Category Archives: Uncategorized

Making sense of advertising

At first glance, it might seem like advertising is doomed. After all, it’s almost 20 years since Al and Laura Ries declared “The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR.” By the same token, it’s been almost 30 years … Continue reading

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Welcome to organizational communication.

I have spent most of my professional life in matters of internal/employee communication. One of the academic angles for that is organizational comm — the different ways we can explore, interpret and conduct communication activities that are intrinsic to building, … Continue reading

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The case for higher ed

Maybe it’s because I’m in the process of wrapping up my fourth year as a full-time professor, but I’m more convinced than ever that higher education is a public good. Some politicians are making a massive market in outright hatred … Continue reading

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Why attend a PR research conference?

In just under two months (!!!) this lil’ ‘ol professor will become CEO of the International PR Research Conference. It’s been more than 15 years since I became involved in IPRRC, almost as long ago as I joined the Institute … Continue reading

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PRSA ICON 22: Highlights from my angle

Among several good sessions at PRSA’s International Conference this year was this conversation between John Elsasser of PRSA and Mark Weiner of Public Relay about PR Measurement. The main message was that measuring the media needs to be measuring the … Continue reading

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PRSA ICON: Two cents at a time

For the first time since 2019, the PRSA Conference was held in person, and I was there. The venue, the Gaylord Texan resort in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex was super-deluxe, and in the worst ways possible. First it was hella … Continue reading

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Is public relations evil?

My pal Bob Batchelor, once upon a time a professor and before that, like me a PR guy, used to give a lecture with the same title as this post. You can find it in pieces on YouTube, and as … Continue reading

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On universities outsourcing courses

A story in the Wall Street Journal this past Wednesday (July 6, 2022) talked of universities and their relationships with for-profit companies to create, teach and operate coursework, and they don’t like that practice at all. It’s easy for me … Continue reading

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Why ‘Strategic Communication’?

Any longtime reader knows that I’m a fan in the most inclusive sense of the phrase, “public relations” to describe the work I’ve done for more than 30 years in professional communicaiton. As a board member of the International PR … Continue reading

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When did it get to be April?

Ummm, April of 2022? I know I’m kind of a busy guy. I teach seven classes a year, about 200 students, a mix of graduate and undergraduate. I teach across the BGSU School of Media and Communication, which means in … Continue reading

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Lies, Dang lies

Aside from the thoroughly disturbing tendency some people have to see conspiracy everywhere, the media, politicians, social media users and even your Aunt Molly seem to seize on statistics to support their misguided perspectives. “There are three kinds of lies: … Continue reading

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Baseball: The Hot Stove Heats Up

A pal texted me this morning asking, “How could we have two Cy Young award winners and not with the whole thing?” Ah, yes, the pain, the pain. Here’s what I believe. Number one: Underperforming hitting. So many teams with … Continue reading

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Fun with Organizational Communication

I’m teaching Media and Communication 6550 this summer, Organizational Communication. Having spent nearly my whole career in that field, I anticipated that it would be a walk in the park. This is the third time I’ve taught the course; the … Continue reading

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When is rhetoric, rhetorical?

I’m not naming names, but certain politicians rely on hyperbole, exaggeration and drama that frequently seems to have little relationship to facts. That’s not a political statement, it’s an observation. So is that merely a rhetorical distinction, or is it … Continue reading

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Tom Petty was right, you know

One of my favorite songs by the late and lamented Tom Petty is, “The Waiting.” The waiting is the hardest part Every day you get one more yard You take it on faith, you take it to the heart The … Continue reading

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Learning from graduate students

Part of my job is coordinating BGSU’s online master’s in strategic communication, and as a result, I get to teach grad students in that program. Likely in the future, I’ll teach some in person as well, as I did at … Continue reading

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Has the horse left the barn?

So here at BGSU we’ve acted proactively and announced we’re going to be online-only after our spring break next week, for two weeks. For me, it’s not a big deal. We can do quite a lot of our stuff online, … Continue reading

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Why Grad School is a good idea

If someone would have told me my freshman year of college I would be completing a master’s degree in one year right after graduating with my bachelor’s degree, I wouldn’t have believed them. The thought of going to graduate school … Continue reading

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Strategic Communication, PR, Corporate Communication…Who knows?

Many moons ago, a middle-aged PR guy got laid off from a job. It was 2008, and the market was a little soft for that dude — after all, the financial crisis was wailing along, and the best two options … Continue reading

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