High res version  

                                 

New Stop-Smoking Guideline Released
link to video with Michael Fiore, MD and Dr. Koop

Lance Armstrong Teams with Smoke Free Wisconsin

"Race ya," says Maureen Busalacchi

EatRite.Net Mention in WI State Journal
12/27/07
SAIL'S Ann Albert Pens Guest Column
Capital Times, Nov. 9, 2007

Smoke Free Wisconsin's Maureen Busalacchi
Promotes Cigarette Tax Increase Proposal
on WPR (10/4/07) 11 min (listen now to mp3 audio, 5 MB download)

Client Ayaz Samadani Announces EatRite.net

Feature Story

Sam T. Busalacchi
(1919-2007)

Pondering Death: A Three Year Old's Perspective

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Smart Aging with John Noreika
conversation (10:00)

Maureen Busalacchi and Aaron Doeppers Discuss
Clean Air Policies
Live on WIBA Madison (40 minutes)
May 22, 2007

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Bill Montei Discusses Circuit City Firings,
WFDL Fond du Lac, LIVE 5/9/07 (9 min) mp3 version

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Cardiac Arrest column

NPR piece on Podcasting (2:50)

 Great Book on WHA Radio History Featured in Capital Times

Radio junkies will enjoy my buddy Randall Davidson's new book. He has a passion for radio that is unmatched, which shines through brightly in the pages of 9XM Talking. The Capital Times captured it beautifully.

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Book Coach Marshall Cook Wins Award

Doug Moe Column 2/21/07

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"Porno Bar"

Don't blame Madison's smoke free ordinance for the closing of a sleazy bar. (See published letter to Capital Times, 2/20/07, bottom right)

Getting The Most Shine Out Of Your Pr

Wisconsin State Journal :: CAPITAL REGION BUSINESS JOURNAL :: 4
Monday, January 1, 2007
BY JENNY PRICE

A fast-growing Capital Region firm prepares to unveil a first-of-its kind product following months of strategizing by top company executives and project managers. With just a few weeks to go before the announcement, the CEO lets the company's public relations staff in on the big news so they can notify the media.
But the event comes and goes with nary a mention in the newspaper or on the nightly newscast and the CEO wonders why.

It's because public relations is not an isolated piece of the company to call upon when a major development is near completion, Capital Region experts say. Public relations is a key component of building a company's reputation through relationships with the public and news media that will help burnish its image when there is good news to share and weather the storm when something goes wrong.

Making public relations an "afterthought" is a mistake, said Steve Busalacchi, an independent PR consultant based in Madison.

"Strategic communication starts from the very beginning so you can avoid problems that might crop up later," he said.

Give PR a seat at the table

PR professionals, whether they work for outside agencies or in-house for a company, contend they must have access to company leadership and their opinions valued in order to do their jobs well.

"We want to be at the table. We want to be in on any issue that's coming up in the company," said Paula M. Symons, manager for donor services communication at Madison-based RTI Donor Services - Allograft Resources Division, the Midwest division of a network of tissue recovery agencies. "We want to be there so we can provide our counsel. There's nothing worse than having to clean up a mess."

One of the main functions of public relations is to anticipate issues or problems that may come up for a company and determine how to deal with them in a way that builds on or preserves its reputation.

"Any PR practitioner needs to provide that counsel to management and that early warning system," said Paul Pitas, director of corporate communications for Dean Health System.

The senior management of U.S. companies view public relations as a contributor to success on par with sales and marketing, according to an annual survey sponsored by the Council of Public Relations Firms and published by the USC Annenburg Strategic Public Relations Center.

But Busalacchi said some executives view PR as a drag on the bottom line because they can't directly see how having that person on board helps make money.

"How much is your good name worth? That's what public relations is about," he said. "It doesn't happen overnight; it's something you have to work at and do consistently."

One of the biggest challenges for the public relations industry is measuring results. Advertising's effectiveness can be quantified by the number of people who see a commercial or how many cars pass a billboard on any given day.

"When you're dealing with things like perception and reputation and goodwill and relationship building -- that's a deeper thing to measure," said Barb Hernandez, public relations director and partner with The Hiebing Group, a Madison marketing and communications firm.

