What do Howie Carr and I have in common?

We are both speaking at the PRSA Boston Annual Meeting in December. With two strong draws, the event is sure to sell out quickly so register now...

Following are some more details:

11/13/2007
6:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel, 138 St. James Avenue, Boston, MA

Howie Carr, the award-winning columnist, controversial talk show host, and New York Times bestselling author, will share insights and anecdotes from his years as a reporter and commentator. Throughout his career, he has dealt with thousands of public relations people. He will give us his thoughts and answer your questions on how to do effective public relations and the future of journalism on the radio, in print and online. He promises to be just as sharp-tongued and provocative before PRSA Boston as he is on the radio and in print, sparing no one as he shares the best and worst PR experiences and gaffes that have come his way.

Carr’s hard-hitting exposes of local politicians and political corruption and patronage have drawn quite a bit of regional and national attention over the years. He has worked at numerous broadcast media outlets and served as the Boston Herald American’s Boston City Hall bureau chief and its State House bureau chief.

Carr has received the National Magazine Award and has been nominated for an Emmy Award. His new book, “The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century,” was praised by critics and on the New York Times bestseller list for 11 weeks in 2006-07.


Also on the Program Agenda:
Presentation of the Fourth Annual PRSA Boston Beacon Award For Lifetime Achievement in Public Relations

Election of the 2008 Chapter Officers

To register, go here.

I hope to see a lot of you there.

Changing the Face of PRSSA

At the upcoming Assembly, there is going to be a resolution to change the face of PRSSA, specifically "NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED

That the 2007 PRSA Assembly of Delegates directs the Board of Directors to appoint a task force consisting of representatives of the Educational Affairs Committee, the Educators Academy, the PRSSA National Committee, and other PRSA members at large to develop a strategic approach to expanding and promoting the affiliate program and to develop a plan of action to work with universities and colleges to qualify their curricula under the PRSA Bylaws for a PRSSA charter. The task force shall be directed to report on its deliberations and actions to the 2008 PRSA Assembly of Delegates."

Its proponents argue in favor of it with the following points.

1. This resolution creates a mechanism by which PRSA and its education-related entities work collaboratively with PRSSA to identify mechanisms to expand PRSSA opportunities to more students and more colleges/universities, rather than placing PRSA and its National Assembly in the position of appearing to dictate to PRSSA what its policies and practices re membership and chapters should be.

2. This resolution advances PRSSA, the profession and the professional by improving public relations education through a strategic effort to work with universities and colleges to qualify their curricula under the PRSA bylaws for a PRSSA chapter.

3. This resolution promotes nurturing and growing PRSSA membership, but does so through a commitment to institutions that meet the spirit and standards of the PRSA/PRSSA mission to prepare students for the contemporary and future practice.

4. Holding all PRSSA members and Chapters to the same set of high standards creates a climate of equity and equality so that all members and chapters are held in the same high regard.

5. A PRSSA Affiliate program already exists to embrace students interested in public relations at institutions not yet meeting requirements or applying for a PRSSA Chapter charter.

6. That Affiliate program has just completed its pilot year, but is still in the embryonic stage of development and could benefit by expansion and promotion. We at least need to give it a better shot than we have to this point.




What do you think? How do you want your Boston delegates to vote?