The Flack

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

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Facebook’s Name Change To Meta Reflects Common Corporate Tactic — Following months of controversy from leaked documents, last week Facebook announced it was changing its name to Meta. The name change appears to be an effort to rebrand the company, deflect attention from the controversy and reflect the company’s commitment to the metaverse, an extensive, virtual online world first conceived in science fiction novels. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the strategy behind corporate name changes and looks at examples where it worked well and not so well.

OnlyFans May Be A Refuge For Nude Fine Art — OnlyFans is an app created in 2016 that allows users (“fans”) to pay for photos, videos and streaming content. The company has reported sharp growth and appears to be a great tool for fitness trainers, yoga instructors, models and public figures looking to monetize their profession. The dark side is the site has also attracted users, including young users, selling sexually explicit content. In August the company announced it would ban sexually explicit content, only to quickly reverse this policy change after backlash from users. In a surprising move, the Vienna Tourist Board recently joined the site to display artwork other social platforms have censored. The New York Times takes a look at the decision and confusing, often contradictory censorship policies of other social media platforms.

What I’ve Learned Watching Jeff Bezos Make Decisions Up Close — Amazon was founded in July of 1994, and it has been amazing to watch the company go from simply selling books online to becoming the second largest retailer in the world (behind only Walmart). So how did it happen? Tom Alberg, an early investor and longtime board member of Amazon, takes a look at Jeff Bezos’ three guiding principles that have helped fuel the company’s success.

Hey, Facebook, I Made a Metaverse 27 Years Ago — Contrary to what Mark Zuckerberg would like you to believe, the metaverse is not a new idea or a cool idea. It’s lame! Does no one remember Second Life? The Atlantic takes a deep look at the history, yes, history, of the metaverse and the challenges Zuck’s company faces making it relevant/useful to consumers.

The Teenager Economy — Allbirds, the sustainable shoe and clothing brand, went public this week. The company’s CEO, Joey Zwillinger, has been quoted many times saying things like the company has been, “profitable since basically Day One,” a comment made to The Wall Street Journal in 2018. However, the CEO’s comments seem to be at odds with documentation the company had to provide to the SEC prior to going public. And, unfortunately, this is not a unique case. In fact, Forbes recently noted more than one in four of the 50 largest venture-backed companies to go public since 2019 made assertions about their profitability that don’t appear to line up with their later IPO-related disclosures. Margin takes a look at this disturbing trend.

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Feed Your Head: A Guide To The Virtual Meeting

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

************************

A Secretive Hedge Fund Is Gutting Newsrooms — Everyone knows newspapers are dying. According to Pew Research Center, total circulation of U.S. daily newspapers has declined more than 50% over the past 25 years. And when you ask why circulation is declining, the immediate answer is, “technology.” There is so much free content available, many people don’t feel compelled to subscribe to a newspaper. And while technology certainly plays a role, there may be something more sinister going on. The Atlantic takes a deep dive into Alden Global Capital, a secretive hedge fund that has quickly and quietly become one of the largest newspaper operators in the country. And let’s just say: keeping the public informed does not appear to be their highest priority.

Katie Couric Grilled on Today About Editing RBG Interview: ‘How Did You Justify That?’ — Katie Couric returned to the Today show this week and faced some tough questions from Savannah Guthrie about a section of her memoir in which Couric discussed her decision to withhold a quote from a 2016 interview with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. During the 2016 interview, the Supreme Court Justice criticized those who knelt during the National Anthem. The Week takes a look at what happened when Couric found herself in the hot seat. 

Why The Salesforce CEO Wants To Redefine Capitalism By Pushing For Social Change — Should corporate CEOs stay neutral and focus on their company’s performance, or should they take positions on controversial political issues such as climate change, homelessness, gun policy or even abortion? Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff is among a growing number of corporate leaders who believe they should take positions on such issues. Benioff recently offered to help Salesforce employees move out of Texas after the state enacted a law in September banning most abortions. NPR takes a look at the pros and cons of CEOs taking positions on political issues.

