Several years ago when I was covering the dot-com bubble, a German magazine featured me in a story. “The Harbinger of Death,” the writer called me, noting that if I wrote about a company there was a good chance that said company was on its way to the grave. “The Harbinger of Death” is back, but these days I’m an analyst, studying corporate executives who disastrously borrowed money against the stock they own in their company. (Read more…)

Recently I appeared live on national television. (Well, it was actually cable, but that’s national now.) Using my experience as an example, this installment of PR Fuel discusses the pros and cons of television-based public relations. Hopefully you’ll be able to take away some tips about how to  get your public relations message on the air, how to prepare for that first television interview, and how to make the most of it once you’re in front of the camera. (Read more…)

Recently I appeared on the CNBC show Kudlow and Cramer. I’d like to use that on-camera experience to offer up a little advice for any public relations pros who suddenly find themselves (or their clients) booked for any sort of televised media interview. It’s not as scary as you may have thought. (Read more…)

I’m one of those strange people who doesn’t have cable or satellite television. One of the nice things about the radio I have is that I’m able to listen to a simulcast of financial news network CNBC, and an added benefit of having no picture is that I get to really concentrate on what’s being said by the interviewees. (Read more…)

I don’t own a car, but historically high oil prices are taking their toll on me.

My airfare for a recent trip was 25 percent higher than I normally pay, and taxis to and from the airport cost me at least 20 percent more than I’ve paid in the past. High oil prices also impact my life because petroleum derivatives are used in thousands of products, including food (plastic containers and pesticides), beverages (plastic and glass bottles), clothing (polyester and rayon), consumer electronics (plastic), home furnishings (carpet) and utilities (gas-powered plants). Even the government is feeling the pinch (which means my tax dollars are wasting away), because petroleum is central to everything from government-owned transportation to government-sponsored works projects. (Asphalt is a petroleum product, and asphalt prices are up about 20 percent over the past year). (Read more…)

The looming launch of the Fox Business News channel should be a boon for anyone who wants to get on financial television. CNBC will now have a major competitor, and Bloomberg TV may have to rethink its strategy in order to compete. (Read more…)

I touched briefly last week on the present controversy at Hewlett-Packard, and before the “ink” was even dry on my column, the company had swung into action. (Read more…)

Did you hear the news? Friday is Public Relations Appreciation Day — in Tucson, Arizona.

Mayor Bob Walkup made the declaration earlier this week to help celebrate a conference being held in The Old Pueblo by The Public Relations Society of America’s Western District. (Read more…)

Watching the culmination of the Martha Stewart trial is something I won’t soon forget. (Read more…)

In April 2003, I wrote a column entitled “Anatomy of a Failed Press Release” in which I ripped apart a press release I’d received from Bridges TV, a then yet-to-be-launched television network targeting American Muslims.

“Bridges TV may have a bright future, and I wish them the best of luck. But this press release was a bad way to start a relationship with the media. And if the most important thing in life is perception, the second most important thing is probably relationships,” I wrote last year.

Woe is me. (Read more…)