WWPR starts senior communicators group

(I asked Joan Coyle, new chair of a new WWPR committee for executive communicators, to share what her committee has planned. It's a new networking and professional development opportunity for senior communicators--read on to find out more!)

Washington Women in Public Relations is pleased to announce the formation of a new committee to address the needs of senior-level communicators.


The Executive Communicators Committee will hold luncheons on a regular basis to give senior-level communicators an opportunity to share information, strategize, problem solve and exchange experiences and ideas around current communications issues.

The targeted audience is communications practioners with at least 15 years of experience in the field.

The first luncheon will be held in conjunction with WWPR’s Professional Development Committee.

"Mind the Gap," a brown bag luncheon about bridging the generational gap with Heather R. Huhman, Founder & President of Come Recommended, as the speaker and moderator. A panel discussion with Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials will follow. The event takes place Wednesday, February 17, 2010 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM at the National Education Association Chanin Auditorium - Side A, 1201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC.   A second event will be held on April 1, 2010, titled "Don’t Be Fooled, a brown bag luncheon and discussion about pitfalls, myths and assumptions that can fool executive communicators.

Arbitron Study of Satellite Radio Shows More Than 35 Million ‘Premium’ Listeners

In 2008, Arbitron released figures for satellite radio listenership showing just over 17 million listeners are tuning in. Many of those following satellite radio complained that the survey was inaccurate and biased. The last listenership study was part of a larger listenership survey on radio in general.

Now Arbitron has now released the findings of study specifically aimed at finding out how many people are listening to Sirius XM. The findings conclude that satellite radio has more than 35 million listeners. Listeners also spend about 2 hours and 45 minutes per day, according to the study, with most of that listening taking place, not surprisingly where most radio listenership takes place – in the car.

Now we know satellite radio has the audience, we’re all tuning in to see what they’re doing to keep them.

Making the Changes at The Washington Post Work for Your PR Clients

When?: Thursday, February 4, 2010, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Where?: Embassy Suites, Tyson’s Corner, VA

Speaker: Frances Stead Sellers, Deputy National Editor, Health, Science and the Environment, The Washington PostAccording to a 2008 survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, about 85 percent of all dailies with more than 100,000 circulation, and about half of all dailies with circulations under 100,000, have cut the number of reporters and editors. During the first half of 2008, newspapers laid off or froze more than 6,500 news positions. This was the biggest loss in three decades, according to the American Society of Newspaper Editors.
At IPRA’s February lunch program, Frances Stead Sellers, Deputy National Editor of the Washington Post for Health, Science and the Environment, will discuss how PR practitioners can leverage these sweeping and continuous newsroom changes to the benefit of their clients. Using what’s happening at the Post as an example of what’s happening at major dailies across the U.S., Sellers will address:• With shifting deadlines and 24/7 online reporting, when/how should PR practitioners contact journalists? • How do the shrinking newsroom staffs affect the remaining staff?• How effective is social media in reaching reporters?• What type of social media is the most effective in reaching reporters?• How do we get reporters to follow our clients on Facebook, Twitter, etc.?
Sellers came to the Post from Civilization, the award-winning magazine of the Library Congress, which she helped launch in 1994. In 2006, Sellers was awarded a Wolfson College Press Fellowship at Cambridge University to do research into the evolution of newspapers in an age of instant news. In addition to the Post, she has written for the New York Times, the Financial Times, and the Guardian. Currently, she serves on Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Advisory Committee. Sellers grew up in the south of England and came to the United States in 1982 as a British Thouron Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania.
Register here
Advance Payment Online:

$28 - for IPRA and PRSA-NCC members

$33 - for non-members and guests

*Note: this fee is non-refundable, if not cancelled by Monday, February 1, 2010.

On-site Payment

$33 - for IPRA and PRSA-NCC members at the door

$38 - for non-members and guests at the door

*Cash only at the door. No checks or credit cards. (Please note that there may be limited food if an advanced reservation is not made.)

LOCATION:Embassy Suites Hotel/Tysons Corner 8517 Leesburg Pike Vienna, VA 22182 Phone: 703-883-0707IPRA meets in the Chancellor Room -- to the right of the lounge.
QUESTIONS:Contact PRSA-NCC Chapter Manager Sherri Core: 703-691-8733

Debunking the Myths about B-to-B Social Media Marketing: FREE WEBCAST

The Capital Buzz loves to share professional development opportunities, and of course we really love it when the opportunity is free. So thank you to PR Week and Schwartz Communication for this variation on current obsession of social media.

