Month: May 2011

CPR News Team Recognized by Colorado AP Broadcasters Assoc.

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Congratulations to the Colorado Public Radio news team, which won two first place and two second place awards at the Colorado Associated Press Broadcasters Association (CAPBA) annual awards event. “Colorado Matters” Host Ryan Warner and reporter Megan Verlee won first-place awards, and health reporter Eric Whitney and reporter Zachary Barr picked up second-place awards.

“We’re honored by CAPBA’s recognition of our new team’s achievements,” said CPR Vice President of Programming Sean Nethery. “Winning these awards helps reaffirm that we are fulfilling our mission to inform and educate listeners through in-depth local news coverage.”

Denver Public Relations Moves

~ Jeremy Story ~ 1 Comment
  • Colorado Public Radio hired Jerry Brown as public relations manager. Brown replaces Lana Jefferson Taussig, who relocated to Nashville. CPR also hired Ben Markus as a general assignment reporter. Markus previously was with Hawaii Public Radio.
  • The Denver Museum of Nature & Science added Charlotte Hurley as public relations coordinator. Hurley previously was with Turner PR.
  • Armada Medical Marketing hired Amanda Brownlie as public relations account manager. Brownlie has worked primarily with orthopedic and internal medicine practices, as well as most recently with a health care consulting firm specializing in business intelligence.

Turner Wins One, Hires One

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Turner PR has added Sandos Hotels & Resorts to its portfolio of hotel clients. Turner will provide strategic bilingual media relations for two of the growing hotel company’s Mexico properties including the Sandos Caracol Eco Resort & Spa and Sandos Playacar Beach Resort & Spa. Turner also announced that it has hired Ashley Cothran as an account executive. Cothran previously was with Aiello Public Relations and Marketing.

You Can’t Spell ‘Sinister Evil Plot’ Without ‘PR’

~ Jeremy Story ~ 2 Comments

Are ethically challenged former journalists corrupting us virtuous public relations practitioners? And are political campaign-style dirty tricks becoming more commonplace in corporate public relations campaigns? Journalist Tom Foremski investigates scratches the surface.

UPDATE: GroundFloor Media’s Gil Rudawsky, a former Rocky Mountain News editor, argues that “all of us in PR will pay for (the Facebook/Google/Burson debacle) with a sustained black eye and a loss of credibility.”

DU Seeking PR Experts for Portfolio Reviews

~ Jeremy Story ~ 1 Comment

The University of Denver’s Department of Media, Film and Journalism Studies is seeking a few experienced public relations practitioners to conduct an interview and portfolio review of DU students enrolled in a PR seminar course. The PR practitioners will review the students’ resumes, portfolios and interview skills, as well as provide critiques to help students prepare for real world job interviews. It is a good chance to identify potential interns (Weber Shandwick snagged two of the students last semester).

The reviews will take place next Tuesday, May 17, starting at 5 p.m. If you are interested in participating, please email Michelle Honald at DU.

Volume PR Sues Medical Marijuana Client

~ Jeremy Story ~ 5 Comments

Goddamn pot-smoking hippies. There’s always money for a dime bag or a can of Pringles, but ask them to pay an invoice and its all, “Dude, chillax. We’ll hook you up when we can.” Or maybe it’s not like that at all. I’m just guessing based on the lawsuit filed against Greenway University by Denver’s Volume PR, parent company of the nation’s “first and only business development and public relations firm exclusively focused on the medical marijuana industry.” If you are interested, the case was filed in Denver County (#11CV1119).

Denver PR Jobs

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Among those hiring this week are the Boulder Jewish Community Center, Colorado Christian University, the Colorado Hospital Association, Eaton Corporation, EBags, Jeppesen, onTarget Jobs, Outreach United Resource Center, The American Herbal Products Association, Ubee Interactive, Waste Management, Xcel Energy, KRDO NewsChannel 13 (Colorado Springs), and the University of the Rockies (Colorado Springs).

Dovetail Supporting UCH’s Expansion PR

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

The team at Dovetail Solutions is handling the public relations for the University of Colorado Hospital’s groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate its $400 million expansion. The expansion will include a second inpatient 12-story tower, increased patient care facilities to the Anschutz Cancer Pavilion and new parking structures for patients, visitors and employees. The entire project is scheduled to be complete by 2013.