Hernandez said she works to get clients out of "a nuts and bolts mindset and help them see that reputations matter for their business and they matter when you're telling good news and they especially matter when you're telling bad news."

What kind of PR?

How much companies spend on public relations depends on their size. The Council of Public Relations Firms' study found PR budgets as a percentage of gross revenues ranged from .06 percent on average for Fortune 500 companies to a little over 4 percent for firms with less than $100 million in revenues.

The average in-house public relations staff size was 40 for the Fortune 500 and four for the smallest companies in the survey.

Pitas said an internal public relations staff has more knowledge of the business than an agency and can manage several different projects at once while being available to company decision makers.

"If you have something internal, I think you're able to move more quickly," Pitas said.

Pitas said outside agencies can be useful when management is looking for a different view or objective opinion when a company "has been too close to a situation for awhile."

More than 60 percent of companies in the survey hired outside public relations firms, an expenditure that accounted for about one-fourth of total PR budgets on average. Cost was the top concern in working with outside agencies, along with lack of knowledge or insight about the business.

The study found companies choose to work with agencies for "additional arms and legs," to get an objective point of view, complement internal PR efforts, get unique expertise experience or because it's cheaper than adding permanent staff.

Some companies can only afford to have a one-person communications staff and look to outside firms to bounce ideas off of for a product launch or company merger, Hernandez said.

But the cost of hiring an agency can be out of reach for some smaller firms who also don't have their own permanent public relations staff. In those cases, Hernandez said, agencies will recommend experienced freelancers or consultants who work at a lower cost and can help a small company through a project such as a product launch or other major announcement. Other small companies can consider hiring college interns or retired public relations professionals on a volunteer basis, the local experts said.

And Symons said public relations goes beyond media relations. It includes what a company does to invest in the community, such as donating to the fundraising efforts of local charities.

"Companies should consider community support at all levels," she said.

Is it really news?

One of the most important aspects of public relations is forming relationships with reporters and editors at television and radio stations and newspapers. That's one of the reasons so many public relations professionals are former reporters or editors.

"I always encourage companies to not just send a news release, but to get to know reporters at various outlets, and develop relationships with at least one at each location," said Joel DeSpain, a reporter for WISC-TV in Madison.

And for television, offering visuals are the key to making a story work, along with making "real" people who might be affected available for interviews, DeSpain said. It's also important to develop a mutual trust with reporters, he said.

"If you are calling, and have a track record of 'dishing' good stories in the past, reporters are more apt to hear you out," he said. "But if you have a history of repeatedly faxing, e-mailing, calling with stuff that really isn't news, you will probably not get a lot of media interest."

Hernandez agreed it's important for companies to sort out what is news and what isn't.

"Some people think everything they do is news," she said. "So many companies spend so much time trying to make news out of something that isn't news that they waste certainly the media's time and they miss the bigger picture."

News conferences should be reserved for major announcements or when a company needs to communicate breaking news that could have an enormous impact on the community's safety or security, Symons said.

In most cases, it's better to think in terms of events that will generate the visuals media are looking for and provide opportunities for reporters to talk with key players.

Symons said another way companies can attract media coverage is to position themselves as an expert resource on a particular subject, a trend or issue connected to a major ongoing news story. In particular, radio and TV talks shows are frequently looking for guests, she said.

"What do you and your company know more about than anyone else?" she said. "Offer that expertise to media outlets."

Who should talk?

Not all of a company's employees -- in fact, very few of them -- should speak to the media.

Most public relations experts suggest having a point person for reporters and editors to call when seeking interviews or information.

"Employees are just not the official spokespeople for the organization," Pitas said. "They may have zero knowledge of an issue or worse, partial knowledge of an issue."

For the very smallest companies, Pitas said, "someone clearly has to wear two hats."

"In an organization of 20 people it might be the president, it might be the human resource person, it might be the marketing person," he said.

Symons said one person who should not be a media contact for a company is its attorney.

"Their forte is not communication. Their forte is keeping (you) out of court," she said.

Hernandez said her firm recommends that clients have one main contact for the press but also make a circle of people with specific expertise available to reporters. It's also important that a company's spokesperson be available, even after hours.

