Whatever!?! Letter From Disney's Eisner: Worthy of 'War and Peace' Honor
Perhaps Walt Disney [DIS] CEO Michael Eisner thought readers would be armed with hankies, but we found his letter for the company's annual report (we accessed the letter on Jan. 5, 1998, on PR Newswire) excruciating to read.
The six-page letter was filled with so much nostalgia and droning that it sent up a red flag for us: we don't know if Eisner had his internal PR team read the letter, but we know shareholders are versed on all the good excuses about why things went unnoticed. Thus, we remind: CEO correspondence needs the same kind of PR triage that other company materials need. (Walt Disney, 818/560-5300)
On the Radar Screen: Laurie to Leave AT&T; One in a Series of UM Changes
Marilyn Laurie, executive VP of brand strategy and marketing communications at AT&T [T], will resign her position, effective April 1, 1998. Laurie's departure is just one of several upper-level exec changes at AT&T. Chairman and CEO C. Michael Armstrong came on board in the Fall.
Other recent high-tier moves include John Zeglis, who was named president and vice chairman; and Gail McGovern, who was laterally transferred from executive VP of the business markets division to executive VP of the consumer markets division. She was replaced by Jeff Weitzen, who was promoted from VP and general manager of the business arm McGovern previously headed.
Burke Stinson told PR NEWS last week (several days after Laurie sent a letter to cohorts and outsiders announcing her resignation from AT&T, where she's worked for 26 years) that the company is in the process of reconfiguring itself and the person who fills Laurie's slot will likely have some re-aligned job responsibilities.
AT&T, which is conducting a search to fill Laurie's position, plans on bringing in her replacement by Spring. (AT&T, 908/221-2062)
IR To the Rescue: Kulat Helps Sands Hotel With PR Surrounding Reorganization
Kulat Communications, Shrewsbury, N.J., is overseeing the external, internal and vendor communications surrounding Sands Hotel & Casino filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Rob Kulat said companies undergoing reorganization often resort to this kind of PR to keep the market calm and secure, and to be upfront about exit strategies. And Kulat said PR execs in the midst of this kind of transition phase can field as many as 200 media and analyst calls a day and clients can pay up to $10,000 a month for that kind of PR counsel as well as transformation strategies.
Kulat also worked in this realm with clients Kiwi Airlines, Newark; Trans World Entertainment, Albany; Merry-Go-Round, Baltimore; and Jamesway, Secaucus. (MGR and Jamesway are retailers that later liquidated their businesses.) (Rob Kulat, 732/219-5816)
Business Changes
Hill and Knowlton has signed a letter of intent for a joint venture with the China International Business & Investment Consultant Corp., a subsidiary of China's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation to strengthen H&K's ties in China; and Morgan & Myers Public Relations Counselors and Sargent & Potratz have signed a letter of intent to share office space, skills and clients.
S&P will move its Brookfield-based office to M&M's Jefferson location. (H&K, 213/966-5700; M&M, 920/674-4026)
New York-based LobsenzStevens has acquired Brody & Katz, a five-year-old cause-related marketing firm in Greenwich, Conn., and has consolidated the businesses. (LS, 212/684-6300)
West Glen Communications, Inc., a producer and distributor of PR video, has opened an office in San Francisco: 595 Market Street, Suite 2500, 94105; ph: 415/495-1455; fax: 415/495-1471. (West Glen, 212/921-2800)