Tag Archives: PR Newswire

Blog Notes: Design, Lifestyle, Travel & Medicine

Posted on March 25, 2013 by | 1 Comment

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Blog Notes is a weekly helping of blogs recently reviewed on PR Newswire for Bloggers. Would you like your blog reviewed? Tweet PR Newswire media relations manager Christine Cube at @PRN4Bloggers.

I find blogs everywhere. This blog candidate arrived by mail – a catalog from Design Within Reach. The content caught my eye pretty quickly. Then I noticed the blog URL. Design Notes is a look at beautiful architecture, stylish things, and interesting people. I also happen to appreciate the writing in this blog. The most recent piece posted by Gwendolyn Horton was on location with architect Michael P. Johnson. In the post, Johnson says, “One percent of buildings are architecture. The rest are just stuff.” Read the full review on PR Newswire for Bloggers here.

A Daily Pinch is a lifestyle blog written by “an over-achieving, list-making, gets it done gal.” The voice and brain behind it is Lisa Frame, a digital media strategist and community manager who manages the Toyota Women Influencers Network for the Clever Girls Collective, according to the blog. She’s been blogging since 2002. Her most recent post is entitled, Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer is My Life Analogy. “I’m not content to sit back and let life happen around or to me,” Frame says in her post.  Read the full review here.

Booked is the “random, specific and bemused” travel blog of Amy Welborn. One day, while pouring over upcoming writing assignments, Welborn decided she’d much rather be a travel blogger. So she started writing. Then she started traveling. And she kept on writing. It’s worth noting that this site is not a travel advice site. There aren’t many recommendations, either. This is rather an online repository for Welborn’s travels. She also doesn’t do pay for play. In her own words: ”What I won’t do – and you can depend on this – is do product-sponsored posts or reviews of items or accommodations that have been provided to me.  It is just not going to happen. You can trust that everything I experience here has been paid for by me.” Read the full review here.

The Doctor’s Tablet features “reflections from the frontlines of science and medicine.” It’s mostly written by faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University ”about what it’s like to be a physician in today’s rapidly changing world.” This includes the latest in biomedical research, medical education, and health policy, according to the blog. Editing the blog is a team of two: Paul Moniz, managing director of communications and marketing, and David Flores, social media manager. Read the full review here.

Christine Cube is a media relations manager with PR Newswire and freelance writer. You can follow her at @cpcube or see what’s happening over at @PRN4Bloggers.

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Inside PR Newswire: Meet Customer Content Services Manager Cathy Spicer

Posted on March 18, 2013 by | 2 Comments

The Grammar Hammer, who is also known to her friends as Cathy Spicer, is on vacation this week.   So while she’s away, we’re giving our readers a chance to know her better, in this edition of Inside PR Newswire.

cate fluteThe key to quieting the chatter in Cathy Spicer’s life is simple.

She picks up her flute.

“My outlet is music. It’s important to have a creative outlet to balance the work stress,” says Spicer, PR Newswire customer content services manager in Cleveland. “I’m always in such admiration of the people who play professionally because they’re so skilled and talented. It shows me just how much I have yet to learn.”

Spicer has been playing flute for 30 years. She especially loves duets and remains in awe of flutists who flawlessly play complicated pieces of music.

cate big flute

“I can appreciate the effort that goes into a person trying to master a piece of music,” she said. “You’re so focused on the music and what the next passage is going to be.”

This kind of focus and thinking also has benefitted Spicer in her PR Newswire life. In April, Spicer will celebrate her 18th year with the company.

Spicer started out as an assistant editor in the Cleveland office. It was her first big job out of college.

Today, she oversees an eight-person team that’s the primary contact with clients from the northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, with the exception of New York. Her team primarily handles the editing of news releases, and it manages customer calls to the PR Newswire 800 number.

The calls into that line cover the gamut: Billing questions, inquiries from new prospects, clients with an immediate release to send out, or clients with changes to make on a current release.

Spicer is incredibly proud of her group.

“They have good instincts,” she said. “They know our policies and procedures, and we have a lot of great resources around us. We work in a very collaborative environment.”

Spicer spent some time opening the PR Newswire office in Chicago, where she spent 10 years before moving back to Cleveland.

In addition to managing her team, Spicer also can be found immersed in social media.

Spicer is the new Grammar Hammer contributor on the PR Newswire Beyond PR blog. She’s also part of a three-person team that curates the @PRNcnsmr Twitter feed.

