I'm happy to announce that the Volunteer Chapter has worked out an
agreement with the East Tennessee Business Journal to provide a written
column on a monthly basis to the publication on behalf of PRSA. The
column -- written by PRSA members -- will focus on various issues
pertaining to our profession, especially as they relate to small- to
mid-size business owners and managers.
The Business Journal has a circulation of about 12,000, reaching
executives throughout East Tennessee, particularly in the Chattanooga
and Knoxville areas.
I would like to invite any member of the Volunteer Chapter to represent
PRSA by writing a column in an upcoming issue of the publication. Your
column can discuss any public relations topic, especially as it may
relate to issues you deal with as a public relations professional or to
the industry niche in which you might work. Some possible topics might
include:
*Integrating the public relations function into a business's senior
management
*Crisis management
*Community relations strategies for a small business
*Media relations basics
*How to hire a top-notch public relations team member
*Ethics in public relations
*Using public relations to achieve business objectives
Obviously, this list could continue ad nauseam -- so I'll leave it to
you to pass along to me your proposals for a column. But first, please
make note of these ground rules:
1) Only PRSA members are invited to write this column.
2) Columns must be 800-1000 words in length, accompanied by a
head-and-shoulders photo and BRIEF bio, which will be published with the
article
3) Articles for this column MUST be submitted to me directly, not to the
publication (see below for my mailing address). The Volunteer Chapter
reserves the right to determine whether or not an article is submitted
to the publication.
4) Please be sure the article you write is not overly promotional of
your organization. This piece is not an advertorial opportunity.
5) Clear, concise writing (in AP style) is a must. Please be aware that
the Business Journal's readership profile is as follows:
*73% are age 35+
*75% are male
*55.9% are in top management; 24.7% are middle management
*63% work in companies with fewer than 100 employees; 25% with 500+
employees
*20% hold the title of President and/or CEO
I have openings for columns beginning with the April issue (deadline of
March 24, 2000).
Your support of this project is very much appreciated, and I hope to
hear from many of you about your ideas for this column.
I'm excited about this new opportunity to reach the local business
community about the value of public relations. I hope you'll share
these articles as they are published with your employers and clients.
The objective here is to clarify what public relations is (and ISN'T)
and to help elevate PRSA's visibility as the leading professional
organization in this field.
An added benefit of this new relationship with the East Tennessee
Business Journal is that they have agreed to publish the Volunteer
Chapter's meeting and professional development program dates with our
articles -- so this is a new-member recruitment opportunity as well.
Contact me if you're interested. Thanks again.
Mary Beth West, APR
VP/Marketing
Union Planters Bank
P.O. Box 15993
Knoxville, TN 37901
T: 865/549-2243
F: 865/549-2236
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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