The board of directors is pleased to report that the first three months of 2003 were solid ones for the Buffalo/Niagara Chapter. This E-newsletter recaps some of the efforts and accomplishments of our many dedicated members and committees to date, and offers a glimpse at what’s in store over the next few months.

One of our major objectives this year is to create new and relevant programs that meet the needs and interests of our members while advancing our profession. To that end, three outstanding programs, "Marketing Modi," "The Catholic Church, the Clergy Crisis and the Media," and the recent panel of media gatekeepers helped us get the year off to a strong start. These programs not only attracted large turnouts but also provided excellent information for those who attended. Congratulations and thanks to Karen Karaszewski, APR and members of the program committee, in particular Kathy Rizzo Young, APR and Paul McAfee for their help in putting these programs together.

In addition, our two-part writing workshop with Grace Lazzara quickly sold out and was well received by those who participated.

Please mark your calendars now for Thursday evening, May 8, when we will host a program on "One Summerlong Sensation," a community-wide effort to promote cultural tourism in Western New York this year. The Buffalo/Niagara region will present a summer-long series of events, as the result of being designated this year's I Love New York Summer Festival site by Empire State Development Corporation and the New York State Division of Tourism.

Our May program will feature Ed Healy, director of cultural tourism at the Buffalo Convention & Visitors Bureau, Wendy Attea Huntington, Art on Wheels, and Drew Cerza, founder of the National Buffalo Wing Festival. More information on this program will be available via E-mail and on our chapter’s website (www.prsabuffaloniagara.org) in the near future.

We also hope to see many of you at the chapter’s 14th annual Excalibur Awards dinner on Thursday evening, June 19, at Fanny’s Restaurant. This annual event provides an opportunity to honor and celebrate excellence in public relations among our members and to renew old acquaintances.

At the national level, PRSA recently introduced its new logo and corporate identity. A guide to the new logo/corporate identity is available at the PRSA Web site (www.prsa.org).

According to PRSA President and CEO Reed Bolton Byrum, APR, "PRSA is a very different organization than it was 20 years ago, when our previous identity was established. The new identity captures the vibrancy and fullness of PRSA in the 21st Century."

PRSA has also introduced a new tag line: PRSA: Advancing the Profession and the Professional. This new brand positioning showcases PRSA’s equity as a leader in life-long professional learning, while reinforcing its long history of advocating credibility and ethical practice.

The national organization’s new look and feel are very consistent with the Buffalo/Niagara Chapter’s new strategic plan as detailed in this newsletter by Linus Ormsby, APR, immediate past president.

We encourage all of you to take an active role in fulfilling our mission, strengthening our organization, and enhancing the value of your membership.

Draft Document Outlines Chapter's Strategic Plan
By Linus Ormsby, APR

Back in the fall, several past presidents of the Buffalo/Niagara Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America joined with members of the board of directors to draft a strategic plan for the chapter. Dr. Judith Willard, assistant to the president for planning at Niagara University, facilitated two working sessions during which the group reached agreement on the general direction of the organization for the next three to five years. It had been several years since the chapter had engaged in such a process.

As a result of its deliberations, the strategic planning group drafted a mission statement and vision for the organization. The mission statement speaks to the essential purpose of the chapter, while the vision statement establishes the direction for the future. In short, it answers the question "Where are we going?"

The document, at this point, differs from traditional public relations planning in that there is no clear demarcation between objectives, strategies and tactics. What appears under the goals is a combination of those three elements. The next step, therefore, is to assign the three goals to various committees to complete the planning process. We will be doing that in the weeks ahead.

As a follow-up to the planning process, a review of the chapter bylaws is also planned. One thing that we learned during the planning sessions is that the chapter has strayed from the original committee structure. While some past practices may no longer be relevant, others may still be beneficial. The goal of the bylaw review will be to reconcile the chapter’s current structure with past practice. Jeff Paterson has agreed to take the lead in reviewing the bylaws.

What follows is the draft of the strategic planning document. Your comments and suggestions are welcome, and may be sent to me by E-mail at llo@niagara.edu.

Buffalo/Niagara Chapter PRSA
Draft Strategic Planning Document

Mission Statement

The Buffalo/Niagara Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America seeks to serve and empower its membership, and advance the practice of public relations by providing professional development and networking opportunities; by promoting competence and high ethical standards among practitioners; and by building public understanding and support for the value and values of the profession.

Vision

The chapter will be recognized and valued, internally and externally, as the premier public relations professional development organization, and as the leading voice for the maintenance of high standards and ethical practice of public relations in Western New York Goals: To achieve our vision we will:

1. More effectively meet the professional development needs of our members, while generating necessary revenue to strengthen the organization

• Expand programming to meet the needs of varying levels of experience, namely, entry level to senior practitioners
• Serve and empower the membership
• Celebrate common ties among membership
• Foster networking among public relations professionals
• Recruit/encourage the best and the brightest to/in the field
• Hold media breakfasts & roundtables on current issues

2. Encourage younger members to assume leadership roles, while continuing to engage senior practitioners in the chapter’s activities.

