Industry Buzz
FH Lands Drug Czar Contract
Fleishman-Hillard International landed a biggie this week - a $9.4 million contract to help The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy implement a comprehensive anti-drug youth education campaign.
The contract comes with four option years. A total of $2 billion has been earmarked for the campaign. Two additional firms will be selected to handle advertising and corporate involvement. (Steve Panton, White House, 202/395-6618; Emily Pardo, FH, 202/659-0330)
Strategic Alignment
Medialink and broadcast.com have forged a new agreement to provide video and audio services on the Internet. Under terms of the agreement, Medialink will provide video and audio production to create webcasts of PR events for broadcast.com customers and broadcast.com will stream the tapes produced by Medialink for radio and television to Internet audiences.
Former MTV Director of Online Development Christopher Rywelski was hired as the new Association VP and Director of Internet Services for the venture. (Ari Osur, Medialink, 212/682-8300)
On the Radar ScrEen
The Book on Hill & Knowlton
New in the aisles of Barnes and Noble is "The Voice of Business: Hill & Knowlton and Postwar Public Relations" by Karen S. Miller, University of Georgia assistant professor of public relations and media history.
"This study of Hill & Knowlton, the pioneering PR firm, shrewdly asses what public relations can and cannot do," writes Richard M. Fried, University of Illinois at Chicago on the dustjacket.
Using a series of case studies, Miller examines how H & K sought to shape public discourse, political debate and news media content on behalf of its giant clients, including Procter & Gamble, Texaco and Gillette, with combined sales representing 10 percent of the U.S. GNP. Miller shows how H & K implemented its strategic two-part m ission: to influence public discussion about issues important to its clients and to educate Americans about big business.(Emily Walker, 919/966-3561 ext. 244 )
Attracting Minorities to PR Careers
The first of 10 scholarships will be awarded in Fall 1999 to ethnic minority students planning careers in communications or business administration fields, according to the newly formed LaGrant Foundation. Only eight percent of public relations professionals are minorities, according to the Foundation. "The basic premise of [the Foundation] is to provide scholarship education support, career advisement, mentors and internships to people of color, says president Kim L. Hunter. College students studying public relations, journalism, marketing and advertising or related programs are eligible to apply. (Keisha Manns, 323/469-8680)
Words from the Top
Recent speeches delivered by top company CEOs will be reprinted in the new quarterly publication, Chief Executive Speeches.
The debut edition features substantive addresses by the head honchos of Allstate, Chevron, Intel, and a handful of other corporations, and is available in PDF format at http://www.tpag.org, the Web site of the Public Affairs Group (PAG). "It is our intent to share the best speeches of business leaders so that the best minds can learn from each other," says Edie Fraser, PAG president and CEO. (Emily Walker, 919/966-3561 ext 244)