On Twitter, Spicer and her colleagues from Albuquerque tweet PR Newswire consumer-related content.  The feed currently boasts nearly 900 followers.

It’s a world she’s already pretty familiar with – Spicer also tweets and curates @ClevelandFlute for the Greater Cleveland Flute Society.

You could say music always has been a part of her family – her father was a newspaper publisher by day and a jazz player by night.

Cleveland features an impressive music scene with its Institute of Music, Cleveland Orchestra, and the Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College.

Spicer said she prefers to play with small groups. That’s why she joined the flute society.

“The trick is to play with people who are better than you,” she said. “You learn so much just paying attention with whom you’re playing.”

Cathy's venerable feline, Sid.

Cathy’s venerable feline, Sid.

When she puts down her flute, Spicer loves to cook. But she admits she’s not a great baker, which “requires a lot of precision.” She also has a 20-year-old cat named Sidney.

Christine Cube is a media relations manager for PR Newswire and freelance writer. You can follow her @cpcube.

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Media News and Moves for January

Posted on January 8, 2013 by | Leave a comment

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MEDIAware, PR Newswire’s Audience Research Department newsletter, features recent media news and job changes in the industry. Here is a sampling of this month’s edition:

Sporting News Editor Garry Howard (twitter.com/SN_GarryD) announced this Charlotte-based publication would go to a digital only format on January 1st and no longer print the publication. Their content will be available online, tablets,smartphones and via apps. The last issue printed by the venerable pub was a college football bowl guide. Sporting News is online at: www.sportingnews.com and on Twitter at: twitter.com/sportingnews

Clear Channel (www.clearchannel.com) has cut several employees in substantial layoffs that affect many of its clusters including Chicago and Detroit. Layoffs in Detroit include Frankie Darcell, the Afternoon Host at Urban Adult WMXD-FM; Morning Show Producer Jenna Cork; Afternoon Host Kristin Burns; and Weekend Host Danielle Car at Hot Adult Contemporary WNIC-FM; Website Program Director; and Afternoon Host Eric Chase at Sports station WDFN-AM. Layoffs in Chicago include at least four on-air positions and elimination of an unspecified number of positions in other areas.

A childhood memory for many Boston viewers, Dr. Timothy Johnson is retiring from the airwaves at year’s end. Johnson has been with WCVB-TV since its inception in 1972. He is currently Medical Editor at the ABC affiliate as well as Senior Medical Contributor to ABC News. He also provides on-air commentary for ABC programs, such as “World News,” “Nightline,” “20/20” and “Good Morning America.” Johnson has received many awards during his distinguished career.

A new architecture magazine is launching. Residential Building Products & Technology (residentialbuildingproducts.com), a digital magazine, is scheduled to publish in mid-January 2013. Nigel Maynard (www.twitter.com/products_hound) has been named its editor. He was previously Senior Editor at Residential Architect and Builder. Maynard can be emailed at nmaynard@lf.com.

Caribbean Travel + Life has ended publication. However, some of the articles it covered will be found in Bonnier Corporation’s sister publication, Islands Magazine. Islands (www.islands.com/magazine) will increase its frequency to 10 times per year and produce two Caribbean-themed issues in May and November. It will also publish regional editorial in each issue.

WZTV-TV Reporter Erika Lathon was the victim of a robbery at a Nashville ATM earlier in the year. Lathon was shot in the left arm despite handing over her money to the two robbers. Lathon was able to drive herself to a nearby hospital to be checked out following the incident and did not need to be admitted. Police are still investigating the robbery, which occurred at a well-lit ATM. Lathon has been a Reporter with the Fox affiliate for a dozen years. Well-wishes can be sent to her at elathon@fox17.com. The ongoing investigation can be followed on the station’s website at www.fox17.com and its Twitter account at www.twitter.com/wztv_fox17.

Anschutz Corporation buys The Gazette (www.gazette.com) in Colorado Springs, previously owned by 2100 Trust.

The Orange County Register (www.ocregister.com) recently introduced a new weekly automotive section called Wheels. Susan Carpenter joins the paper as the Auto Critic for the section. Follow Susan on Twitter at twitter.com/OCRcarpenter.

Hearst renegotiates its contract with San Francisco Chronicle (www.sfgate.com) printing company Transcontinental, saving Hearst about $30 million. The new contract will take effect January 1 2013 and will not expire until 2024.www.newsandtech.com/news/article_a43a769….

