Download - Salute - April 2005
IN THISSALUTE
WSU PRSSAHonors Students
and Alumni1
Caring forDetroit
2
Goin’ to Work3
The WorldAwaits...
3
Media RelationsHow Tos
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PUBLIC RELATIONS STUDENT SOCIETY OF AMERICA
APRIL 2005
WSU PRSSA Chapter HonorsStudents and Alumni
Third Annual Luncheon to recognize Michael Layne and chapter founder
BY SCOTT KEFGENAND NELLIE SHIN
Wayne StateUniversity’s (WSU) chap-ter of the Public RelationsStudent Society of Americawill hold its Third AnnualAlumni and Student Rec-ognition Luncheon onTuesday, April 12. The lun-cheon, held at theMcGregor Memorial Con-ference Center on Wayne’scampus, will honor profes-sionals as well as awardscholarships to three pub-lic relations students.
“This event willsum up our very busy andsuccessful year,” said Dr.Shelly Najor, faculty advi-sor for WSU’s PRSSAchapter. “It gives our stu-dents a chance to relax andcontinue to build relation-ships with area public rela-tions professionals in addi-tion to celebrating what ourchapter has achieved thisyear.”
This year thechapter will recognizeMichael Layne with theAlumni AchievementAward. Layne, along with
partner Fred Marx, foundedMarx Layne & Co. in 1987.The firm has since becomethe largest independentlyowned public relationsagency in Michigan. Withthis award, WSU recog-nizes Layne’s contributionsto the field of public rela-tions and honors his com-mitment to Wayne State’sprogram. Marx, his busi-ness partners for 18 years,said that Layne is verycommitted to Detroit,Wayne State University andits students. “Mike ap-proaches every opportunitywith tremendous enthusi-asm and creativity. He isnot one to wait for some-one to call him. He is per-petually in motion,” saidMarx. “At the same time,he has been instrumental inconceptualizing and devel-oping mentor and intern-ship programs and manyother student oriented ini-tiatives.”
The luncheon willalso recognize students fortheir outstanding contribu-tions to PRSSA. Two schol-arships, memorializingformer students Renee
Michael Layne.Photo courtesy of the
Marx Layne & Co. website.
Abraham-Harries andJeannine Gregory, will beawarded to PRSSA mem-bers Bridgette LaRose,Nellie Shin and ScottKefgen. LaRose and Shinwill receive the Renee M.Abraham-Harries Memo-rial Endowed Scholarshipfor demonstrating excellentwriting skills as well as acommitment to profes-sional development.Kefgen will receive theJeannine Gregory Scholar-ship in Public RelationsLeadership for demonstrat-SEE ‘05 LUNCHEON,PG. 5
WSU PRSSACHAPTER
Executive Board2004-2005
Faculty AdvisorShelly Najor, PhD
Professional AdvisorMary Henige, APR
PresidentBridgette LaRose
Vice PresidentScott Kefgen
TreasurerKrystal Miller
Special EventsCoordinatorNellie Shin
Internship CoordinatorBeth Walker
Marketing LiaisonMatthew [email protected]
Newsletter EditorNicole Young
Assistant NewsletterEditor
Dave [email protected]
Caring About DetroitLovio-George shares her experiences and love for the Motor City
area to share this dedicationin improving the image ofthe city.“We affect the real-ity of Detroit,” said Lovio-George. The image andreputation of the city hasbeen negative for manyyears. I hate to tell you, theburden is on you. You allhave a role, when someonesays, ‘Where are youfrom?’, you have to sayDetroit - not Troy, RoyalOak, etc.”
L o v i o - G e o r g espoke about the challengesher company faces with oneof its current clients, theSuper Bowl XL Host Com-mittee. The Super Bowlwill be held in Detroit in2006, making Detroit thefirst northern city to hostthe Super Bowl twice.There are numerous chal-lenges in having the event
Lovio-George shares her wealth of knowledge with WSU students.Photo by Dave Nielsen.
BY TAMARAHALLIBURTON
Christina Lovio-George, president andCEO of Lovio George,Inc., spoke to a group ofWayne State Universitypublic relations studentson March 9th about therole of PR in changing at-titudes and behaviors. Shealso spoke about hercompany’s role in promot-ing the city of Detroit andthe upcoming Super BowlXL activities.
Lovio-George is aWSU graduate whose of-fice is located in Detroit.She has been in the publicrelations field for over 20years and has an extensivelist of clients, includingCapuchin Soup Kitchen,English Gardens, GrossePointe Public Library, thePGA of America - 35thRyder Cup Matches, andthe Super Bowl XL HostCommittee.
Lov io -Georgehas a respect and admira-tion for the city that is ap-parent in her work. Hercompany has been respon-sible for many campaignsdedicated to improving theimage of Detroit, includ-ing Detroit’s tricentennialcelebration. She wantsothers, both in and outsideof the Metropolitan Detroit
in a city such as Detroit. Amajor concern is counter-ing Detroit’s tarnished im-age.
