., a half-hour after the first blast, but did not mention them again until noon.”

Why?, you may ask. Because, according to Channel 1’s Larisa L. Krymova, updates were unnecessary: “The majority of people who are not journalists leave the house before 9 in the morning. After that, the majority of people who watch TV are housewives.”

Growth Continues at GroundFloor

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GroundFloor Media has added Alexis Anzalone as social media/public relations manager and Kimmie Greene as senior public relations manager. Anzalone formerly worked at Formula PR in San Diego, where she managed both traditional and social media programs. Greene’s background includes Level 3 Communications, where she managed media and analyst relations for new product launches, network expansions, financial earnings and corporate acquisitions.

2009 PR Salaries Down; Tiger Fatigue; Social Media Tips

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More Changes at JohnstonWells

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The evolution of JohnstonWells continues. Over the past few months, the agency has seen the return of Gwin Johnston as CEO and Michele Wells as a senior consultant, and now word comes that Gina Seamans and Lee Bley are leaving.

Seamans, who joined the firm in 2007 when it acquired her smaller agency Accent PR, says she is heading into semi-retirement, although she will still be involved in PRSA Colorado and may do some consulting. Bley, meanwhile, is headed to Washington, D.C., to work for WeddingWire.

5280 Nominated for Multiple Awards

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As publisher Dan Brogan noted, last week was a great one for 5280. The magazine was named again as a finalist for a National Magazine Award and was nominated for five awards from the City and Regional Magazine Association.

The National Magazine Award nod went to “Low on O2,” 5280’s in-depth look at the often-misunderstood effects of living at high altitude, which appeared in the October 2009 issue and was written by staffers Lindsey B. Koehler and Natasha Gardner.

The nominees for the City and Regional Magazine Association awards are:

  • Writer of the Year: Robert Sanchez
  • Photo Essay: “The Forgotten Plains,” by Jefferson Panis
  • Reader Service: “Snow Business,” by Lindsey B. Koehler, Natasha Gardner, Patrick Doyle, Julie Dugdale, Geoff Van Dyke, Corey H. Jones
  • E-Newsletter: “Table Talk,” by Amanda Faison
  • Community Service Project: “Single in the City Event”

Dovetail Adds Univ. of Colorado Hospital as Client

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Dovetail Solutions has added University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) to its client roster. Dovetail will “develop strategic community investment within UCH, as well as media relations and public relations activities on behalf the academic hospital.” UCH, located on the Anschutz Medical Campus, is the region’s only academic hospital and consistently ranks among the top hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

Denver PR Jobs

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Among those hiring this week are Webb PR, Acme Manufacturing, Brewer’s Association, Charter Communications, Denver Water, Evergreen Newspapers, Hitachi Consulting, Lockton Corp., Newmont Mining, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (New York City), Archer Daniels Midland Company (Decatur, Ill.), and Maker’s Mark (Loretto, Ky.).

DPC Names P.J. O’Rourke Winner of 2010 Damon Runyon Award

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I don’t know how Bruce Goldberg and the Denver Press Club does it year after year, but they have once again landed an impressive honoree for the DPC’s annual Damon Runyon award. This year’s winner is author and political satirist P.J. O’Rourke, who will be feted at a banquet in his honor on Friday, April 9, at the Denver Marriott City Center . Tickets are $100, or $80 for members of the DPC and PRSA Colorado (click here for tickets).

O’Rourke is the latest A-list winner of the award, and follows the likes of Jimmy Breslin, Mike Royko, Molly Ivins, Herb Caen, Pete Hamill, Ted Turner, Maureen Dowd, Tom Brokaw, David Halberstam, Ed Bradley, Carl Hiaasen, Seymour Hersh, George Will, Bob Costas, Tim Russert and last year’s winner, Rick Reilly.

Weise Adds New Client

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Weise Communications added Birmingham, Ala.-based Messerschmidt Safety Consulting (MSC) to its client roster. MSC provides traffic safety and forensic analysis, emergency response, and Motor Carrier Safety and Compliance consulting throughout the Southeastern U.S., as well as consulting and training services nationwide. Weise will manage public relations, media relations, marketing, branding and social media initiatives for the company.

