ON THE AIR WITH PR

By David Brimm

LINKS The Reilly Group Jonathan Lehrer Communications "Extension 720" with Milt Rosenberg

Milt Rosenberg’s "Extension 720" program on WGN Radio devoted two hours to the topic of public relations in January.

According to the description of the show on Rosenberg's Web site, companies use "spin doctors to improve their image, and that the spectre of public relations haunts almost every industry, from publishing to politics." PCC co-president Jonathan Lehrer, appeared on the panel, along with Gerry Murray, president of Murray Communications Group; and Susan Reilly, head of The Reilly Group.

Since the conversation on PR coincided with the night of the Iowa caucuses, the discussion began with the effect that PR has on political campaigns. Murray suggested that Gov. Howard Dean’s poor showing might be attributed to the fact that he got off to a start that was so rapid he couldn’t continue the momentum. He also believed that Dean’s abrasive personality turned off Iowans. Reilly agreed, noting that Dean was often perceived as being too intense, sometimes reflected in his eyes, which occasionally narrowed and appeared to be menacing.

Lehrer speculated that even before the caucuses ended, each candidate’s team had prepared multiple press statements that could be used no matter how the candidate fared. He also predicted that even losing candidates would proclaim victory, by redefining what they considered to be a "victory" (which later proved to be quite accurate).

Murray suggested that Dean, who was attacked by the other candidates, should have taken a page from the Clinton team, whose "rapid response" teams immediately worked the media when negative statements came out about their candidate. This largely neutralized the Jennifer Flowers crisis that could have ended Clinton’s run for office. "Clinton was the master of self preservation," said Murray.

Crisis Communications, the Catholic Church and Martha Stewart

The subject soon changed to crisis communications, with Rosenberg identifying three crisis situations in the news: Michael Jackson’s trial, the Catholic Church crisis and the Martha Stewart trial.

Reilly proposed that the trial is being orchestrated by both sides for the media, which numbered more than 600 for this event. Murray agreed, and suggested that Jackson’s head lawyer is spending as much time on PR as on legal briefs, often assuming the role of spokesperson. Lehrer noted that with the rise in 24-hour cable news, "the beast needs to be fed," so there are ample opportunities to generate media coverage.

The panel agreed that Martha Stewart was being "railroaded" on her tax evasion charges. Murray proposed that she is an easy target, and that her often distant personality has turned off some people, allowing the SEC to go after her without a public outcry.

Reilly, as a Roman Catholic herself, was disheartened by the drop in public confidence in the Church. She agreed that the Boston archdiocese’s handling of the pedophile charges was a PR disaster. They tried to suppress the story, which exacerbated an already bad situation. Murray, who works with Catholic organizations, empathizes with the church but noted that it was hard to stem the tide. He’s working on cases on a one-to-one basis, which is having good results.

PCC Survey Results

Lehrer shared the results of a recent PCC on-line survey. He highlighted the votes of PCC survey respondents for biggest PR disasters (Meigs Field demolition, Iraq War, etc.).

Lehrer also related other PCC survey data that suggests that most PR people think that professional communicators have more access to the executive suite and are more involved in important decisions affecting an organization.

Arthur Andersen - "60 Minutes"

During the call-in portion of the show, Arthur Andersen inevitably arose as a PR fiasco. Murray, who had dealings with Andersen, admitted he was still stunned by the "amazing failure" of Arthur Andersen, once the world’s accounting leader. He believes that Andersen, by following the old PR dictum to get all the bad news out quickly to shorten the life of the story, may have moved too quickly, so with each new revelation, the company’s credibility could not withstand the media onslaught.

Another caller posed an interesting question. A competitor of his was going to be the subject of an unflattering "60 Minutes" report, and he wanted to know if his company could increase sales by feeding off of his competitor’s media misfortune.

The panel’s response was unanimous: "stay as far away as you can from this opportunity or your company might become embroiled in the same negative story." Reilly warned the caller that "it’s always a bad idea to try and capitalize on someone else’s misfortune." Lehrer agreed, but added that the company should prepare some talking points in the event that they are contacted by other media resources. Lehrer strongly advised that the company not reference the "60 Minutes" report.