Mack the Flack

Lisa Laflamme and Dawna Friesen

Canadians love their national TV news programs and they’re going to notice a new look. Two of the three national news programs will soon be anchored by woman journalists.

CTV and Global TV have announced Lisa LaFlamme and Dawna Friesen will replace retiring anchors Lloyd Robertson and Kevin Newman respectively on their networks’  flagship news programs.

“It’s about time,” said Friesen of the rise of women in prominent TV news roles.

Why not TV news? Women already rule PR. In an industry once dominated by men, women now outnumber their male colleagues 7 to 3 globally and the trend shows no signs of slowing. Today, whether in the workplace or the SFU PR program classroom women have staked out their place in the world.

More details www.sfu.ca/cstudies/pr or call 778-782-5093 or email pr-staff@sfu.ca

The PR world is littered with unprepared, unguarded and unaware newsmakers who speak first and think later when conducting interviews, meetings or being close to a live microphone.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson recently described speakers at a council meeting as “f–kin’ hacks,” unaware the city’s audio system was recording his comment.

A month earlier NDP MP Libby Davies faced calls to resign as her party’s deputy leader when she suggested in a YouTube interview that Israel has been occupying territory since the country came into existence. Both politicians quickly apologised for their comments.

The SFU Public Relations program includes a Crisis Communications course taught by noted journalist and instructor Don Whiteley. He’ll cover how to prepare a crisis communications plan, anticipate public reaction, develop messages for key audiences, and manage media attention.

More details www.sfu.ca/cstudies/pr or call 778-782-5093 or email pr-staff@sfu.ca

One of my clients recently remarked that his company had been slow in adopting social media as part of its marketing effort because senior executives thought social media sites were just a “flash the pan” and would fade after just a couple of years.

Wrong.

Some figures worth noting:

• 2 billion YouTube videos will be viewed today
• 150 million people engage with Facebook every month
• 133 million blogs (including this one) are available online
• 110 million Twitter will send and/or receive a tweet today
• 70 million LinkedIn members will use the active networking site

Still not convinced social media is right for you? Consider this. The average social media user has 195 friends. If just 100 people “like” your website on their Facebook stream, they’ll personally recommend it to all their 19,500 friends. That’s how you spin social media clicks into gold.

Our Media Relations and Social Networking course teaches how to use social media to get the word out about their organization in order to build awareness and make new friends.

More details www.sfu.ca/cstudies/pr or call 778-782-5093 or email pr-staff@sfu.ca.