March 2010
MEETINGS
Keep Those Workers Happy: the Importance
of Strong Cultural and Social Communication
Former IABC Fort Worth president Robin McCasland will present an intriguing program March 23 on external and internal
communications tactics and processes that keep employees motivated, focused
and, most important, eager to stay with a firm that has a positive public
image. She also will discuss the best uses of social media to reinforce a great
culture internally and create a positive reputation externally.
A director in Buck Consultants, McCasland previously spent nearly 10 years in a
variety of roles with Texas Instruments and the Semiconductor Industry
Association. She has nearly 25 years experience in employee communication,
marketing, media relations and event planning, specializing in creative
approaches to employer branding, talent management and strategic communication
planning.
She was IABC Dallas’ 2000 Communicator of the Year and has served as chapter president. She has won
IABC Gold and Silver Bronze Quill awards and received the 2007 and 2008
Communicator Award for her work on client benefit communication projects.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, March 23
Place: City Club, 301 Commerce St.
Cost: members $25, nonmembers $30, students $20 (online add $1)
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Tight Budget? Don’t Let It Stop That Powerful Video Project
Organizations of all sizes are creating viral video campaigns, which have become
an excellent tool to engage an audience and track results. Jamie Brown, owner of Jamie Brown Public Relations, will provide examples of successful
campaigns at the March meeting and show participants how to create their own
campaigns. She will include tips on getting buy-in, saving money and
distributing videos for maximum impact.
The luncheon will be the last at the Petroleum Club. The chapter’s longtime meeting place is temporarily closing for renovations, and Greater
Fort Worth PRSA is moving to Colonial Country Club. The
second-Wednesday-of-the-month schedule will be retained except for the April
meeting — Pro-Am Day — which will be Friday, April 9.
The chapter will not cover parking for attendees at the March meeting but has
negotiated a $2.50 rate in the parking garage. Parking is free at Colonial.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, March 10
Place: Petroleum Club, Jacobs/Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St.
Cost: $25 members, $35 nonmembers, students $20
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Sunshine and the senator
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn will speak Monday, March 15, on openness in government and public records at a
breakfast meeting at the downtown Tarrant County College Trinity River Campus.
Cornyn sponsored two major open-government initiatives in recent years and has
co-sponsored legislation to improve access to information on how federal money
is spent.
His visit, sponsored by Fort Worth SPJ and Tarrant County College Student
Publications, complements Sunshine Week, an initiative begun in 2005 by the
American Society of Newspaper Editors to underscore the importance of a free
flow of information. Funded primarily by a grant from the John S. and James L.
Knight Foundation in Miami, the week now involves civic groups, libraries and
schools as well as journalists.
Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced the bipartisan Open Government Act of 2007, which
became law that year and contained the most significant reforms to federal
freedom of information law in more than a decade. The following year he
co-sponsored the Open FOIA Act of 2008, to require Congress to come clean on
exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act that are frequently included in
legislative proposals.
Date & time: Monday, March 15; full breakfast buffet begins at 8 a.m., remarks at 8:30
Parking: free wth parking pass on garage levels three and four; use the Belknap Street entrance at Cherry
Street
Cost: $10 (cash or check), payable at the door
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STRAIGHT STUFF
TCU artist-in-residence and professor of piano José Feghali will discuss “Internet 2: the Teaching Tool of Today” at the monthly TCU Guild happening Thursday, March 18. The luncheon, on the Ed
Landreth Auditorium stage, begins at 11 a.m., then it’s troop around the corner to the PepsiCo Recital Hall for the program at 12:15.
Cost is $15. To RSVP contact Lois Powers, 817-249-7409 or tcuguild@gmail.com. The Guild funds eight scholarships in the TCU Colleges of Fine Arts and
Communication. ...
Postmark deadline is March 31 for undergraduate general interest columnists in
print or online college papers to enter the National Society of Newspaper
Columnists scholarship contest. Specialized columnists, such as movie reviewers
and sports commentators, are not eligible. The winner will receive $1,000 and
be the NSNC’s guest at its 2010 convention in Bloomington, Ind., July 8-11. Second place
garners $500, third place $250. Direct questions to Russell Frank at 814-863-6415 or rfrank@psu.edu. Details here. ...