• Work to increase the number of PRSSA chapters
• Generate better publicity for programs, while increasing sponsorship and underwriting of such programs
• Cultivate future leadership through planned recruitment activities
• Develop a clearly defined committee structure, detailing committee responsibilities and hierarchy
• Recruit, as committee chairs, experienced practitioners who have the desire, attitude, resources and time to serve
• Actively recruit younger members to serve on committees
• Develop a section and budget for senior practitioners and their programming needs

3. Become a recognized source of information and commentary on the value and values of public relations in the local community

• Seek to unify the WNY public relations community by advocating principles and standards, by promoting open and honest communication, and by recognizing and dealing with growing diversity and factionalism
• Create a place/mechanism for larger chapter issues to be addressed
• Educate the community about public relations by becoming the voice of the profession
• Lead by promoting high standards of practice
• Reward and recognize high standards
• Foster greater acknowledgement and appreciation of the benefits of accreditation
• Establish the Excalibur Awards as the coveted professional communications award in WNY
• Seek national recognition of the chapter
• Promote proactive media relations by providing spokespersons on public relations issues and/or by serving as a resource for the media
• Establish a speakers bureau

Buffalo/Niagara Chapter is Part of the Northeast District
by Dick Shaner Jr.

Many of you are probably aware that the Buffalo/Niagara Chapter is a member of PRSA's Northeast District. That begs the question, what is the Northeast District?

Comprised of eight local PRSA chapters serving 1,100 public relations practitioners in central and upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the Northeast District is one of 10 regional districts serving PRSA's 117 chapters.

District Mission. Districts are a link between PRSA's local and national organizations. The primary role of the district is to provide support to chapter leaders and help them in making their chapters more effective. The district's secondary role is to serve as a route for leadership between the chapter and national levels.

PRSA STRUCTURE PRSA National 10 Districts 117 Chapters 20,000 Members

• One seat on the PRSA board of directors is reserved for a representative from the Northeast District. Jeffrey Seideman, APR, of the Boston Chapter currently holds this seat.
• The district sends a representative, traditionally our immediate past chair, to serve on the PRSA nominating committee. This committee interviews and selects candidates for the PRSA board’s officers and directors. Brett St. Clair, APR, of the Yankee Chapter is the district’s representative to the nominating committee this year. Our chapter’s Don Goralski, APR, is a past representative.
• The district also sends a delegate, usually our chair, to the PRSA National Assembly. The Assembly meets the Saturday prior to the PRSA international conference. The 2003 Assembly is October 25 in New Orleans, LA. and Joseph Zappala, APR, is our delegate.
• Because our service area is geographically widespread, the Northeast District traditionally holds its annual meeting at the PRSA international conference. It is attended by district officers, assembly delegates and chapter leaders who are attending the conference and/or the assembly. The 2003 annual meeting is tentatively scheduled for the morning of October 26. Nancy Fredrickson, APR and Stanton Hudson, APR, currently serve as our chapter’s assembly delegates.

District Board of Directors. Each PRSA district has a district board of directors, consisting of the president of each chapter in the district, the assembly delegates of these chapters and the district officers.

District Chapters. The eight chapters that comprise the Northeast District are: Buffalo/Niagara, Boston, Capital, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Rochester, Southeastern New England and Yankee.

Candidates Sought for PRSA's Board of Directors

PRSA's nominating committee has announced its call for candidates for the PRSA board of directors. The following positions are open: president-elect, treasurer, secretary, four directors and six assembly-delegates-at-large. If you have ever considered serving on the board, this is your chance to apply. Two directors must come from Northeast and Tri-State districts whose representation is expiring at the end of 2003. The other two directors will serve in an "at-large" capacity and may come from any district. The officers and assembly delegates-at-large may also come from any district. Officers are asked to serve a one-year term; directors a three-year term. Jeff Seidman of the Boston Chapter currently serves as the Northeast District’s representative to PRSA’s board of directors. The PRSA bylaws require that officer and director candidates be accredited and have served in at least one PRSA Assembly as a voting delegate or have served as a chapter president or a district, section or national committee chair. The deadline for candidates to submit applications is June 19. If you’d like to discuss the time commitment, PRSA’s expense reimbursement policy for directors, would like an application, or have any other questions, contact Brett St. Clair, the Northeast District’s representative to the nominating committee, at 603-224-5388 or bstclair@nhbia.org.

Media Panelists Share Tricks of the Trade
by Jeff Bucki

On March 20, PRSA Buffalo/Niagara brought together four influential members of the local media to share some tips and tactics on how to best deal with the media at its Media Session Roundtable. The PRSA panel was comprised of members of the local print, radio and television media. For close to an hour, the speakers discussed a number of relevant issues and explained how public relations professionals can improve their chances of getting their story covered.

The discussion was highlighted by points from the following:

Stephen Bell, managing editor, The Buffalo News

• Improve the chances of your story being covered by developing a relationship with an appropriate reporter.
• Drop in the newsroom and meet reporters face to face.
• There is room for your organization's story in the paper - just maybe not on the front page.
• Establish how your organization ties to the big story of the day or week.