104 West Adds Two Clients

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104 West Partners announced that is has added Mocapay and Intermap’s AccuTerra to its client roster. Boulder-based Mocapay offers a mobile wallet service that lets customers make payments with their gift and loyalty cards using their cell phone, and Englewood-based AccuTerra offers iPhone-based information ranging from mapping content to videos, educational content to 3D views of outdoor off-road recreation areas.

A Tribute to Joe Fuentes

~ Jeremy Story ~ 8 Comments

Doyle Albee at Metzger has written a moving tribute to his mentor and our friend Joe Fuentes, who is in a tough, tough battle with cancer. Chances are that you know – and love – Joe. He is a Denver media and public relations institution, having worked at the Rocky Mountain News, Coors, StorageTek and Xcel Energy, among others, over the course of his career. Joe was part of my communications team at StorageTek, and I was lucky to have him. I had never seen someone who so effectively combined charm and tenacity (and occasionally sheer stubbornness) to accomplish almost anything he put his mind to.

I had lunch with Joe shortly before his diagnosis, and he talked proudly about his kids and grandkids, about weddings and births, and vacations he loved taking with his wife Chris. He may be a great public relations practitioner, but he is an even better family man. Life can be cruel, and that someone as good and caring as Joe has cancer is proof of that.

You can send Joe a card at 10605 Osceola Loop, Westminster, CO 80031.

Linhart Edges GroundFloor in 2009 Net Fees

~ Jeremy Story ~ 4 Comments

Jack O’Dwyer may think he is clever by removing agencies that don’t pay him enough from his agency rankings, but I’m going to one up him. From now on, every time I mention an agency – regardless of whether they want me to – I am sending them an invoice for $50. Be warned.

And if you are interested in knowing where local agencies placed on the O’Dwyer’s list released today, here they are:

• 67 – Linhart PR – $2,760,555 – Down 3.7% from last year
• 72 – GroundFloor Media – $2,607,370 – Up 5.3% from last year
• 118 – Catapult IR/PR – $834,397 – Down 5.9% from last year

(Ka-ching. I just made $150.)

GBSM Seeks Entry-level PR Staffer

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GBSM is seeking “an exceptional professional to serve as senior executive assistant for our growing corporate communications, public relations and crisis management practice. The position requires one or two years experience in a PR agency, consulting firm or communications department. You must have absolutely superb organizational, administrative, research and project management skills. Responsibilities include all facets of principal support, scheduling, research and assessment, materials creation, contact management, social networking, conferences and events, distribution, community outreach, media relations, reporting and other areas.”

For consideration, send resume with cover letter directly to Steven Silvers at stevensilvers@gbsm.com. Put “Attn: New Staff Position” in the email subject line.

Post’s Svaldi Wins SABEW Award

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I have been tough on Denver Post business reporter Aldo Svaldi in the past for what must be the toughest job in town – reporting on the financials of your own paper. But today Svaldi deserves congratulations for his Society of American Business Editors and Writers award for best investigative project for large publications. Svaldi, along with colleague Miles Moffeit, won for their story investigating how state and federal regulator mistakes allowed Greeley’s New Frontier Bank to fail.

Chohan to Leave CBS4

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CBS4 general assignment reporter Raj Chohan is leaving the station to become a lawyer, according to Colorado Pols. Chohan will earn his J.D. degree from the University of Denver in May, and will join an as-yet unnamed national law firm’s Denver office. He also will continue to host Colorado Inside Out, KBDI/Channel 12’s weekly public affairs show.

Denver PR Jobs

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Among those hiring this week are Weise Communications, Boulder County, Colorado Health Foundation, Colorado Public Radio, Department of Veterans Affairs, ICF, National Cattleman’s Beef Association, NREL, University Physicians, International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse, FAA (Washington, D.C.), United States Agency for International Development (Washington, D.C.), Urban Land Institute (Washington, D.C.) and World Vision (Port-au-Prince, Haiti).