“Getting published isn’t a selection process, it’s a survival process!” Terry Burns said that, and there’ll be more where that come from at the next Writers’ Guild of Texas meeting, at 7 p.m. Monday, March 15, at the Richardson Civic
Center. Expect a lively Q&A. Burns has been with the Hartline Literary Agency for three years, has a
substantial list of clients and a growing list of credits, and presents to
conferences across the country. He’s No. 3 on the Publisher’s Marketplace list of agents helping debut authors to publish. A graduate of
West Texas State, he runs a paperless office so no hard-copy submissions. Also
this month: Saturday, March 27, workshop with
Charlotte Lanham, multi-published “Chicken Soup” author, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce. Members $20,
nonmembers $25. More at writersguildoftexas.org/joomla/. Third-Monday early-birds: April 19, John Tait, editor of American Literary Review; May 17, Rosemary Clement-Moore; June 21, WGT All-Stars Read-In. Send events calendar items to Carol Woods at shurlock@flash.net. ...
IABC local update: “You’re Already Doing It: What to Do When You Can’t NOT Communicate” with David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA and president of The Grossman Group, will fill the bill
at the IABC Dallas luncheon meeting Tuesday, March 9. Register here.
PRSA local update: TPRA 2010 Leadership Day, March 5, will feature presentations by GFW PRSA’s own Doug Newsom, APR, Fellow, and Beth Ann Black and be headlined by some of Texas’ leading communications pros, including John McGrath, communications VP at GSD&M Idea City, and T.R. Reid, corporate communications VP at Dell. Click here to register online.
PRSA local update II: Get ready, all you public relations professionals with a mentoring spirit — Friday, April 9, is Pro-Am Day (and also the first luncheon meeting at Colonial
Country Club after several years at the Petroleum Club). For anyone who wants
to inspire young people to be passionate about PR, Pro-Am Day is the perfect
way to get involved. Organizer Carroll Burney needs professionals to critique résumés and to conduct an interviewing workshop in the morning prior to the luncheon.
E- cburney@girlsinctarrant.org to volunteer.
PRSA local update III: For those who have been preparing their APR Readiness Review questionnaire and
portfolio but haven't taken the next step to the computerized exam, Houston
PRSA is hosting an APR boot camp April 21-24. Prior organizers say the experience works best for senior
practitioners with strong presentation skills who are ready to finish the APR
process. Participants will receive a thorough overview of the knowledge, skills
and abilities (KSAs) that will be tested and go home with their questionnaire
and portfolio ready for submission. Deadline to submit the APR application (and
have payment turned in) is March 15.
PRSA local update IV: The 2010 PRSA Southwest District Conference, "Your Network, Your Net Worth,"
will be April 15-17 in Oklahoma City and feature a presentation by Alan Hilburg and GFW PRSA’s Margaret Ritsch on decision making and winning and keeping stakeholders’ trust. Hilburg is president and CEO of Hilburg and Associates and the author of
two New York Times best-sellers. Ritsch is senior public relations director at
the Balcom Agency in Fort Worth. More on the district conference at prsasw.org.
PRSA local update V: PRSA is giving away a free chapter membership with every new national
membership in March and April — two memberships for the price of one. Any PR practitioner with at least two
years in the field is eligible for membership in the world’s leading organization for PR professionals. Those with fewer than two years
experience or who recently graduated from college and were active in PRSSA may
join as an associate member. More from Carol Murray, APR, at cmurray@fwmsh.org.
PRSA local update VI: Panelists Ruth Fitzgibbons, The Richards Group; Maria May, the AT&T Center for the Performing Arts; and Omar Villafranca, KXAS-TV, will offer “A Diverse Look at Diversity: Managing Age Diversity in the Workplace” at the Dallas PRSA meeting Thursday, March 11, at the Park City Club. Info here.
Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas update: Forty-eight people attended a recent open government seminar in Farmers Branch
co-sponsored by FOIFT and the Office of the Attorney General. Part of the session allowed attendees to
meet the criteria for training in the Texas Open Meetings Act and the Texas
Public Information Act, as required by SB 286. Ironically, the same day the
Texas Supreme Court handed down a ruling in a city of Dallas v. the attorney
general case that resets the public information act’s 10-day deadline. Other open government seminars are scheduled this year in the
Galveston/Clear Lake area, Corpus Christi and Abilene. The seminars are
scheduled in off years when the Legislature is not in session.