The National Journal (www.nationaljournal.com) annnounced a plan for their future and unfortunately that will include ten more layoffs. They are planning to streamline their newsroom into two groups: one working for members and the other working for digital. National Journal is on Twitter at: twitter.com/nationaljournal/

Conservative radio talk show host Laura Ingraham (www.lauraingraham.com and twitter.com/IngrahamAngle) is taking a break from her nationally syndicated talk show, The Laura Ingraham Show” on Talk Radio Network (www.trncorporate.com). She plans to return to the air at some point but not with Talk Radio Network.

Nexstar Broadcasting (www.nexstar.tv) has laid off 15 staffers at its newly acquired Salt Lake City stations KTVX-TV and KUCW-TV, according to The Salt Lake City Tribune. The Tribune also reports the station’s accounting, research and traffic departments have been eliminated and will be handled by other Nexstar sites. The stations were part of a 10 station package Nexstar bought as part of a deal with previous owner Newport Television.

You can view the whole January issue of MEDIAware here: www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/medi…

And all of the Regional Updates here: www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/medi…

You can also follow all of the latest media moves and news from PR Newswire’s Audience Research Department on Twitter at: twitter.com/PRNmedia

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Twitter, Social Media and PR: Stats & Tactics

Posted on November 15, 2010 by | 18 Comments
Lisa Buyer, Sean Jackson, Sarah Evans, Victoria Harres PR Newswire social media pubcon

The PubCon PR panel: (l-r) Lisa Buyer, Sean Jackson, Sarah Evans, Victoria Harres

Last week I was on a panel at PubCon Las Vegas 2010, “Twitter and Social Media from the PR Experts,” with some top-of-their-game folks: Sean Jackson of CopyBlogger Media, Lisa Buyer of the Buyer Group, and Sarah Evans of Sevans Strategy. None of us had connected before-hand on what we were each presenting and only the night before asked, but as it turned out (thanks to sheer luck) our presentations complimented each other so well that we’ve sworn we’re going to do a world tour with this panel. Stay tuned.  My passport is ready.

Here are some key stats and tactics from each presentation:

Sarah discussed how to identify story opportunities via social media and what to do with them. She told us how some quick and clever thinking when she was awakened by an earthquake in Chicago led to having her name and business mentioned in the New York Times. And it all started with some tweets. Sarah said, “We are all news producers now.” Her presentation told the story in images.

Sean gave us tons of statistics illustrating that the more successful Twitter accounts, like @Mashable, tweet mostly original content and very little @replies and retweets. He said that “Content matters. A steady stream of Twitter content is more important than follower interaction via @ replies.”

Mashable has about 3% @replies and 1% RTs. Interestingly, Chris Brogan’s hugely successful Twitter account does the opposite, he posts more than 60% @replies.

Lisa spoke of Twitter being your PR feed. She said to take your press release and “break it up:  quotes, stats, top news line, and link it back to the full press release on your site.”  Your tweets need to be part of your content strategy, she continued, and optimized with strategic keywords that can be picked up by Google and Bing.

As for me, I spoke about media relations and team tweeting for a brand. A key fact gathered by the PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey 2010: 58% of journalists have Twitter accounts, and they are using it to do research. Think of this as an opportunity to put your best foot forward and build relationships.

Find journalists and bloggers who write on topics you are interested in and follow their Twitter feeds, read the content they are talking about (especially articles they themselves wrote) and get a good understanding of their interests. Comment on their work. Offer tips when you can, but it certainly ‘should not’ always benefit you. When something you are promoting does fit their needs, you won’t be a stranger, you’ll be a trusted source.

Which brings us to team tweeting. At some point, most brands will have to address this as their Twitter accounts grow in following and function. Choose the right people who bring different perspectives and talents together and make sure everyone understands their role and the strategy clearly.

Think of your Twitter account as a publication. Each team member is an editor and someone should certainly be designated as publisher. The publisher makes sure that everyone stays on target with the overall strategy and can make critical decisions on handling potentially sensitive situations.

Each editor should have their own beat as it concerns content. @PRNewswire is a magazine to us. We provide content that we know our audience is interested in and we don’t veer into content that isn’t part of our editorial strategy. Each team member is clear on what their contribution to the overall content is.

For us, @PRNewswire is an opportunity to share valuable content and information, do media relations, interact with our clients and build community.

Authored by Victoria Harres, director of audience development for PR Newswire.

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