On communication, professional and otherwise.
by David Murray // 2 Comments
Best press release lead of the year:
Super Wang, CEO of SuperGeo Technologies, was invited to deliver a speech at Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the pioneer research organization serving to strengthen the technological competitiveness of Taiwan.
by David Murray // 1 Comment
The Tribune Co.'s new CEO Randy Michaels is "rethinking" the media conglomerate's business, according to a July 26 interview with The Wall Street Journal. For instance:
WSJ: You've centralized the production of foreign and national news across your papers to save money and manpower. What have you done and why?
Mr. Michaels: Stories [are] laid out in modules—standard sizes with collections of headlines, content, images [reducing the need for layout and copy editors]. …
WSJ: How are you keeping employees motivated?
Mr. Michaels: We recognize people who've had great ideas. A fellow in Florida figured out a way to save us a couple of million dollars [in] the way we buy newsprint. We gave him a $25,000 check, took his picture, sent it around. There were some people who groused about that, but there were a lot more people who sent us ideas.
WSJ: Are companies spending money on advertising again?
Mr. Michaels: We're seeing a substantial rebound in certain sectors. Auto [advertising] is back to a large extent, particularly in broadcast, but I don't believe auto sales are matching ad spend. If that doesn't change it could be a different situation. BP is spending a lot of money [on ads]. There apparently is a bright side to polluting the planet.
Rethinking? He's not even thinking in the first place.
by David Murray // 2 Comments
Randy Michaels, the new-ish CEO of the Tribune Co., is being criticized for forbidding announcers on the Tribune's radio property, WGN, to utter these ridiculous newspeak words.
"The real goal here," Michaels told staffers in a memo, "is to avoid using words that make you sound like you're reading, instead of talking—that shatter the image you're speaking knowledgeably to one person. By not using 'newsspeak,' you enhance your reputation as a communicator."
I'm with Michaels on this one: Stripped of these words, WGN hosts might actually be forced to say something human every once in a while, which would, for the station, signal a new beginning.
(Randy, feel free to add that last phrase to your list.)