Reed Hastings Refuses To Address Dave Chappelle Controversy — This week Netflix founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings found himself in a tough spot. After dealing with the backlash from Dave Chappelle’s special, “The Closer,” in which the comedian uses language some perceived as hate speech, Hastings was scheduled to appear on a panel at the Milken Institute Global Conference. And it didn’t take long for panel moderator and CNBC correspondent Julia Boorstin to ask Hastings about the controversy. Hastings refused to address the issue, simply saying, “no comment.” However, Hastings’ attempts to avoid the issue seemed to make it even a bigger news story. Deadline takes a look.

Netflix CEO’s “Non-Apology Apology” Over Dave Chappelle Show Misses The Mark — By airing Dave Chappelle’s latest special, “The Closer” the streaming service has put itself right in the middle of the culture war between free speech and progressive values. Earlier this week Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos sat down with Variety to address the issue and apologize … sort of. Here Forbes takes a look at Sarandos’ apology and offers six lessons that can be learned from it.

Americans’ Trust In Media Dips To Second Lowest On Record — This headline may not be surprising. A recent Gallup poll showed Americans’ trust in the media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly has declined four percentage points since last year to 36%, making this year’s reading the second lowest since Gallup began tracking trust in media in 1972. And trust varies greatly by political party. Currently, 68% of Democrats, 11% of Republicans and 31% of independents say they trust the media a great deal or fair amount. Take a look at a disturbing, albeit not surprising, trend.

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Podcast Worth Your Time: Freakonomics: Why Is U.S. Media So Negative?

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

************************

Peyton and Eli Manning Are Changing Television — For the past few weeks, Peyton Manning and his younger brother Eli have been sitting around watching NFL games, making fun of each other and interviewing legends like Alabama head coach Nick Saban. And it’s been breathing new life into NFL broadcasting. It’s Mystery Science Theater meets Monday Night Football, and it’s the biggest sports broadcasting story of the year. The Wall Street Journal digs in.

More Than 90 Local Newsrooms Closed During The Coronavirus Pandemic — More than 700,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, but the pandemic also has claimed other victims: newsrooms. It starts with layoffs and furloughs and then often leads to a reduction in print days. But that’s just the beginning of the end for many newsrooms in communities across the country. From Tama, Iowa, to Mayo, Florida, more than 90 newsrooms have shuttered for good since the pandemic started, and there’s no end in sight. Poynter looks into a disturbing trend.

Facebook Has Another Bad PR Day When Whistleblower Testifies At Senate Hearing — It has been a rough few weeks for Mark Zuckerberg and his colleagues at Facebook. It started with a damning multi-part series of investigative reports by The Wall Street Journal and culminated (so they hope) with last Sunday’s 60 Minutes episode, in which former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen told all. Forbes takes a shot at summing up the worst fortnight Zuck can remember.

Goldman Sachs, OZY Media and a $40 Million Conference Call Gone Wrong — Digital-media company OZY burst onto the scene in 2013 as what its founder, Carlos Watson, hoped to be the new way for millennials to consume media. On the cusp of securing a $40 million investment from Goldman Sachs earlier this week, OZY is now shuttered, its internal channels shut down and its employees let go. What happened? The New York Times digs into the infamous conference call that marked the beginning of the very rapid end for OZY.

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Feed Your Head: 5 Techniques to Build Rapport with Your Colleagues

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

************************

Why Is Everyone Talking to Ibai Llanos? — The biggest sports story of the summer may have been the announcement of soccer star Lionell Messi leaving F.C. Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain. However, when it came time for Messi to meet with reporters, a 26-year-old Spanish streamer, whose interviews only air on Amazon-owned streaming service Twitch, got the first crack. The New York Times digs into the story of Ibai Llanos and what may be the future of sports journalism.

