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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Atlanta News Outlet Aims for Half a Million Digital Subscribers in Under Four Years – Newspapers are dead, right? Not so fast. Newspapers are evolving into digital subscription hubs of content, and consumers are willing to pay for it – as long as it’s good. The New York Times instituted its paywall in 2011. In 2015 it surpassed 1 million subscribers. Eight years later the paper has more than 6.5 million subscribers. Now the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is betting BIG on a similar strategy. Will it work? The Wall Street Journal digs deep.
Deion Sanders’ Sunglasses Notch $1.2 Million in Sales in First Day – Deion Sanders is an NFL Hall-of-Famer and a former Major League Baseball player. He’s the only athlete in history to score an NFL touchdown and hit an MLB home run in the same week. Now he’s the head football coach of the beleaguered Colorado Buffaloes (1-11 in 2022). “Coach Prime” wasted no time shocking the sports world by upsetting No. 17 TCU in week one, and his team is now 3-0 heading into the weekend. But as good as Sanders is at coaching, he’s even better at being a pitch man. The Denver Post looks at how he makes selling sunglasses look easy.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max Review: Close to Perfection – After months of anticipation, Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 last week, and, shockingly, the price hasn’t increased. So, should you upgrade? Mashable says you probably should.
UAW Chief Shawn Fain Disrupts Detroit’s Labor Tradition – Since its founding in 1935, the United Auto Workers (UAW) has been negotiating with automakers to secure better conditions, pay and benefits for auto workers. Under the new leadership of UAW president Shawn Fain, for the first time the union has walked out on the Big Three (Ford, GM and Stellantis) all at once. And Fain has taken an aggressive and sophisticated approach with traditional and social media. Reuters takes a look at the union’s bold new strategy and how it’s giving automakers fits.
What Does the Word ‘Girl’ Mean Now and Why Has It Become So Popular? – It’s an interesting question, and the answer(s) might surprise you. The New York Times takes a look at how language can quickly evolve and how seemingly benign words can suddenly become powerful. Interesting read.
There is no Replacement for Quality Journalism – Americans consume more news than ever, with news organizations reaching more than 135 million adults each week. But despite record news consumption, news publisher revenue in the U.S. has dropped more than 50% in recent years, and Big Tech is mostly to blame. That’s why it’s time for the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act.
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Feed Your Head:
The Simple Power of Communicating with Kindness
Recommended Fall Reading:
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flack
: one who provides publicity
flack
: 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.