Pamm Lent, assistant news director, WIVB-TV, Channel 4

• Make sure your news releases stand out from the pack.
• Sending your product samples to the newsroom can help busy news directors gain a better understanding of what your organization is about.
• Channel 4 has an open newsroom and PR professionals are welcome to sit in on their meetings.
• Inviting TV people to lunch is never a bad idea.

Jackie Dortch, producer, Buffalo's Early News, WBEN Radio

• Never assume that buying advertising grants you a story.
• Position your client as an expert. Make sure to include all the vital contact information because they might be needed at any time of day or night.
• Build relationships with reporters and news directors to improve your chances of success.

David Seyse, producer, Adelphia Crossroads

• Any story that encourages audience participation has a good possibility to be picked up.
• They're looking for good news, be it civic pride, citizen involvement, family events, and local institutions.
• If your organization makes Buffalo a better place in some way, there might be a fit.
• Think of a story that is visually pleasing for television viewers.

PRSA would like to thank our panelists for taking time out of their busy schedules to share these important strategies. And special thanks to Kathy Rizzo-Young of HSBC Bank for serving as moderator.

Buffalo Niagara PRSA Welcomes Members of the St. Bonaventure University Chapter of PRSSA
By Julie Coppola Cox

Last year, a group of students and their faculty advisor, Chris Mackowski, formed the St. Bonaventure University Chapter of PRSSA. Now with a membership of 25, the St. Bona chapter has developed an aggressive list of goals and an impressive list of accomplishments. Recently, the St. Bona PRSSA chapter organized a daylong field trip for some of its members to visit with Buffalo-area PR professionals and learn more about the day-to-day responsibilities that come with practicing public relations and integrated communications in a variety of settings.

On March 21st, members of the SBU chapter first visited with Scott Berchtold, vice president of communications for the Buffalo Bills. While there, the students also met with Bills’ Head Coach Greg Williams and President and General Manager, Tom Donahoe. Later that afternoon, the students were greeted by Dick Shaner at Travers Collins & Company. At the agency, the students heard first-hand advertising experiences from one of its newest associate, Jill Misnik, and Bob Travers, principal. They also engaged in a panel discussion with Buffalo Niagara PRSA members Bill Collins, APR, principal at Travers Collins & Company; Kevin Keenan, director of communications at The Diocese of Buffalo; Julie Coppola Cox, senior manager of corporate communications at National Fuel; and Charlotte Viscio, corporate communications associate at National Fuel. The day’s events were organized by Nicole Severino (SBU chapter president) and Colleen Hannon (SBU chapter past president and the 2002 May Randazzo Scholarship Awardee).

The St. Bona PRSSA Chapter is currently led by Nicole Severino (Class of 2005), chapter president, Steven O’Brien (Class of 2005), vice president, Douglas Scanlon (Class of 2004), treasurer and Kathleen Demsey (Class of 2005), secretary. Professional advisors for the chapter are Gail Speedy, marketing manager for First Tier Bank and Trust, and Julie Coppola Cox.

In addition to the March 21st road trip, other recent activities conducted by the St. Bona PRSSA Chapter include: fundraising, coordination of a presentation on crisis communications and the creative promotion of an on-campus speech by Deb Henretta, president of Global Baby Care Products at Proctor and Gamble. The chapter organized a promotional effort that included the placement of event posters around campus, giving speeches to classmates to encourage attendance and sending invitations wrapped in Proctor and Gamble diapers to faculty members in the University’s Journalism and Business Schools.

The St. Bona PRSSA Chapter hopes to secure their National Charter soon. They continue to develop networking relationships with area PR professionals, improve chapter meetings by regularly inviting guest speakers; and offer resume, cover letter writing and interviewing workshops for members in conjunction with the university’s career placement office.

PRSA Offers Member Discount for Canisius PR Series

Who doesn’t like to save money? Thanks to a partnership between PRSA and Canisius College, you have a chance to do just that – and to expand your skills at the same time!

On Wednesday mornings from May 7 to May 28, the Canisius College Center for Professional Development will offer a series entitled "Public and Media Relations." The normal registration fee for the series ranges from $99 to $299, depending on the category of your organization. But you’ll receive a $25 discount if you're one of the first 15 PRSA Buffalo/Niagara Chapter members to register.

"We are constantly looking for new ways to build the value of PRSA membership," said Dick Shaner, Jr., chapter president. "This member-only discount is another way that we can invest in our members."

Presenters include PRSA Board members Stanton Hudson, Jr., APR, Fellow PRSA, and Debra Park of Canisius College, as well as Robert Carr, APR, of Carr Marketing Communications, and Peter Ciotta of Rich Products. Participants will take away tips on media relations, successful story pitches, branding, environmental scanning, and responding to negative media coverage.

The series will be held at the Canisius Center @ Amherst, located at 300 Corporate Parkway. Registration information is online at Canisius College.