Fake Walmart News Release Spurs Spike in Little-Used Cryptocurrency Litecoin — Earlier this month, the stock price of Litecoin, a little-used cryptocurrency, spiked when a press release was issued touting a new partnership with Walmart. The press release turned out to be fake. The company’s founder confirmed the release was fake and said he did not know who issued it. That said, the financial implications were real. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at this story and the issue of fake news releases and the ramifications they can have.

The Exponential Age Will Change Economics Forever — Moore’s Law is the observation by Gordon Moore, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel, that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles every two years. What most take this to mean is that technology grows exponentially. And today, there may be no company that understands this better than Amazon. Wired takes a deep dive into Amazon, the issue of exponential growth and what could happen to business, economics and even society if we don’t understand it.

Your CSR Strategy Needs to Be Goal Driven, Achievable, and Authentic — Consumers and investors today are more demanding than ever. In a recent survey, 71% of consumers said they want to buy from socially responsible companies. Of course, what is and isn’t socially responsible is subjective. However, the point is clear. Consumers are asking deeper questions about corporate practices – from sourcing and hiring, to a company’s carbon footprint. Harvard Business Review takes a look at the current state and future of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Tech PR Is Dead. But Your Story Still Matters — Today, there are fewer journalists and more content than ever before. Any reporter will tell you, their inbox and voicemail (seriously) are full with so many pitched stories, sorting through it can feel like a full-time job. Inc. takes a look at the issue and asks if company/brand-owned media is the future of tech media.

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Feed Your Head:  Podcasts Are Hot, Bingeing Is Down, Per New Survey Of American Media Consumption

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

************************

How U.S. Generals Thrived After Afghanistan — General Stanley McChrystal, like many military leaders before and after him, has thrived since retiring from the military and entering the private sector. McChrystal has made millions by starting a consultancy, sitting on numerous corporate boards and embarking on lucrative public speaking gigs. The Washington Post digs into the debate of whether military leaders are equipped to lead in the corporate world and explores the ethics of profiting from a military career.

Customer Discovers a $350 Lego Set Was Missing Pieces. The Company’s Response Was Brilliant — A customer stumbles upon a hard-to-find Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina Lego set at Target. The set contains more than 3,000 pieces, has a 400-page instruction booklet and retails for $350. But when the customer begins assembling the set, he realizes, in horror, the set is missing pieces. Inc. highlights Lego’s spot-on response.

13 Words And Phrases To Banish From Crisis Communications — Having a solid crisis communications plan won’t prevent crises from happening, but it can prevent them from getting worse. It also can help an organization manage and learn from each situation. And when it comes to writing a crisis communications plan, word choice matters. A lot. Forbes offers 13 words and phrases to avoid during a crisis.

A New Navy Weapon Actually Stops You From Talking — Have you ever dreamt of having a magic power that could instantly stop people from talking? Well, apparently, so has the U.S. Navy. This new, non-lethal weapon is called acoustic hailing and disruption (AHAD), and it acts like an annoying sibling by recording and broadcasting the speaker’s voice back at them within milliseconds, disrupting the speaker’s concentration to the point where they can no longer speak. Interesting Engineering has the story.

Delta CEO Won’t Say, “Delta Variant,” And Hilarity Ensues — Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian has refused to utter the words, “Delta variant.” Apparently, Mr. Bastian didn’t want his airline to be associated with such negative language. Instead, he has been referring to it as B.1.617.2, or “the variant.”  Sometimes we make it too easy for late-night hosts.

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What We’re Reading:  Digital Body Language: How To Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

************************

Taliban Fights Trust Deficit With PR Blitz — Since taking Kabul, the Taliban have been working hard to convince the world they are not the same Taliban that killed tens of thousands and severely limited women’s freedom. These days Taliban soldiers are posing for selfies, smiling at reporters and even sitting down for interviews with female journalists. So is this really a new Taliban or is it just a ruse? Al Jazeera digs in.