SPJ national update: SPJ cautions journalists: Report the story, don’t become part of it. ...The Associated Press, Reuters, Getty Images and other major news agencies
refused to distribute a White House hand-out image of the Dalai Lama meeting
with President Obama after the press was shut out of the event. AP editors said that its policy bars
distribution of hand-out photos when the news organization believes that media
access would have been possible, either as a group or through a pooled
arrangement. “Government-controlled coverage is not acceptable in societies that promote
freedom,” said AP executive editor Kathleen Carroll. Asked why the White House restricted press access, deputy press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement: “Rather than restrict the president’s meeting with the Dalai Lama to a limited group of photographers, the White
House has made available a photo of the meeting at flickr.com/whitehouse to
allow any individual or news outlet around the world to view and download that
photo free of charge.” More here and here. ... A newspaper editor against pay walls. ... Can investigate nonprofits sustain themselves?
SPJ national update II: Hoping to make Iceland a global home for freedom of speech, lawmakers asked the
government to implement a journalist’s dream package of legislation — promising a haven for reporters who want to dig deep, hit hard and avoid being
sued. The idea has found traction with Icelanders after last year’s devastating economic collapse, during which the public saw firsthand the
drawbacks of a too-cozy relationship between government and news media. More here. ... Any journalist who cheerleads uncritically for Twitter is asking for his own
destruction.
SPJ national update III: Twenty-nine-year-old reporter Valentín Valdés Espinosa was picked up by gunmen in two SUVs from the streets of downtown Saltillo,
Mexico, late at night Jan. 7. He was tortured, bound by his hands and feet, and
dumped at the Motel Marbella, where they shot him dead, according to state
investigators. Another reporter abducted with him was beaten and released. In
response, Valdés’ newspaper, Zócalo de Saltillo, will stop reporting on anything about organized crime,
according to a senior editor who asked to remain anonymous for his own safety.
The paper, he said, will not investigate the murder of its own reporter.
More here. ... Journalists’ use of social media Is surging, study finds.
SPJ national update IV: An international press freedom watchdog said 2009 saw a record number of
journalists killed, including the single worst massacre in the Philippines, as
well as an increase in journalists jailed, fueled by the crackdown in Iran.The
New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the massacre of 29
journalists and two media support workers in a politically motivated ambush in
the southern Philippines on Nov. 23 claimed more lives than any single event
since it started documenting attacks on the press 18 years ago.
More here. ... Reuters Yanks Story After White House Complaint. ... White House reporters are whining? No story there!
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PEOPLE & PLACES
Gary Morey, a former board member of Greater Fort Worth PRSA, died Feb. 21 after a
33-month battle with brain cancer. The obituary is here. ...
Fort Worth-based GCG Marketing has promoted Pat Gabriel to creative director and Kris Copeland to senior art director, while adding Alex Atkinson and Aaron Mullens as account services interns. Gabriel had been associate creative director, and
Copeland art director.
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GET A JOB
The Star-Telegram seeks a government affairs reporter for the Tarrant County/JPS
beat. Must have at least two years in hard news, preferably on a government or
political beat, plus a knowledge of finance and math and an ability to analyze
databases; a background in hospital issues would be helpful. Contact John Gravois at grav@star-telegram.com. ...
Ex-Marine Bill Vesterman served in Iraq and now runs the Montessori Country Day School in Flower Mound.
He’s doing a book about school choice, and he would like a writer’s help. Someone “young and hungry,” he’s thinking, who might not demand a lot of money. More from the Star-Telegram’s Chris Vaughn, who wrote a story about Vesterman in 2007.
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NEW MEMBERS
PRSA ... Jessica Brown, Texas Motor Speedway ... Christie Eskew, North Central Texas Council of Governments ... Amy Porter, Justin Brands
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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Tom Burke, APR, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
Never mind that historic foot of snow on the ground, I still hit the
neighborhood convenience store to pay my weekly state income tax by buying a
lottery ticket. The clerk was all too perky. Must have been the weather. As he
handed me the potential winning numbers, he said, “Get lucky. Change our lives.”
Not sure I want to change my life. Enhance it, maybe, but changing it at this
stage of the game would be a bit drastic.
PR and communications professionals deal with change daily. Often we initiate
it. Other times, someone else does, and we’re the ones to make it work. Well, the winds of change are blowing at Greater
Fort Worth PRSA. The recession has caused us some minor headaches, one result
being that the chapter will no longer pay the parking for luncheon attendees
(although we did negotiate a garage rate of $2.50). But after this month that
won’t be an issue, because the Petroleum Club is renovating, and we’re shifting to Colonial Country Club. Fore!
