- Fake News: It took time to finalize, but the Arthur W. Page Center has named its initial Icons of Integrity,
Ann Barkelew
Founding GM,
Senior Partner, FleishmanHillard
Denise Bortree, Director, The Arthur W. Page Center the Center’s counter to fake news (PRNP, Dec. 12, 2016). Alan Murray, Fortune magazine editor; Ann Barkelew, founding GM, senior partner, FleishmanHillard; and Dick Martin, former EVP, PR, AT&T, will be feted Feb. 22 in NYC. “We see it as a night to celebrate the value of integrity in what many are calling a post-truth society,” Denise Bortree, Center director and associate professor of advertising/PR at Penn State, tells us. Adds Center advisor and former Johnson & Johnson communications head Bill Nielsen, it will be a “time to stand up for the importance of truth and integrity in public communication.” Amen.
- News Bits: So much for the long tail of PR crises. Well, sort of. Since the early 1960s, the top-selling auto in Sweden has been, predictably, a model from the country’s hometown hero, Volvo. No longer. Despite the diesel emissions mess, a Volkswagen vehicle, Golf, overtook Volvo entries to become Sweden’s top-selling model in 2016. In 1962, the last time a non-Volvo model topped the chart in Sweden, it was VW’s Beetle. Still, Volvo led overall car sales in Sweden in ’16; VW was second. Another brand supposedly in trouble is Samsung, whose messy recall of its Galaxy Note 7 mobile phone late last year cost at least $5 billion. Even the replacement phone Samsung issued, like the original Note 7, literally caught fire (PRNP, Oct. 10, 2016). Still Samsung predicted Jan. 6 that Q4 profits would be their best in the past three years. The explanation, The Wall St Journal says, is that Samsung, years ago, wisely invested in display screens and semiconductors. Samsung parts now are must-haves for rival phone makers, such as Apple. Still, not all is rosy for these brands. The Galaxy Note 7 fiasco hurt Samsung’s otherwise strong profits. As for VW, dieselgate is far from over. For example, a court in S. Korea Jan. 6 sentenced a local VW exec to 18 months in prison for falsifying emissions documents.
- Early Warning? When news of Wells Fargo’s crisis hit early in September 2016, we quoted a source who told us “everyone” in retail banking does a version of phony accounts. Maybe. A new report from the Comptroller of the Currency says it’s looking at other (unidentified) banks for making like Wells Fargo. “We are basically at this stage assessing how the banks that we’ve identified are dealing with similar issues that occurred with Wells Fargo,” says Thomas Curry, comptroller of the currency. Let’s hope bank communicators have prepared their crisis plans.
- People: Remaining on the culture circuit, Ken Weine is departing the NY Public Library after four years as chief communicator to join the Metropolitan Museum of Art as CCO. A lawyer, Weine will report to the
Jean Medina, VP, Corporate Communications, Exelon Met’s president. He replaces Elyse Topalian, a 30-year Met veteran who will take a buyout. – Who says taxes aren’t fun? The audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG named Samsung’s former communications chief in N. America Andrew Bowins executive director, corporate reputation and digital engagement, a newly created post. Reporting to the CCO, Bowins will integrate “digital and social media with traditional” media to tout “KPMG’s culture and reputation as an innovator, a great place to work and a corporate citizen,” the firm says. Attached to the Bowins release was a photo of his team, casually dressed, with the caption: “The newly formed and fun-loving corporate reputation and digital engagement team.” – Hold the music. Country Music Association’s VP, corporate communications Wendy Pearl is leaving after 17 years to start Wendy Pearl Public Relations, the Nashville Business Journal reports. – We’re always happy when good people do well. That’s the case with Fox Network Group’s SVP, communications Scott Grogin, a class act who’s been named communications chief at CBS Television Distribution (TVD). He will report to Paul Franklin, president of CBS TVD. Grogin is well known to TV press for his 15 years of service at Fox. He succeeds another TV good guy, John Wentworth, who announced his retirement in September. – Energy heavyweight Exelon named Jean Medina VP, corporate communications. She’ll report to Maggie FitzPatrick, SVP, corporate affairs & philanthropy. Medina replaces Judy Rader, who becomes VP, communications, Exelon Generation. – Sad news from SF where longtime political PR pro Donald Solem has passed at 74 from lung cancer. Among his many PR contributions were his listening skills and use of voter data, well before the computer age. He advised clients, including George Lucas, from his firm Solem and Associates, founded in 1976. – Disney PR legend Charlie Ridgway, former media chief at Disney’s theme parks, died Christmas Eve, aged 93. A beloved figure who maintained a childlike curiosity and enthusiasm, Ridgway anchored media relations at the parks for some 40 years.