Screaming Media. Many journalists would rather endure root canals or extended lunches with Kathie Lee Gifford than have to call internal PR departments of huge
corporations. (Case in point, this reporter tried to get a publicist with a well-known computer manufacturer and kept getting bumped to customer service, which then dangled me on
hold for several minutes. I have to admit I did enjoy the orchestral version of Meatloaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light").
Good Humor-Breyers may have created something sweet: a toll-free hotline just
for journalists that dials into their PR agency of record, McDowell & Piasecki
Food Communications in Chicago. The operator on the other end (who answers the
phone saying it's the Breyers information hot line) can provide instant data
on industry trends, a corporate biography, nutritional facts, and even dessert
recipes for hungry journalists looking to concoct frosty treats. But they won't
send us ice cream - we tried that. (McDowell & Piasecki: Lisa Piasecki,
312/201-9101, [email protected].)
Radio Radio. A recent study from Dallas-based VNR-1 Communications says
8 in 10 radio stations with newsrooms use radio news releases with some regularity.
L.L. Phillips, manager of VNR's media relations department, helped craft the
study. The former news reporter says back in his days on the air, newsrooms
rarely, if ever, played sound from ready-made tapes. He attributes the new affection
for RNRs to the fact that newsrooms are more understaffed these days, as big
companies buy and consolidate the radio market.
Also, Phillips' study reveals 42 percent of the 132 stations that responded to the survey aren't even plugged into the Web - and therefore don't surf the Net to look for
stories. "Instead, they're tuning into police scanners, heading off to council meetings, and reading stories from the AP," Phillips says. "There's more focus on national
stories because they don't have as many resources to cover local news." (VNR-1: L.L. Phillips, 817/794-0555.) Latest Web Stats. The dot-com economy may be slowing
down, but people are hopping online faster than ever, according to the Pew Internet & Life Project. This is good news for PR folks pedaling dot-coms. The Washington-based
organization found the number of American adults with Web access grew from 88 million to 104 million in the second half of 2000. The study also reveals the so-called "digital
divide" is slowly closing. African-American Web users jumped 8 percent in the second half of 2000, Hispanic users jumped 7 percent. Web usage still remains skewed toward those with
money, however. Eighty-two percent of households earning more than $75,000 in annual income now have Internet access, as opposed to 38 percent of those earning less than $30,000.
(Pew Internet & Life Project: Lee Rainie, 202/296-0019.)