Free Webinar on "Debunking the Myths about B-to-B Social Media Marketing"
Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 12 noon EST/9:00 a.m. PST

Hype creates myths, and few marketing concepts have generated as much hype as social media. In this webcast, three industry experts attempt to cut through the clutter and debate the prevailing myths about business-to-business social media. In the process, they will explore the role professional journalists play in social media campaigns and why marketers may need to adjust expectations around social media ROI.

Featured speakers:
Amy Black, (pictured left) senior marketing communications manager, Kadient
Paul Gillin, writer, author, and social media consultant
Ross Levanto, VP, Schwartz Communications
Moderator ~ Erica Iacono, executive editor, PRWeek

REGISTER for this free event. For more information, e-mail Natasha Mulla at mailto:natasha.mulla@prweek.com.

IABC Focuses on Strategy for February Program ~ Program Location in Maryland this Month

Thursday, February 11, 2010
5:30 ~ 8:30 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Bethesda 7400 Wisconsin Avenue
(Metro Red Line: Bethesda Parking: $9 valet/$7 self park)

If you haven’t be able to try out IABC programs because the Arlington location wasn’t convenient, this next offering may be just for you. Two award-winning IABC members will present New Frontiers in Strategic Communications at the next IABC Washington meeting, this time in Bethesda.

• Christine Nyirjesy Bragale, ABC, managing director at Weber Merritt Public Affairs, and


• Jeffrey Brooke, ABC, director of employee communication at the United States Government Printing Office and adjunct faculty in the Corporate and Organizational Communication Graduate Program at Northeastern University


They will present some of the best communication practices that can be used in daily work, refresh your skills and teach you new things by reviewing the “Best-of-the-Best“ winning 2009 Silver Inkwell entry, executed by Jeffrey Brooke’s team.

COSTS:
Registration due by Tuesday, February 9 for these prices
1x Guest of Member ~ $45 (if you haven't been to an IABC meeting before, register as a guest of Kate Perrin for the discount -- see you there!)
IABC Member ~ $40
Non-Member ~ $55
Student ~ $30

AWC Asks Members to Help CARE Respond to the Earthquake in Haiti

For days there have been messages on Facebook and Twitter telling friends and colleagues how to make donations to help Haiti. But today I was pleased to find an email message from the Association for Women in Communication (AWC) headquarters announcing, "The AWC and CARE partnership is teaming up to help victims of the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. As you know, people in Haiti are suffering from the aftermath of the worst earthquake in more than 200 years, and women and children are often the hardest hit."

AWC outlined four things you can do now:

 DONATE: Your gift to CARE’s Haiti Emergency Response Fund will help address the immediate needs of the survivors of this unprecedented disaster.
 SHARE ON TWITTER: CARE has 133 staff in #Haiti and is sending more today. You can help now - please donate at care.org.
 SHARE ON FACEBOOK: “Donate” your status update to let people know CARE is on the ground in Haiti, providing emergency health services, food and clean water to people affected by the earthquake. Link to CARE’s cause page: http://causes.com/careusa.
 SEND E-MAILS TO PERSONAL NETWORKS: Help CARE respond to the earthquake in Haiti.

AWC then pasted into the email message the entire CARE press release of January 13. I was looking at my renewal notice from AWC-DC the other day as I planned this year's commitments of memberships, sponsorships, etc. I will be renewing my membership.

A few moments later I received the month's event calendar from the Washington Network Group and found it, too, was reaching out to its list about the disaster. Just above the events list it announced Support Humanitarian Relief in Haiti and included these logos:

The WNG asks our Members and friends to please support humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti. Click on the logos above for more information (American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI)).

WWPR Presents International PR Program: Shanghai Media Group Panel Discussion and Brown Bag Lunch

WHEN: Tuesday, January 19th, Noon - 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: George Mason University’s Arlington campus (Metro: Virginia Square/ GMU the Orange Line)

COST: Free!

DETAILS: Journalists, media owners and government officials from Shanghai Media Group are visiting DC, NY and LA to meet with US media experts and government officials as they gather ideas, insight and best practices for handling steady global media attention as they prepare for the 2010 World Expo spotlight on Shanghai.
Most of the panel discussion will relate to media, PR, international relations and lessons learned from the Beijing Olympics.

PANELISTS:
Frances Reimers, Communications & Programs Manager at Sister Cities International;
Derrick Ott, Communication Strategist at Innovative Ideas Group, LLC; and
Dennis Petroskey, Vice President at U.S. Travel Association.
Pending: Ken Day, MainJustice.org

Check the Washington Women in Public Relations website for further details.

