PR in the News: How a Sample of Network Newscasts Framed Public Relations

Content analysis was conducted on a random sample of news stories using PRrelated terms on ABC, CBS, and NBC evening news broadcasts from 1997 to 2005. A Lexis-Nexis keyword search resulted in 530 transcripts using common references to public relations. Of the 530 stories resulting from the search, 36% were randomly selected for coding. Out of the list of 12 referencing terms, the most common was “public relations.” Overall, the terms were used properly more often than improperly, but the most common type of reference was a cliché. Terms were used negatively more often than positively or neutrally. Politics/government stories had the most negative framing of PR

Absence of Trade Press Coverage of Mass Communication Academic Research: A Bittersweet Victory for Public Relations

A content analysis of 2,077 articles randomly sampled at five distinct points in the past decade (2000, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2010) from five mass communication trade magazine titles was conducted to determine how professional-focused publications cover academic research and how specifically the PR trade press address scholarly work. The analysis revealed that academic research appeared in 10 of the total articles sampled (0.5%) while industry research was more prevalent and discussed in 125 of all articles (6.0%). The lack of research coverage, however, was not consistent across the trade journals. While publications targeting professionals in advertising, newspaper, magazine and broadcast all mentioned research in less than 10% of articles, PR News articles detailed research nearly 25% of the time

Using Continuous Response Assessment to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Extension Education Products

The case study addressed in this article illustrates the value of continuous response measurement (CRM) for testing and refining messages produced for distribution to Extension audiences. We used CRM to evaluate the responses of Extension educators and Natural Resources Conservation Service technical service providers to a video describing greenhouse gas mitigation techniques. By using this assessment method, message producers can identify elements in a video that elicit strong positive or negative responses and then refine communication activities accordingly. Our study highlights the potential of CRM for informing how Extension education products and materials may be preevaluated to ensure more widespread acceptance and use of final versions by intended audiences

Relationship Building in the Craft Beer Industry: A Study of Public Relations within the Growing Artisanal and Locavore Movements

The American craft beer industry has seen tremendous growth in the last two decades and exemplifies the growing artisanal and locavore movements which are shaping a variety of industries and reflect shifts in stakeholder motivations, particularly Millennials. Through a series of interviews with craft beer professionals, this study explores the role of public relations in the craft beer industry, what is unique about public relations within industry, and the strategies breweries use to build relationships with one another and other stakeholders. Findings do not only apply to craft beer, but other industries influenced by the locavore and artisanal movements