22nd Annual Kenneth Owler Smith Symposium  

 

 Thursday, April 5, 2012

USC Annenberg School for

Communication and Journalism 

  East Lobby & Auditorium 

Reception 6:15 p.m., Program 7:00 p.m. 

      

USC Annenberg School and PRSA-LA will present the 22nd Annual Kenneth Owler Smith Symposium on Thursday, April 5.

This year, the symposium will focus on PR's hottest trends, practices and perceptions as speakers present and discuss key findings from USC Annenberg's Seventh Generally Accepted Practices (GAP) Study.

You'll want to attend if you've ever found yourself asking:

• What should PR be, besides media relations?

• What do CEOs really think about PR?

• What does an ideal agency/client relationship look like?

• How can I get a "seat at the table"?

• Should PR or marketing control social media?

• How can I prove I'm understaffed?

• How can I make myself indispensable? 

 
Data on these topics and more will be presented by public relations professor Jerry Swerling and his team. To register for this FREE event, please visit the USC Annenberg events page.

March Membership Promotions: 

 

March Brings Interest Section Discounts to New and Continuing PRSA Members 

 

There are just two more days to claim a discount this month on professional interest section memberships from PRSA!

New PRSA members joining the organization in March can claim a free interest section membership in the specialty of their choice (reference code MAR12 at registration).

Meanwhile, current PRSA members who add an interest section to their membership can claim a $20 discount (reference code SEC12 at registration).

The regular cost of an interest section membership ranges from $20 to $195, depending on one's membership type and section. Most section memberships cost $60 per year. Sections are offered in the following specialties:

• Association / Nonprofit

• Corporate Communications

• Counselors Academy

• Counselors to Higher Education

• Educators Academy

• Employee Communications

• Entertainment & Sports

• Financial Communications

• Health Academy

• Independent Practitioners Alliance

• New Professionals

• Public Affairs & Government

• Technology

• Travel & Tourism

Hurry to take advantage of this offer or forward it to a colleague, and make 2012 a year of personal enrichment.

 

At February's well-attended At Breakfast With... Community Affairs Reporters event, PR pros got a nuts-and-bolts primer on interacting with a valuable but sometimes misunderstood segment of the media landscape. Panelists included Josefa Salinas, Community Affairs News Anchor for HOT 92.3; Brad Pomerance, Anchor for CNN HLN's "Local Edition"; Val Zavala, Anchor for KCET's "SoCal Connected" and Massimo Bordonaro, Public Affairs Producer for KROQ-FM's "Open Line." The moderator was Raul Gordillo, PR Manager, Southern California Gas Co.

PRSA-LA member Andrew Hindes, president of The In-House Writer, attended the gathering at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and passes along this sampling of the panelists' useful advice:

• All four guests agree: email is the preferred pitching medium, and the shorter the pitch the better. ("Some of the dissertations are mind-numbing," griped Pomerance.)

• Be sure to watch or listen to local shows online before pitching, in order to understand their format and the type of stories covered. For instance, "SoCal Connected" is a half-hour news magazine, which Zavala likens to a local "60 Minutes." Thus, a story that might make a perfectly good three-minute piece probably won't work on the show, unless it fits into a longer segment on a similar topic.

• It's essential to pay attention to audience demographics. "KROQ is not the place for a story focusing on senior citizens," says Bordonaro. (The station's listeners fall mainly in the 15-to-25 age bracket.)

• Many community affairs shows have long lead times, typically reporting or booking shows weeks or even months before they air. Time-sensitive pitches should be made well in advance.

• Pomerance notes that while he uses Twitter to promote his shows and guests, he's often surprised that guests' publicists rarely bother to retweet his promotional messages. When they do, however, views of show recaps on YouTube increase significantly.

Make sure to check the PRSA-LA Events Calendar regularly for news about more great At Breakfast With... opportunities.

2012 Member Benefits Highlight      

 

More Complementary Learning Opportunities Coming Online in April   

 

 

This year PRSA National introduced a very special new member benefit: FREE access to its entire catalog of online learning opportunities (section-specific material excluded). 

Here is a rundown of some of the options that will be available to members in April. For more information or to register for these opportunities, click on the link associated with each: 

• PR's Hottest Trends, Practices and Perceptions
  
  Join this webinar to learn key findings from USC's Seventh Generally Accepted Practices (GAP) Study. The results of GAP VII will help you understand and successfully deal with profound shifts in public relations roles and responsibilities, as well as management's increasing expectations. Date: April 17, 2012. [REGISTER]  

• Accreditation Power Play
  
  How do you start prepping for your upcoming APR exam? Learn what is expected, get organized, study the right materials and follow the right process--this webinar teaches the best way to pursue the APR credential. Date: April 19, 2012. [REGISTER]  

• Writing for Social Media
  
  Ever wondered how to improve your writing for blog posts, tweets and other status updates? Want to make your online writing more personable? Discover how to make your writing more relevant to your readers with this webinar. Instructor: Ann Wylie. Date: April 24, 2012. [REGISTER]  

• Transform Your Pitch From Snooze to News
  
  Do you have a routine story to pitch? In this webinar, you will learn how to gain attention from journalists and bloggers. We will cover eight proven approaches that will transform your ho-hum story into one that grabs readers' attention in the first sentence. Instructor: Michael Smart. Date: April 26, 2012. [REGISTER]