"This is not an 8-to-5 or 9-to-6 kind of job," she said. "When you give somebody a cell phone number or e-mail address and don't check it for three days ... that's like saying you don't want to comment."

Experts said it's also critical for those who speak on the company's behalf to have formal media training -- something that can be accomplished in an afternoon. Typical training involves anticipating questions reporters may have, keeping messages consistent and how to relay critical information not related to the questions asked.

"It's a really small investment," Busalacchi said. "It just sort of gives them the rules of the road."

Perhaps the biggest lesson is how quickly information travels once it is in the hands of the media, Hernandez said.

"When doing media training for clients one of the first things I tell them is, 'don't ever say anything you don't want to be on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.' "

Crisis Do's And Don'ts
Wisconsin State Journal :: CAPITAL REGION BUSINESS JOURNAL :: 17
Monday, January 1, 2007

Experts point to one case where a company did an exemplary job of handling the worst news it could possibly have to deliver to the public: the Tylenol cyanide scare in the early 1980s. Johnson & Johnson pulled all Tylenol products from the shelves, assessed the problem and continually kept the public informed. That strategy kept Tylenol's reputation and market share intact and serves as a model for companies to bear in mind when faced with bad news.

Whatever happens, don't lie

Barb Hernandez, public relations director and partner with The Hiebing Group in Madison: "Never lie -- ever. . . . You can't undo a lie. Whether it s a corporate issue, a product issue, a personnel issue, then your credibility is shot and whatever else comes out is going to be looked at in a different way. Whereas, if you don't mislead, if you don't lie, if you don't go down that path, your credibility and your integrity will speak volumes."

Paul Pitas, director of corporate communications for Dean Health System: "Every organization would like to put on a positive face for the community but sometimes that's not possible. If you're open and honest the public will respect that organization."

Steve Busalacchi, Busalacchi Communications, an independent PR consultant based in Madison: "My advice to clients is always just to be up front and tell as much as you can from the outset. It's infinitely worse when you hold back; then it looks like you were trying to hide something."

Get the facts and deliver them

Hernandez: "Get all the facts. Learn everything yourself first and as quickly as possible," she said. "A lot of people, when they're dealing with bad news, panic and they start talking about assumptions or they start building off the little bit they do know and they get themselves in trouble by filling in the blanks. (It's) better to have a handle on what it is you can say and then offer to come back with additional information as it becomes available."

Pitas: "You need to try to channel communication to a limited number of spokespeople to make sure the messages you're delivering are consistent."

Keep employees informed

Pitas: "PR people are always trying to avoid having employees read bad things about your company in the newspaper," he said. "If at all possible, (they) need to hear it from you first. People look to their employers and are hoping for honest and open communication. I think they expect that and they deserve that."

Paula M. Symons, manager for donor services communication at RTI Donor Services - Allograft Resources Division: "Employees of a company really have to be informed of (bad) news before it's made public," she said. Employees "need accurate and consistent information from company leadership" and there's "nothing worse than surprising employees with the rest of the public."

Stay in touch

Symons: Use news conferences for "extremely important and critical news," such as plant closings or layoffs of large numbers of people. Another tactic is to contact reporters personally who cover your company or your industry to inform them "we have to get this news out."

Busalacchi: "It should be the CEO who speaks for the organization," he said. "It really shows that the person at the top is engaged and taking responsibility for this matter. ... (It) looks like passing the buck if somebody else is going to handle the difficult questions."

Timing is everything

Hernandez: Delivering news such as layoffs or plant closings right around the holidays should be avoided at all costs. "Bad news is bad news no matter when you tell it but there's a worse time to tell it than others," she said. "The ramifications of it come back to haunt you."

Offer solutions

Busalacchi: "Tell the public how you're addressing the issue. People by and large will give your company credit for that. Everybody knows things happen."

Symons: "Focus on the future" and talk about what you are doing to deal with the problem. "Be as positive as possible."

Get help

Hernandez: "(It's) worth the money to touch base with someone who has done some crisis communication. ... (Businesses) could do more harm than they know by not asking the right questions, by not following certain procedure and things like that. It's worth a phone call. Most companies, at least our agency, will assist them in some way, at least to get them going in the right direction."