In an attempt toimprove the negative im-age of Detroit, LovioGeorge, Inc. created an 80-page media guide filledwith interesting Detroitfacts, a business card sizedfoldout filled with namesof Detroit-based organiza-tions and two full colormaps of the Detroit area.They also produced a seriesof newsletters, created amembership program forfans and planned a seriesof events surrounding theSuper Bowl including therecently held MotownWinter Blast. LovioGeorge, Inc. also partici-SEE LOVIO-GEORGE,PG. 4
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Goin’ to work
BY SCHANEL MOSES
Ten seconds on theclock. Your team is up bytwo. You decide to play itsafe so you use up theclock. Nine. Dribble.Eight. Dribble. Seven.The ball is swiped fromyour hands. Your opponentmakes a fast break downthe court. What you donext could be the differencebetween winning and los-ing and you don’t have timeto decide. Six...
In a crisis, timingis everything. No oneknows this better than DaveWieme, director of strate-gic communications forPalace Sports and Enter-tainment. On November19, 2004, Wieme was in hisoffice at the Palace of Au-burn Hills. It was the fourthquarter and the Detroit Pis-
tons were losing to the In-diana Pacers. With 45.9seconds left on the clock,the game was stopped aftera fan tossed a cup of beerhitting the Pacers’ RonArtest and setting off whathas now become known asthe “Basket Brawl.”
Within minutes,Palace management gath-ered and implemented theirgame plan: have PalaceSports and Entertainmentand Detroit Pistons presi-dent and CEO Tom Wilsonas the point person; securethe safety of the players andthe fans; and notify police.
Being prepared iskey in handling a crisis.Wieme began his prepara-tion early. He started hiscareer with the Pistons as astatistics runner when hewas 15 years old. When hegraduated from highschool, Wieme enrolled atOakland University andcontinued to work for thePistons as an intern. In thelate 1980s, when the Pis-tons began their champion-ship run, Weime was alongfor the ride, joining the Pis-tons’ staff as a full-time em-ployee.
In 1993, he left thePistons and moved toWashington, D.C. to workin commercial real estate,but soon became boredwith it.
In 1996, Wiemeco-founded, along withWayne Henninger, WavePR, a sports public relationsfirm in the nation’s capital.The firm has some successbefore Henninger left in2000. Shortly after, Wieme,bogged down with numberscrunching, closed the firmand moved back to Detroit.Soon after, he ran into Wil-son who offered him a jobat the Palace in the newlycreated position of directorof strategic communication.
Wieme shared hisexperience with WayneState University students,stressing that his numberone job is that the DetroitPistons’ brand is known.Wieme works hard every-day so that at the finalbuzzer the shot of negativepublicity is blocked and themessage is recovered.
Dave Wieme.Photo by Dave Nielsen.
PRSSA students chat with Dave Wieme from PS&E
The WorldAwaits...
Helpful Websites
Council of PR Firmswww.prfirms.org
Entry-Level PR Jobswww.entrylevelpr.com
Institute for PRwww.instituteforpr.com
PR Newswirewww.prnewswire.com
BY REBECCA LEEAND NICOLE M.
YOUNG
After receiving ourbachelor’s degrees, we’verealized the value and im-portance of the advice givento us by professors, friendsand other colleagues. Weunderstood how essentialthese skills were to land ourfirst internships and jobsright out of college. Know-ing this information gave usan opportunity to reevalu-ate our career paths. Wewould like to share this in-formation with futuregraduates and others whoare new into the “realworld.”
-You must be will-ing to do small tasks suchas filing away papers andmaking photocopies in or-der to be considered forlarger projects.
-Become an experton using office equipmentand computer programs.
-Make a good im-pression with everyone youmeet.
-Rethink yourwardrobe. Invest in threenice suits (dark colors rec-ommended).
-Keep copies ofeverything you write andregularly maintain yourportfolio.
Best wishes to the2005 Class of WSU!
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Media Relations How Tos
BY DAVE NIELSENAND SCOTT
KEFGEN
Darci McConnellknows first-hand that therelationship betweenjournalists and publicrelations practitioners is asymbiotic one. For the past14 years, McConnell wason the journalist side of therelationship, most recentlycovering the Detroit CityHall beat for the DetroitNews. McConnell nowfinds herself on the otherside, as president ofM c C o n n e l lCommunications, Inc., apublic relations firmserving a variety of clientsin the Detroit area. As herexperience in the PRbusiness grows, so does herimpressive lists of clients.
R e c e n t l y ,McConnell, an adjunctprofessor in WSU’sjournalism area, returned togive a guest lecture to agroup of public relationsstudents. McConnellmixed her experiences as ajournalist with stories ofher new life as a PRpractitioner, while offeringadvice on both professions.
“The parallelsbetween journalism and PRare stark,” said McConnell.
McConnell offers insight on maintaining healthyrelationships with journalists
nell also reminded studentsthat the press doesn’t wantto deal with you; they wantto deal with your client.
With all her pastexperiences as a journalistand teacher, McConnell hasbuilt a strong foundation forher company to grow. Asmany of her former studentsknow, McConnell does notexpect anything less than thebest. This trait should serveher well in all her endeav-ors.