The Rise Of The American Gun Logo — In recent years you may have noticed an uptick in company and brand logos featuring guns. Black Rifle Coffee Company is one of the more recent examples of a company building a multi-billion-dollar brand with a logo featuring a firearm even though their product, coffee, has nothing to do with firearms. Black Rifle Coffee is not alone. Data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office shows in recent years there’s been a surge in firearms imagery in company logos. Marker takes a look at what’s behind this growing trend.

Johnson & Johnson And Tesla Show Importance Of Restoring Public Trust After A Crisis — Crisis communications is about identifying vulnerabilities and preparing for each scenario that could damage an organization and its brand. Earlier this year Johnson & Johnson had to manage blood clotting linked to the company’s COVID-19 vaccine, while Tesla had a fatal accident in one of the company’s self-driving cars. Crisis communications experts weigh in and discuss the four essential skills you need to bounce back.

With Nielsen Under Scrutiny, NBCU Wants To Build New Measurement System — Nielsen Ratings seem to have been around forever, and they often decide the fates of programs and, at times, careers. Nielsen Media Research was founded in the 1920s. The company released its first radio ratings in 1947 and its first TV ratings in 1950. But media and how it’s consumed has changed drastically over the years, and many feel the Nielsen system is obsolete and inaccurate. NBCUniversal believes it has a solution. Variety digs into the future of audience measurement.

Microsoft Word Spell Check Problems: 8 Tips And Fixes — Thanks to technology –  and spell check specifically – we are now raising generations of children who’ve never felt obligated to hone their spelling skills. And it’s understandable, as the software will fix everything. Until it doesn’t. Microsoft Word can have glitches, and spell check is not immune. If you’ve noticed issues, these tips can quickly get you back to forgetting how to spell.

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An Obit Worth Reading:  Charlie Watts, Drummer for the Rolling Stones, Dies at 80

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

************************

Cuomo’s Resignation Provides 7 Crisis Management Lessons — The recent resignation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was huge news and, to many, long overdue. Cuomo, who had been governor for more than a decade, resigned Tuesday following an investigative report that found he had sexually harassed multiple women. Forbes provides seven crisis management lessons business leaders can learn from this story.

Meet the Woman Behind Every Emoji You Use — Smiley face, thumbs up, high five — many of us use emojis every day in our communication with friends and colleagues. Today, there are more than 3,500 emojis, and the list seems to grow larger every week. But did you ever wonder where emojis came from? The Spinoff takes a look at the history of emojis and the woman behind them all.

How Major Media Outlets Screwed Up the Vaccine ‘Breakthrough’ Story — A few weeks ago The Washington Post landed a huge story. The paper had acquired an unpublished presentation from the CDC that suggested the Delta variant spreads as easily as chickenpox and that vaccinated people who become infected may be able to pass it on in the same way unvaccinated people can. Unfortunately, the story lacked some crucial context. And more unfortunately, many other reputable media outlets ran with the story without confirming the facts. The Columbia Journalism Review takes a deep dive into what happens when speed trumps accuracy.

A Better Approach to Group Editing — Anyone who writes for a living has experienced the challenges of group editing. Track Changes and other tools have revolutionized writing/editing, and we should all be thankful for these time-saving innovations. However, these electronic editing tools — which allow for multiple editors — can often result in a document that doesn’t resemble the original or meet the objectives of the author. The Harvard Business Review has a solid process to make group editing far more effective and less painful.

The Vaccine Cards Are The Wrong Size — As millions of people receive COVID-19 vaccinations, a common problem has emerged: the vaccination card won’t fit into a wallet. The unusual size of the card has left the vaccinated fuming and fumbling as businesses and events begin to require proof of vaccination for entry. The Atlantic takes a deep look at this major design flaw.

