It’s amazing how clearly you can see things in hindsight. Like media bias, for instance. During the 22 years I worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, if you had told me the media were biased, I’d have wanted to arm-wrestle you. But here we are, 12 years later. In the column I wrote for Bulldog Reporter… Read More
How to Interview
Crisis management: Learn from the best
Crisis manager Jonathan Bernstein, one of the very best in the business, has been teaching companies how to get out of trouble—or stay out of it—for more than 20 years. Today, he’s dealing with the most unusual crisis he’s ever seen. In an email message this afternoon to subscribers of his electronic newsletter, he writes: “I am probably,… Read More
Mr. Shell Oil, wipe that smile off your face
Whoever trained Shell Oil President John Hofmeister on how to do media interviews, particularly on TV, forgot to tell the client that when discussing high gasoline prices, don’t smile and look like you’re having a good time. On “Meet the Press” this morning, Hofmeister had an ear-to-ear grin on his face while he was answering Tim Russert’s questions… Read More
TV talk show guest wannabes make these critical mistakes
Here are the biggest mistakes people make when they pitch TV talk show producers. They pitch a producer whose name they added to their Rolodex four years ago, but they haven’t contacted the producer since then. They contact the wrong producer at the show and don’t know who’s the correct one for their topic. The lead the… Read More
Radio talk show guests have two more items to add to their pre-show checklist
Publicity Hound Carol White of RLI Press in Wilson, Oregon adds to last week’s item about things to do before you do your stint as a guest on a radio talk show. “I’ve had some similar bone-head incidents,” she says. They include: “While doing an hour-long NPR show in Dallas, TX (we were in Hawaii!)… Read More
Radio talk show guests need checklist of things to do before the show begins
I just got off the phone with Pam Newman, who interviewed me for one hour on her program “Unlocking the Secrets of Your Small Business” on Hot Talk 1510 AM Radio in Kansas City about how small business people can generate free publicity. I called in about 5 minutes before the hour, as instructed, then listened… Read More
Dole shrivels by not responding to ‘Dateline’ story on bagged lettuce
Dole, the world’s largest producer and marketer of fresh vegetables, is hiding behind its attorneys, while a scathing report on tonight’s “Dateline” most likely will send sales of its bagged lettuce heading south. Attorneys apparently told the company not to allow executives to be interviewed for the story on how at least 26 people in three states have gotten sick after eating Dole bagged lettuce… Read More
Gossip columnists tell what happens when celebrity publicists say ‘no comment’
When the gossip mags are tracking down a rumor about a celebrity, how do they know when they’ve struck gold? When they call the celebrity’s publicist, and the publicist says “no comment.” O’Dwyer’s Public Relations News, which covered a panel of celebrity gossip columnists at Dillon’s Lounge in New York recently, quotes Jo Piazza, a columnist for the Daily News.… Read More
Talk radio shows can help you promote your product, service, cause or issue
Smart Publicity Hounds listen to talk radio and use every chance to promote their product, service, cause or issue on a show—whether it’s national shows like Howard Stern or Sean Hannity or the rinky-dink shows in your own community. So there I was on Saturday afternoon, driving to the supermarket near my home for a… Read More
Questions reporters ask might be offbeat, unexpected
I’m going to ask you three questions and I want you to take as much time as you need to think about each one before you answer. Here we go: —If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be? And why? —If you were on a desert island, what three… Read More