As I mentioned in my earlier post, Barack Obama’s historic presidential campaign was successful due to a skillful and disciplined messaging campaign, one with no leaks, public infighting or drama.

Here, in contrast, is a five minute news interview with Fox News reporter Carl Cameron that is based entirely on leaks from unnamed sources from the McCain campaign. And it’s brutal stuff - claims that Palin didn’t know that Africa was a continent, for example, and that she relished buying high-end clothing on the campaign’s dime.

Members of the McCain camp apparently sat down with Carl for hours sharing their bitter gripes about Palin. This isn’t the last time we’ll be hearing about what really went down.

I post this because it’s evidence of what can happen if you don’t have an effective, unified communications strategy.

Here’s The New York Times story about the rift.

Technorati Tags: Politics, PR, public relations, Sarah Palin

In this long-awaited episode of PRobecast, Tim Allik, Anne Dalrymple, and Glen Zimmerman manage to completely avoid what may be the most historic presidential election in history and talk PR, journalism and social media, pure and simple:

1. The Christian Science Monitor goes to a web-centric delivery and distribution model and we like it. Private ownership has distinct advantages in the media world.

2. WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station, uses Twitter to set up live meetings in the studio with its listeners, and we like that too!

3. This tech economy isn’t like the one we experienced in 2001, thank goodness. We talk about how it’s different this time.

4. Social media and productivity are once again on the agenda. How we’ve already been faced with a “distraction challenge” with email, and what we should have learned from it.

Subscribe to PRobecast via RSS here:

PRobecast’s opening music is “Junk In A” by Pat Zelenka, available on the Podsafe Music Network. Our closing music is by Boston area band Blizzard of ‘78.

Technorati Tags: Christian Science Monitor, Events, Journalism, PRobecast, Social Media, Tech, Twitter, WBUR

We’re all well aware that newspapers are under seige as they see both advertisers and readers abandon ship in droves and the age of the average print newspaper reader continues to creep up.

Increasingly, people under the age of 30 just don’t read print. And that includes well-read, intelligent, and savvy people. In this age of instant web-based news and commentary it’s a practice that seems odd and unecessary to them.

But people of a certain age, including me, find that peeling open an old-fashioned newspaper and settling down with a cup of coffee to start the day remains one of the simple, daily pleasures in life. It’s a ritual that we continue cherish.

That’s why I’m puzzled by the fact that in the town of Natick, Mass., where I live, I don’t receive my newspapers (The Boston Globe and The New York Times - which owns The Globe) on my doorstep until 8 a.m. on Sundays, long after middle-aged suburban zombies like myself usually wake up.

I called the company to complain, but it turns out that it’s their official policy — as long as the paper is delivered by 8 a.m., everything is OK in their book.

The New York Times Company should get with the program and realize that 1) middle-aged and older people get up early and 2) middle-aged and older people are the only people who read the print newspaper anymore.

Perhaps the folks at The Times Co. are trying to throw a bone to their delivery people — who have a grueling job to begin with — and let them sleep in a little bit.

But tough times call for tough measures.

6 a.m. should be the cut-off — no later — or I might just have to go web-only and find another morning ritual to take the place of reading the print paper.

In the end, maybe I’ll go really Old School, After all, Yoga and T’ai Chi have been around even longer than the newspaper.

Technorati Tags: Boston Globe, New York Times Company, newspaper circulation, newspapers