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Feed Your Head:  64 Weak Words and Expressions That Clog up Your Writing

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

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A Closer Look at the PR Feud Between Liberty Oilfield and The North Face — “That North Face puffer looks great on you. And it was made from fossil fuels.” That’s the tagline from an ad campaign by Denver-based Liberty Oilfield Services. The company’s CEO was miffed when he learned the outdoor brand would not make a co-branded jacket for one of Liberty’s competitors, Innovex, because it’s an oil and gas company. Outside magazine takes a look at one of the more interesting corporate PR battles in recent memory.

This Will End With President Tucker Carlson — The United States has been the beneficiary of many imports from the United Kingdom. From the British Invasion of the 1960s, to punk rock, to the growing popularity of soccer, Americans owe quite a bit to Mother England. However, with New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof considering a run for Governor of Oregon in 2022, Americans may want to proceed with caution. The U.K. has a history of journalists entering politics, and the results have often been less than ideal. This quick read from The Atlantic looks at the dangers of journalists becoming politicians.

How Amazon Bullies, Manipulates and Lies to Reporters — Corporate Communications departments vary wildly. Some are organized resources to help members of the media access information and make their jobs easier. Others are decidedly less so. Reporter Ali Breland from Mother Jones takes a deep look at Amazon’s questionable corporate communications practices and aggressive tactics with journalists that affect the information you receive.

Trust in Media Varies by Political Party — According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March, Americans have more trust in their main source for political news than they do in the news media more broadly. It would seem the term “mainstream media” can impact one’s views on the credibility of a particular news source, depending on their political affiliation. Not surprisingly, Democrats and Republicans have very different views. Dig into the data.

Why Doesn’t Ted Lasso Come Across as a Complete Creep? — “Ted Lasso,” which started as a marketing campaign for NBC Sports, has turned into one of the biggest TV hits in years. The show recently earned 20 Emmy nominations, making it the crown jewel of Apple TV+. Vanity Fair sat down with the program’s showrunner, Bill Lawrence, to talk about how the show is written and why fans become more addicted with each episode. Spoiler Alert: It’s not about soccer.

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Feed Your Head:  10 Wrong Grammar Rules Everyone Knows

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

************************

Sometimes The Best Response Is No Response at All — Earlier this month, a New York Times article took a critical look at the leadership style of Google CEO Sundar Pichai. The reporter interviewed several Google execs who took issue with some of Pichai’s business and personnel decisions and pointed out the departure of 36 VPs in the past year. Google declined to make the CEO available for comment. Inc. takes a look at why it was a savvy decision.

How The Pandemic Has Transformed Journalism — COVID-19 has affected many aspects of our lives. In addition to the obvious changes we’ve all gone through, the pandemic impacted journalism more than most realize. This quick read (or six-minute listen) takes a look at how journalism (and how we consume it) has changed.

Want to Sound Smarter? Avoid These Overused Words and Phrases — We all have filler language and crutch phrases we use in conversation. Some can be harmless, but some expressions have become so ubiquitous, many don’t stop and think about how unnecessary, redundant or meaningless they are. Here are 24 common expressions to avoid.

Have You Ever Forgotten a Word? The OneLook Reverse Dictionary Can Help — Have you ever been in the middle of writing a document when suddenly you can’t think of a common word? You know it; you’ve used the word many times; it’s on the tip of your tongue. But you still can’t come up with it. If so, the OneLook Reverse Dictionary can be a life saver. For example, search for “barrel maker” and it will immediately pull up “cooper” and “gunsmith.” It’s a good tool to keep in your hip pocket. 

Why Colleges Are Recruiting Student Athletes With Personalized Logos — College athletics is big business, and the NCAA and universities are struggling to preserve the pretense of amateurism that keeps athletes from being paid. However in June the NCAA announced it would now allow athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness in ways previously prohibited. One surprising result is universities are now designing logos for individual athletes. Marker takes a look at this emerging trend.

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Feed Your Head:  State of The News Media

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.