Affordable PR and Communications in 2010

Affordable PR and Communications in 2010

Hosted by: Katherine Hutt, former PR WOY award winner and on the judging panel the 2009 PR WOY, and Lorelei Harloe of Ascend Communications, LLC

Friday, January 15, 2010, 12:00 p.m.

Location: Front Page Restaurant

4201 North Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA

Space is limited, so please RSVP now to Ann Patterson via email: marthina@marthina.net

In Tough Jobs Year, Awards May Add Value

Clarion Awards Call for Entries Opens

Want to be seen as a winner either to keep or help find a job? Awards for your work can look good on your resume and many professional societies recognize quality work.

Produced by the Association of Women in Communication (AWC), the Clarion Awards "honor the best pieces in communications". With more than 100 categories, your best work from 2009 could be a strong contender to win.

CATEGORIES:
• Advertising & Marketing
• Books & CD-ROMs
• Brochures, Custom, and Special Publications
• Education
• Fund Development
• Magazines
• Major News Event
• Newsletters
• Newspapers
• Online Media
• Photography, Graphics, and Design Communications
• Public Relations
• Radio
• Special Events
• Television

ENTRY FEES:
- $70 for AWC members
- $90 for non-members
- $30 for AWC student members
- $45 for non-member students

DEADLINES:
Submit your entry by Saturday, February 27, and take advantage of the discounted rate. Enter multiple entries and receive up to an additional 15% off
The final deadline is March 31, 2010.
Apply on-line with the Entry Form.

WWPR Starts New Year, New Board

Capital Buzz Colleague Sherri Core Joins WWPR Board

Today Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) kicked off its 30th anniversary year with its Annual Meeting, luncheon and speaker program at the Grand Hyatt in Washington.

Speaker Rohit Bhargava, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Marketing for Ogilvy 360 Digital Influence, and author of http://www.influentialmarketingblog.com/, gave a fast-paced and engaging presentation on "10 Social Media Techniques for Progress in 2010".

The newly-elected WWPR Board members (pictured above) are:
President-Debbie Friez, BurrellesLuce
Past President and Young Leaders Award Chair-Lauren Lawson, Goodwill Industries International
Vice President-Erin Wendel, American Physical Therapy Association
Treasurer-Sherri Core, Core Association Services, Inc.
Secretary-Leslie Rutledge, MyMediaInfo
Membership Chair-Caitlin Douglas, Ogilvy PR Worldwide
Professional Development Co-Chair-Lisa Newman, MediaLink
Professional Development Co-Chair- Macie Mulvaney, Medialink
Marketing and Communications Co-Chair-Meghan Sager, New Media Strategies
Marketing and Communications Co-Chair-Ashley Settle, Edelman
Executive Communicators Chair-Joan Coyle, EEI Communications
Partnerships Chair-Kendra Kojcsich, Porter Novelli
PR Woman of the Year Co-Chair-Rachel Henderson, Ogilvy PR Worldwide
PR Woman of the Year Co-Chair-Emily Deck, SiloSmashers
Pro-Bono Co-Chair-Deborah Brody, Deborah Brody Marketing Communications
Pro Bono Co-Chair-Tina McCormack, C.Fox Communications
Website Chair-Akilah Luke, Cultural Tourism DC

Management Skills for PR Professionals from PRSA-NCC

Smart PR professionals do more than communicate well – they manage people and budgets with confidence and finesse.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

2 - 5:30 p.m.

2 - 4:30 p.m. – Workshop

4:30 - 5:30 p.m. – Networking Reception

Johns Hopkins University

Washington DC Center

1717 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.

Washington, DC 20036

Metro: Dupont Circle South (Red Line)
Cost: $75 PRSA members/$95 non-members/ $25 students & retirees

This two-and-a-half hour workshop offers the basic management and budgeting skills PR professionals need to become strategic managers and decision makers. Using examples ranging from simple low-budget projects to national multi-media campaigns, our workshop leaders will teach you how to motivate and manage the people on your team, how to influence the decision makers whose decisions affect you, and how to be smart when it comes to finances. You’ll learn the keys to budgeting and accounting for PR departments and projects and how to work with senior management to get the fiscal and human resources you need.
Come with your questions and concerns, and our workshop leaders will work through them with you.

Workshop Leaders:

*Diana Sun, Communications Director, Arlington County, Va.

*Ralph Posner, Senior Vice President and Partner, Public Affairs Practice, Fleishman-Hillard, Washington, D.C.

To register, visit: https://secure.kinsail.com/results.asp?p=prsancc&pt=store&GroupID=18004