Fox31’s Hubbard Returning to Denver

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Former Fox31 anchor and Westword “Best Hair on a Male Anchor” winner Jeremy Hubbard is returning to Denver following a stint at ABC’s overnight “World News Now.” Hubbard will co-anchor the 7 pm newscast on KWGN-2 and the 10 pm newscast on Fox31.

“My wife and I have a new baby, seven-month-old Charlie, and we can’t wait to raise him in Denver…the greatest city in America,” said Hubbard.

(Hat Tip: Denver Media Watch)

Webb PR Dominates 2011 PRSA Gold Pick Awards

~ Jeremy Story ~ 7 Comments

You have to hand it to Pete Webb. His team either does really good work or they really know how to fill out an award nomination (I’m guessing both). Webb PR was the big winner at last night’s PRSA Colorado Gold Pick Awards. Using the proprietary and highly sophisticated Denver PR Blog formula to determine which organizations fared best (two points for a gold, one point for a silver), the results are:

1. Webb PR (13 points) – Six gold, one silver
2. Linhart (pronounced “len-hahrt”) (6 points) – Three gold
2. Pure Brand (6 points) – Two gold, two silver
4. Denver Art Museum (5 points) – One grand gold, one gold, one silver
4. Philosophy Communication (5 points) – One gold, three silver
6. CSG|PR (4 points) –  Two gold
6. Colorado State University (4 points) – Two gold
8. GroundFloor Media (3 points) – One gold, one silver
8. JKD & Company (3 points) – One gold, one silver
8. JohnstonWells (3 points) – One gold, one silver
11. 104 West (2 points) – One gold
11. Carmichael Lynch Spong (2 points) – One gold
11. Children’s Hospital (2 points) – One gold
11. MWH (2 points) – One gold
11. MGA (2 points) – Two silver
11. Pinnacol Assurance (2 points) – Two silver
17. Bonfils Blood Center (1 point) – One silver
17. Cohn Marketing (1 point) – One silver
17. Dovetail Solutions (1 point) – One silver
17. First Data (1 point) – One silver
17. Galloway Group (1 point) – One silver
17. Kirshner Communications (1 point) – One silver
17. University of Denver (1 point) – One silver
17. Vail Resorts (1 point) – One silver

Also, congratulations to the big award winners:

• Denver Art Museum’s “Rolling Out the Gold Carpet: King Tut’s Denver Debut” (Grand Gold Pick Award)
• Mitchell Communications’ Sydney Ayers (Swede Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award)
• Bonfils Blood Center President & CEO Tom Puckett (Business Person of the Year)
• MGA’s Raquel Fuentes, Sarah Rasmussen and Jennifer Watson (PR Team of the Year)
• Linhart’s Quinn Kelsey (Joe Fuentes Rookie of the Year Award)
• CL Orwig & Associates’ Cherie Orwig (Chapter Service Award)

Boom Broadcast Hires Lienhart

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Boom Broadcast, a specialty provider of broadcast public relations services, has hired Wendy Levi Lienhart as media relations specialist. Lienhart’s 25-year public relations career includes stints with Hill and Knowlton and Grant/Jacoby Public Relations servicing a wide range of clients such as Microsoft, Quaker Oats, Miles Inc. Diagnostics Division, Searle, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Kraft, World Book, Exxon, Pepsi and Kodak.

JMU Names Tracy Weise Alumna of the Year

~ Jeremy Story ~ 3 Comments

A shout-out to Weise Communications president and co-founder Tracy Weise, who was named the Alumna of the Year by the James Madison University School of Communication Studies.

Weise is a founding member of the James Madison University School of Communication Studies Alumni Advisory Council, and the award recognizes her leadership with the council and her ongoing support for the nationally recognized public relations program offered at JMU.

Cohn Marketing Snags Five BMA Awards

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Congratulations to Cohn Marketing, which picked up five Business Marketing Association Colorado awards at the organizations 2011 ceremony. The awards were for:

  • “Best Creative of the Year”
  • Gold Key for B2B Self-Promotion
  • Gold Key for Social Media: Facebook Page/Tab
  • Gold Key for Product Literature/Collateral Material: Product-Specific or Service-Specific Brochures or Catalogs
  • Silver Key for Public Relations: Single PR Effort

Linhart Named Denver COC Small Biz of the Year

~ Jeremy Story ~ 1 Comment

Congratulations to Linhart PR, which today was named the 2011 Small Business of the Year by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes small businesses with fewer than 100 employees for their outstanding business practices, community involvement, entrepreneurship, sustainability and productivity.