So come enjoy our last meeting at the Petroleum Club on Wednesday, March 10, and
then recalibrate for Colonial, where the parking is free. The luncheon meetings
will stay the second Wednesday of the month except in April for our annual
Pro-Am Day. To be more convenient for TCU, UTA and Abilene Christian University
students, that meeting will be Friday, April 9.
Whew! That’s enough change for even the most seasoned public relations/communications
professional. By the way, the clerk didn’t give me any winning numbers. At least that’s one change I don’t have to worry about.
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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Cheryl Hart, IABC Fort Worth
March Madness has nothing on IABC’s usual star-studded lineup.
First, our March luncheon should be a real treat. Robin McCasland, a former chapter president and a leading communications practitioner, will
share her perspectives on the state of communications in the Metroplex,
emphasizing specific professional practice issues, in what is sure to be a
lively discussion. That’s Tuesday, March 23, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in our spacious, new room at the City
Club, 301 Commerce St. in downtown Fort Worth. Everyone is welcome.
March also means that we’re a month into taking entries for the Bronze Quill Awards competition, “2010: The Year We Make Contact With Excellence.” The June luncheon will showcase the finest in communications and marketing
materials that were produced in the area in 2009. This year’s luncheon also offers the opportunity to hear from a communications pro who
literally practices out of this world — NASA public affairs officer Josh Byerly.
Entry deadline is April 20. We have expanded the competition to 17 categories to
accommodate internal and external communicators and to recognize the growing
importance of social media. To review the categories and submit your entry, go
to iabcfortworth.com and click on the Call for Entries link. And if you’re looking for a way to get active with the chapter, consider joining the BQ
committee. Contact me at cheryl@hartmarketing.biz to explore ways you can share in the fun.
On a personal note, we wish our good friend Pam Huff a full recovery from the effects of a stroke she suffered last month. Lori De La Cruz took a book to Pam at the rehab facility and says what a difference a weekend
makes: “She looked great, and her speech is really improving!” Pam is going to Jacksonville, Fla., with her brother for a while but promises
to stay in touch. On behalf of the IABC Fort Worth family, her colleagues
through endeavors like the Lena Pope Home communications committee, and the
lives she has touched by her devotion to charitable activities, I want Pam to
know that she is in our prayers and that we look forward to welcoming her back.
God bless you, Pam.
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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
You’ll want to hear U.S. Sen. John Cornyn discuss his involvement with major open-government initiatives and legislation
to improve access to information on how federal money is spent, Monday, March
15, at the downtown Tarrant County College Trinity River Campus. Ten dollars
buys you breakfast. E- Eddye Gallagher, eddye.gallagher@tccd.edu, and tell her you’re coming. ...
A double handful of “How to ... ” topics — “Thrive as a Community Newspaper,” with John Garrett, Community Impact Newspapers; “Protect Your Readers and Viewers,” Dave Lieber, Star-Telegram; “Revamp Your Paper to Suit Your Readers,” Vicki Gowler, The Idaho Statesman; “Know the Benefits of Nonprofit Journalism,” Jennifer Peebles, Texas Watchdog; Dave Garlock, UT Austin j-professor — are giving definition to the SPJ Region 8 Conference, March 5-6 in Austin.
Registration — $75 student, $85 professional, $95
non-student/nonprofessional — covers the sessions, snacks during the sessions and two meals (one Friday, one
Saturday). More here and here. E- Larry Dechant, dechantlarry@hotmail.com, with questions. ...
Application deadline is April 16 to be one of 12 student writers, photographers
and designers covering the SPJ National Convention, Oct. 3-6 in Las Vegas, for
The Working Press, the daily tabloid of the event. Those selected will receive
free registration and lodging at the conference hotel, the Planet Hollywood.
Click here for details and how to apply. More from Heather Porter at hporter@spj.org. ...
Now through March 31, SPJ members will receive a 50 percent discount on every
webinar in Poynter’s News University library. Shop from a list of more than 50 replays, including “Building a Twitter Strategy for Your Newsroom,” “Facebook for Journalists” and “Five Simple Ways to Write More Clearly.” To view the webinars, register at News University and use the code P50NNUW10.
More at info@newsu.org.
Closing words: “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free
people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt