Grumpy Editor

Taxpayers to foot $20 million ObamaCare PR push

While the U.S. government over the years has run TV/radio public service announcements (PSAs) --- at no cost to taxpayers --- to inform or educate the public about an issue, now, in promoting ObamaCare, the public relations price tag to taxpayers will be $20 million, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Surprisingly, few newspapers this week mentioned the costly promotion. 

The Health and Human Services Department handed the task to global public relations firm Porter Novelli. 

Based in New York, the PR agency, part of the Omnicom Group international marketing communications firm, maintains 90 offices (13 in the U.S.) in 60 countries. 

What’s interesting about the assignment is that Porter Novelli co-founder (in 1972 with Jack Porter) is William Novelli, who retired in April, 2009 after eight years as AARP chief executive officer. 

His departure came at a time when AARP, representing 40 million people 50 and older, was running into unexpected PR problems with some members stemming from its stance backing what was to be labeled ObamaCare. 

“Health care reform is AARP’s top priority,” declared incoming AARP CEO A. Barry Rand in the July, 2009, AARP Bulletin.  “We simply can’t fix the economy without restructuring the delivery of health care, expanding access and cutting costs."

The lucrative ObamaCare account was being kept secret on the Porter Novelli website.  As of yesterday, no mention was made. 

However, the opening page noted in bold letters that Porter Novelli is “Named Top PR Agency in Spain.” 

The site described what Porter Novelli is all about: 

“Combining the power of immersion with the rigor of data, we create a deeper human insight that transforms the opinions, beliefs and behaviors of those who matter most to our clients.” 

That’s what probably moved HHS to sign the firm.

 

Cleveland casino debut grabs coverage by barring press

Veteran PR people have learned one way to grab heavy print/broadcast coverage for a client that is unveiling a product or facility:  bar reporters from the premises, finds Grumpy Editor. 

Latest example of that maneuver was at the opening of Ohio’s first casino. 

Sure enough. 

Associated Press worked up 16 paragraphs --- one of multiple stories --- from an outside view on the unveiling of Horseshoe Casino Cleveland last week. 

The story, plus AP art, included essential details on the $350 million project, 20 percent owned by Caesars Entertainment Corp., Las Vegas. 

AP writer Thomas J. Sheeran even worked in the line, “The media was (sic) barred from inside the casino.” 

From streetside, mentions were made of a “glitzy music video instead of the traditional ribbon cutting” projected on the casino’s facade, Las Vegas-style showgirls on scene, and, of course, about 2,100 slot machines and 63 table games awaiting gamblers inside.

But the media weren't able to check out the VIP lounge.

 

Air pass idea creates PR problem for American Airlines

An American Airlines marketing gimmick is turning into a major public relations problem for the carrier and its parent, AMR Corp., notes Grumpy Editor. 

The airline, starting in 1987 and through 2004, offered a lifetime AAirpass that, with a companion ticket, allowed unlimited travel at home and abroad for $350,000.  It attracted 66 people. 

Now, the carrier is focusing on ways to terminate the lifetime contracts. 

Steven Rothstein was one of the AA pass holders.  But the airline snatched his lifetime pass, saying it was due to fraudulent activity --- booking flights under fake names if he didn’t know who his companion would be for the trips. 

He filed a lawsuit but a federal judge ruled against him.  The case is being appealed. 

In the meantime, Rothstein has been making the media rounds, including an appearance Monday night on Fox News’ “On the Record” with Greta Van Susteren.  It followed an ABC News interview and a New York Post piece.  In far-off Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald last Thursday picked up a lengthy Los Angeles Times story on the revoked pass saga. 

Such negative news is not exactly what AMR, which filed for bankruptcy protection last November, seeks in the competitive air travel world. 

As Rothstein told ABC:  “AA signed a contract, and a contract’s a contract.”

 

Publicist’s nightmare: Ex-Sen. Specter barks at KTCN host

What makes a day rough for a book publicist is for a book-plugging author to get nasty during a live radio interview in which the host is called “absolutely insulting,” as was the case Monday when former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter appeared on a Twin Cities station, finds Grumpy Editor.

Specter, making the rounds promoting “Life Among the Cannibals” published by Thomas Dunne Books at St. Martin’s Press, made it to Jason Lewis, a conservative talk show host at KTCN (a Clear Channel Communications station in Minneapolis that prefers to be identified as News/Talk 1130), when he let loose with an outburst near the close of an interview.

“I have one final comment,” said Specter who turned Democrat from Republican in April 2009. “I gave you 10 minutes. You’ve been over every subject except for my book. I’ve listened to two rounds of your commercials. I think it’s insulting. I’ve been in a lot of interviews in the course of the past 30 years and you are absolutely insulting.”

Lewis fired back with:  “Good God. This is not public radio. I don’t have a government grant. We’ve got to pay the bills.  They’re called commercials. Capitalism.”

Replied Specter:  “I’m talking about someone who’s civilized. I told you the last time around I wasn’t going to sit around and listen to your commercials, and I didn’t want to hang up on you. This is no way for anybody to run an interview. I’m as experienced as you are, if not more so.”

The call wrapped up with Specter saying, “That’s all I have to tell you, so goodbye.”

Lewis countered, “Good Lord, senator, no wonder you got beat.” 

 

Check these PR words, phrases that make editors grunt

For some public relations folks who like to use fluffy words in news releases that are sure to make editors grunt, a former newspaper business editor reminds them of some terms to avoid, notes Grumpy Editor. 

The words and phrases to shun list comes from Tom Gable, founder and head of San Diego-based Gable PR and former business editor of the San Diego Tribune. (The Tribune merged with the San Diego Union to become the San Diego Union-Tribune until a name change last month to U-T San Diego.) 

Gable also is the author of The PR Client Service Manual that helps public relations agencies or in-house PR staffs plan, organize and manage for results. 

In a byliner on public relations tactics in the February issue of a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) publication, Gable cites these offenders sure to irritate editors: 

Best-of-breed, customer-centric, cutting edge, end-to-end, epic, excited, first mover, flexible, innovate, leader, leading edge, leading provider, leverage, market leading, mission critical, new and improved, new paradigm, next generation, outside the box, robust, scalable, seamless, solutions, state-of-the-art, synergy, thrilled, turnkey, unique, value-added, well-positioned and world class. 

As an example of output from what he calls a “lazy writer,” Gable gives this example: 

“XYZ Corp., the leading provider of best-of-breed, seamless solutions in the lug nut industry, announced the introduction of a new and improved version of its next generation hexagonal wrench today.

“We are excited to be the first mover in the introduction of this unique, cutting edge, customer-centric tool in this robust global market,” said Alonzo McSchwartz, CEO. “We are thrilled about our epic achievement and the out-of-the box thinking from our world class engineering team that led to this new paradigm in high-tech closure management solutions.”

Such material is sure to make the wastebasket, not the front page.

 

Dickens’ 200th birthday grabs much print space this week

 

U.S. writers struggling to get their fiction or non-fiction books recognized in these competitive times undoubtedly wished they had the same “PR team” that grabbed much newspaper editorial space this week for Charles Dickens, the English novelist born 200 years ago on Feb. 7, observes Grumpy Editor.

Not exactly in PR, but getting the word out with lengthy stories about Dickens and his works, was Associated Press. 

Despite the usual tight editorial space on Mondays, newspapers on Feb. 6 ran a long AP report on Philadelphia marking the 200^th birthday of the novelist from the Victorian period.  It was accompanied by an AP photo of a 12-year-old boy placing a wreath on the head of a bronze statue of Dickens in Clark Park on Sunday. 

The Philadelphia story, by Kathy Matheson, mentioned that the British author, who died in June, 1870, visited the City of Brotherly Love only twice --- in 1842 and 1868. 

Then, for yesterday’s newspapers, AP writer Jill Lawless came up with another long Dickens celebration story, this time from London.  It was bolstered by an AP photo of Britain’s Prince Charles, with his wife and dignitaries on hand, laying a wreath on Dickens’ grave in London’s Westminster Abbey. 

Dickens, with wide popularity and fame extending through the years, was noted for characters that continue to be known by millions worldwide. 

Among them:  Oliver Twist, Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim.

Scrooge, a principal in "A Christmas Carol," was considered the most popular Dickens character.

 

 

Missouri mystery: Neighborhood garage door openers fail

Radio-controlled garage door openers at five homes on the same St. Louis area street are not working, causing frustrated residents --- after checking a number of possible frequency conflicts --- to call on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the phenomenon, notes Grumpy Editor. 

But seeking an FCC investigation may take some time.  The government agency these days is more concerned with broadband spectrums that keep smart phones operating. 

Such an unusual matter in earlier days would see the FCC on scene on the day a complaint comes in. 

The problem, surfacing in late December, obviously stems from interference from a stronger source on or close to the same frequency that the garage doors operate. 

With the case of the “clash of radio frequencies,” the affected automatic door openers utilize low power at 315 megahertz.  Now that is close to some Defense Department transmissions that use the 380 to 399.9 MHz spectrum, usually with high power. 

Adding to the mix are a number of wireless gadgets.

Growing in use are so-called “smart meters” being installed by utilities around the country.  But the data they transmit wirelessly flow through the higher 450 to 470 MHz and 902 to 928 MHz frequencies. 

Thus, solving the mysterious “radio frequency collision” affecting homes in the St. Louis area provides an excellent opportunity for a publication or a broadcasting company to dispatch electronic experts to the scene to perform a public service and reap national publicity.

And to cue in the FCC.

 

All eyes on Punxsutawney Phil for ‘weather outlook’

Despite heavy election year news, look for Punxsutawney (Pa.) Phil to grab front page space in many newspapers following the appearance of the “weather forecasting” groundhog tomorrow, predicts Grumpy Editor. 

With a flock of note-taking media in attendance, Phil’s Groundhog Day weather outlook may be fuzzy, however. 

If he leaves his burrow and fails to see his shadow, according to lore, that means winter will end soon, but if the woodchuck casts a shadow, then it looks like winter will continue for six more weeks. 

The official weather forecast indicates Phil’s predictions this year may be confusing.  Clouds and sun are in the Feb. 2 morning forecast. 

Thus, if Phil emerges under cloud cover, that indicates a quick end to winter.  But if he pops out with the sun breaking through the clouds, then winter, according to Phil, is expected to extend through mid-March --- on a day when the official forecast for low temperature is 27 degrees. 

Phil is treated as Punxsutawney’s ace "public relations person" --- which he is.   He gains much attention for the town with a population of about 6,000.

As such, the famous rodent resident is housed in better-than-a-burrow quarters at Groundhog Zoo at Punxsutawney Memorial Library.

 

Most media miss Carnival Corp. as Costa Concordia owner

Many print/broadcast reporters have been confused over ownership of the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia that ran aground with 4,234 people on board Friday night off Giglio island, 18 miles off Italy’s central west coast, observes Grumpy Editor.

The 114,500-ton, 952-foot-long Italian-built ship, in service five and a half years, hit an object (possibly a rock) that caused a 160-foot gash in its hull, sending water gushing into the vessel.  It rolled over in shallow water.  

Passengers described the resulting confusion as reminiscent of the Titanic. 

The ship was near capacity, with 4,234 people, including about 1,100 crew, on board. 

Death toll reached five with 29 missing. 

While most print and broadcast reports identified the ship as being Italian, run by Genoa-based Costa Cruises, actual owner is New York Stock Exchange-listed Carnival Corp. & plc, the world’s largest cruise ship operator, with dual headquarters in Miami and London. 

Along with Costa, the company owns Carnival Cruise Lines, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line among others, with a fleet of 101 ships.  Another 10 ships are scheduled for delivery by March 2016. 

Costa Cruises operates 15 ships. 

Corporate public relations people will be very busy in the days ahead. 

"This is a PR nightmare for the Costa brand," said Jaime Katz, equity analyst from investment research company Morningstar in Chicago, Reuters reported. 

The stricken vessel was one of Carnival Corp.’s key assets in the lucrative European cruise market.

 

PR route to grabbing editors’ attention: bosom insurance

One certain method for entertainers’ public relations representatives to grab editorial space and broadcast mentions is to trumpet their clients’ key body parts are being insured for $1 million, notes Grumpy Editor. 

It has worked for more than half a century. 

Latest to stir up editors’ interest via that route was Holly Madison. 

The star of “Peepshow,” a Las Vegas production, recently insured her breasts for $1 million with Lloyd’s of London.  “I thought I’d cover my assets,” explained the former “Girls Next Door” star and a Hugh Hefner ex. 

But Madison wasn’t the first to insure the bosom. 

Way back in 1955, burlesque performer Tempest Storm, still active in show business today, did the same thing. 

Calling her breasts “moneymakers,” that part of her anatomy also was insured for $1 million. 

To assure accuracy with the Lloyds of London policy, the stripper’s PR people at a news conference invited media in attendance to confirm her size with a tape measure. 

Editors were delighted with the reporting --- and photos. 

Over the years, Lloyd’s of London has insured other past and present show business folks’ body parts. 

Among them:  Jimmy Durante’s nose, Celine Dion’s vocal cords and Tina Turner’s legs.