Hats off to Ann Curry

I couldn't help but feel sorry for Ann Curry this watching what is somewhat of an awkward goodbye.  I am a regular viewer of the TODAY show.  And, although as I PR pro I often find myself griping to colleagues about some of the coverage, I have always respected and enjoyed Ann's reporting.

Visibly upset and maybe even a little angry, her goodbye left some questions to say the least. For starters, what is going on at NBC? Then again, I guess Ms. Curry is just another casualty of the ever-changing news media.   Not that anchoring has not always been competitive, but ratings and advertising dollar pressures are arguably greater now than ever before.

I tuned into some of a live online chat with another anchor of TODAY show past, Katie Couric also this week. A viewer, and fellow news anchor asked her a related question about the changing landscape local news media.  He had just recently been cut from his position at a local station for what I gathered to be related to budgetary and station performance reasons.  Her response was something to the effect of, "I think the local news stations are in pretty good shape actually."  To her credit, she referenced how many stations at the local level were pretty savvy and quick to adopt an integrated approach to news, utilizing online tools to continue engaging audiences and creating ad revenues.  However, from my perspective she glazed over this topic a bit.

Local news outlets are turning over staff members faster than a popsicle would melt in Cincinnati today (100 degrees outside!).  I feel for the news outlets and reporters, anchors, producers that staff them, including Ann Curry, although she had a nice, long run.  But furthermore, this constantly changing newsroom environment also makes the job of a PR professional very difficult.


While there are more places to put news and more opportunities because of how immediately news can be made available, the traditional relationship-building public relations can offer is seriously wounded by the high turnover and thinly spread resources facing local news outlets across the country.  Is the trade off actually paying off for PR?    

What do airlines and PR agencies have in common?

I recently read an article about how the major airlines are faring in the customer service department.  The main issue facing airlines, as I think is true of many businesses across industries in this recovery mode, is that consumers these days want it all.

They want top notch customer service, an above-and-beyond good experience, convenience, first class treatment, if you will.  The problem that the airlines have not all quite figured out yet: consumers are not willing to pay top dollar for that list of requirements.

This issue feels familiar to me in an agency world where all sorts of independent practitioner shops, single service providers and online DIY tools are available around every corner.  Clients have been conditioned by the recession to pinch pennies, a sentiment I can appreciate as an average consumer. However, in the professional service sector, the particulars in determining what is satisfactory and what is not can get a little fuzzier.

So, is there a cheaper alternative to working with a full service agency?  Of course, but what are clients really getting for that investment? In an attempt to revamp their marketing efforts slowly, a client may have tried an independent consultant who, as one person, never has enough time to cater to the client's everyday demands.  They have tried hiring 5, 6 ,7 different service firms on a project-by-project basis, only to discover, after pouring a decent portion of budget into all of these projects, that as a whole things are pretty disjointed and no single area is particularly succeeding. 

What's next?  "Well, if no one else can manage my marketing successfully, I might as well do it myself!"  Client goes and purchases every online tool and magic bullet promise out there to help them to "do their own marketing".

We all know how that one turns out.  Fortunately for the airlines from earlier in our discussion, most of their customers will not haul off and taking piloting lessons and fly themselves to every destination.

I think I just made my point.