Darci McConnell.Photo by Dave Nielsen.
FROM LOVIO-GEORGE, PG. 2
pated in an eventfeaturing some ofDetroit’s greatest sportsstars, including DaveBing, Steve Yzerman,“Pudge” Rodriguez, KirkGibson, and BarrySanders. These tacticswere successful in openingup discussions about manypositive aspects of Detroit.
L o v i o - G e o rg econcluded with her threemost important publicrelations skills: 1) Gettingthe message seen andremembered; 2) it’s notjust about problemsolving, it’s about problemfinding; 3) the effectiveuse of emotion incampaigns.
“I thought shewas dynamic. Shecaptured reasons whypublic relations studentsshould keep up with thecity and knowing how thatwill help shapecampaigns,” said PRsenior Indera Robinson.
For moreinformation on LovioGeorge, Inc., visitwww.loviogeorgeinc.com.For more on the SuperBowl XL Host Committee,visit www.sbxl.org.
PRSSA-Nationalswww.prssa.org
PRSA-Detroitwww.prsadetroit.org
PRSA-Nationalswww.prsa.org
Despite her previ-ous business connectionsand writing background asa journalist, McConnell isquick to admit that PR isnot an easy job.
“You must haverelationships (with thepress), know what’s news-worthy, how to pitch astory and pay close atten-tion to the news of theday,” McConnell offered.“If you don’t know how towrite or research well, youwill struggle.”
Throughout herpresentation, McConnelldiscussed ways in whichPR practitioners can buildstrong relationships withreporters.
“The better therapport, the better thechance that your client getscoverage,” saidMcConnell.
A m o n gMcConnell’s suggestionswas to be accessible at alltimes. McConnell told stu-dents she works sevendays a week and recentlycut a vacation short tocome to the aid of one ofher clients.
Other tips in-cluded making sure youdeliver information thatyou promised a reporter,anticipate every detail andknow deadlines. McCon-
WSU/ PRSSA APRIL 2005 Page 5
FROM ‘05 LUNCHEON,PG. 1
ing outstanding leadershipabilities in the field of PRas well as his role as VicePresident for the WSUchapter.
This luncheonalso celebrates the officialnaming of the chapter as“The James S. MeasellChapter of the Public Re-lations Student Society ofAmerica.” This name is atribute to Measell, a formerWSU CommunicationsProfessor and current As-sociate Historian of TheFenton Art Glass Com-pany. He establishedWSU’s PRSSA chapter in1983 and since its incep-tion, the chapter has grownto over 80 members, cur-rently the largest in its his-tory. “Dr. Measell was in-strumental in starting thischapter over 20 years agoand it was his vision thatthis chapter be what it is to-day,” said Najor. “Hismentoring and dedicationto the chapter is an ex-ample for our students tofollow.”
Another annnoun-cement to take place at theluncheon is the founding ofthe Public Relations Advi-sory Council. The council,made up of public relationsprofessionals, will serve asa resource to the chapterand as advisors to its mem-bers. In addition to Layne,council members includeMary Henige, APR, ofGeneral Motors; Jessica
Killenberg, APR, of BianchiPublic Relations, Inc.;Shaun Wilson of WilsonPR; Christina Lovio-George of Lovio-George,Inc.; Al Sebastian of Star-fish Family Services; JohnBailey of John Bailey &Associates; Lisa Vallee-Smith, APR, of Airfoil Pub-lic Relations; TomEisbrenner of EisbrennerPublic Relations & Associ-ates; Wayne Mielke, APR,of Comerica, Inc.; BarbaraPalazollo, APR, of Hospiceof Michigan; Walter Kraftof Caponigro Public Rela-tions, Inc.; Debra Lacey,APR, of Johnson Controls,Inc.; and Dr. James S.Measell, Ph.D. The lun-cheon will serve as an in-duction to the council mem-bers.
Farewell My Friends...It is with pride and a bit of sadness that I say farewell to this year’s PRSSA graduates. As agroup, you have been so eager, so enthused and so energetic in your pursuit of professionaldevelopment that even I am worn out! But what marketable skills and characteristics you
bring to an employer! And I do realize that. I also realize that you are so ready to graduate,and that it’s all part of the cycle - once you earn a degree, you move on to become a contrib-uting member of society. Whether that means your internship turns into a job position or you
pound the pavement looking for your dream job, you will leave Manoogian Hall and thatmakes me sad. Sad because you have been one of the most dynamic, hard working and fun-loving group of students that I’ve had the pleasure to work with. You’ve all impressed me
with your creativity, your commitment to excellence and your willingness to pursue opportu-nities that took you far outside that classroom. While I know you are excited to move on and
apply all that you have learned, is it too selfish for me to ask you to stay just a little bitlonger? Just another semester ro two? (smile). I will comfort myself with the knowledge thatonce you are all successful practitioners, you will once again visit a classroom in Manoogian- only this time you will be in front of the class - sharing your knowledge with the new group
of PR students. I’ll call you and you can bet on that!
Love, Shelly