To select finalists, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce required small businesses to submit an application about their management philosophy and workplace practices. Then, a team of business leaders conducted on-site interviews and visits of each finalist, which included Linhart, blue onion and Lake Arbor Automotive.

PRSA Starts Book Club for Young Professionals

~ Jeremy Story ~ 1 Comment

Colorado PRSA’s Young Professional Development Committee has started a book club for young PR pros. To kick off the club, we will be reading fashion PR publicist Kelly Cutrone’s If You Have to Cry, Go Outside And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You.

“Known to those in the industry as the founder of People’s Revolution, Cutrone will be remembered to some as the tough boss to Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port on MTV’s The Hills. The book catalogs both her personal and professional successes.  Her advice is applicable for those in every business.  Helpful tips include: phone calls are better than emails, don’t blog about your job, and go outside to cry.”

The club will meet on the last Tuesday of each month. The first meeting is Tuesday, May 31, at 6 pm at Paris on the Platte. RSVP to haleyhennes@gmail.com.

‘Now Revolution’ Author Naslund to Speak in Denver, Boulder

~ Jeremy Story ~ 2 Comments

Amber Naslund, nationally known communication and business strategist, vice president of Social Strategy for Radian6 and author of The Now Revolution, will be giving two Colorado presentations: Denver (May 12) and Boulder (May 13).

Naslund’s appearances — her first-ever in Colorado — are being hosted by the Mile High Social Media Club (MHSMC), Metzger Associates, PRSA Colorado and Redhead Writing.

At each event, Naslund will address the “Seven Shifts To Make Businesses Faster, Smarter & More Social.” Attendees will learn how to:

  • Strip away silos and overgrown business processes and create a culture of NOW;
  • Hire and empower a new type of employee who is adept at pattern recognition, human relations, and immediate analysis;
  • Organize internal teams for maximum external impact, and empower every employee as a marketer, even if they aren’t;
  • Listen at the point of need and answer the social telephone;
  • Travel the “Humanization Highway” and respond effectively and persuasively to customer inquiries;
  • Plan for, find and manage real-time crises; and,
  • Redesign success metrics in a business world that’s increasingly instantaneous.

The cost for the event is $25 ($20 for PRSA members and students with valid student ID). All participants will receive a copy of Naslund’s book The Now Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social.

5280 to Honor Denver Magazine Subscriptions

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

If you were wondering who was the winner in 5280’s recent acquisition of Denver Magazine, you can stop. It was 5280. Despite press releases touting print runs of 50,000 copies, Denver Magazine only had 3,000 paid subscribers. The remaining copies were dumped at local hotels and businesses. Here’s guessing 5280’s Dan Brogan got the deal of a lifetime. So much so that he has agreed to fulfill existing Denver Magazine subscriptions with 5280 issues as a goodwill gesture.

Bawmann Group Announces Six New Clients

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Denver’s economy must be improving because the wins keep coming. This week, it’s The Bawmann Group announcing it has added six new clients: Everest University Online; Tri-County Health Department’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work Initiative; C. Jean Stewart LLC; The Center for Effective Interventions at Metropolitan State College of Denver; Cutarelli Vision; and the campaign to promote Advancing Colorado’s Mental Health Care sponsored by four of Colorado’s leading foundations — The Denver Foundation, The Colorado Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust and Caring for Colorado.

True Enough: The Second Age of PR

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Columbia Journalism Review examines the state of communications and concludes that “the muscles of journalism are weakening and the muscles of public relations are bulking up—as if they were on steroids … the dangers are clear.”

“As PR becomes ascendant, private and government interests become more able to generate, filter, distort, and dominate the public debate, and to do so without the public knowing it. ‘What we are seeing now is the demise of journalism at the same time we have an increasing level of public relations and propaganda,’ (author Robert) McChesney said. ‘We are entering a zone that has never been seen before in this country.’ ”

Colorado Tourism Office Selects NY Firm for PR Work

~ Jeremy Story ~ 6 Comments

Bad news if you were chasing the Colorado Tourism Office’s public relations/social media account. It went to New York-based MMG Mardiks, which has had the account since 2006.

“Over the past four years, we have developed an innovative, buzz- and business-building PR program in partnership with the Colorado Tourism Office,” said Charles Mardiks, managing director, MMG Mardiks. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to build on this momentum and to continue to showcase this great state” that I fly over regularly on the Virgin Atlantic JFK-LAX redeye.