Oak Park’s Own: Q & A With Stephen Green

Six weeks ago, in a prior Inside Edge PR post, I noted my interview with Stephen Green, the Chicago Cubs’ official photographer for more than 25 years. Joe Kreml, of the village of Oak Park, recently wrapped up editing the Q & A and did an outstanding job. The segment, “Oak Park’s Own: Stephen Green,” ought […]

A Dose of Reality: Gloor’s Real Estate Update

Real estate has been a focal part of the news for the past few years, and it only makes sense to confront head-on some of the concerns about its struggles. That’s the wise strategy of Better Homes and Gardens Gloor Realty, an Oak Park, Ill.-based client since last November. Around that time, the firm began […]

How To Avoid Obama’s `Stupid’ Stumble

What is truth? The phrase, spoken by Pontius Pilate as he tried to sidestep his role in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is one of history’s most infamously cynical utterances. Obviously, there are clear delineations of truth and falsehood. Right and wrong. Wisdom and foolishness. But it’s the mark of a wise individual to know […]

McAdam Landscaping At 30: Sowing & Reaping

For the last two years, I have had the pleasure of providing public relations service to McAdam Landscaping, a leading company that has accomplished much in its 30 years in business. To take a look at some of its history, check out a news release I wrote and posted the other day on Triblocal.com, McAdam […]

Bulldog Reporter Publishes Truth-in-PR Piece

It’s true–I’ve been hammering hard lately on the fibbing front and the damage that lies can wreak on anyone’s credibility, reputation and overall bottom-line in the marketplace. And so it is that The Four Horsemen of the Apocryphal–the military, academic, athletic and business lies that I have observed in my career–were front and center in […]

Be Skeptical of Selective Statistics

We’re all a star in our own life’s story, but merely a background character in others’ lives. A humorous spin on this perspective is Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. The two characters merit only passing mention in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but playwright Tom Stoppard took that fragment and in 1967 expanded it to create an […]

On August 12: PR Secrets From a Media Insider

Where will you be four weeks from Wednesday, on the evening of August 12th? If you are anywhere near Oak Park–and are in the market for immediately useful and practical tools to improve your public-relations efforts–then you should consider attending PR Secrets From a Media Insider. Full disclosure: I am a biased source, since I […]

Story on Niches in July Issue of REALTOR

The July issue of REALTOR magazine is online, including my story on niches. “Own Your Niche.” The story’s sub-headline: “Make a name for yourself by carving a real estate specialty that combines your interests with local market opportunities.” What is true in real estate is true in so many fields. The ability to distance yourself […]

The Re-Purpose of PR: Maximize News Value

As a reporter for 20-plus years, there were times when I just knew that I had my hands on a hot story. What’s more, I had tremendous influence–virtually total control, in fact–over whether the story saw the light of day. All I had to do was coordinate my efforts with an editor, perhaps weaving a […]

The Four Hot Spots For Tall Tales: Military, Academics, Athletics & Business

In my Inside Edge PR post on Monday, I touched on the perils of fibbing or embellishing–OK, let’s call it like it is, lying–in the stories that we tell. In this case, an ex-baseball player is trying to stretch a single (a few low-level minor-league baseball seasons) into a home run (Major Leagues) in his […]