Pacifica's PR firm given award for KPFA crisis

Monday May 14, 11:00 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Fineman Associates Public Relations
Fineman Associates PR Wins Top National Crisis Communications Award for '99 Role in Reopening KPFA Radio, Berkeley
Agency Hailed for Helping to Calm Turbulent Chapter in KPFA's Continuing History of Conflict
SAN FRANCISCO, May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Fineman Associates Public Relations (FAPR) won highest honors for Crisis Communications in this year's national Bulldog Awards for Excellence in Media Relations and Publicity. The San Francisco-based company won the Gold Award for its 12-day role in helping Pacifica Foundation with its community radio station, listener-sponsored KPFA in Berkeley, Calif., during a highly publicized dispute with station staff. The awards will be officially presented at the Bulldog Media Relations 2001 Conference in Washington D.C., May 21st.

When FAPR began its crisis communications counsel and activities for Pacifica Foundation, July 20, 1999, a power struggle with its station manager and staff had intensified to include community protests, staff firings, public name calling, arrests and gunshots. A hired security force had taken charge of the station premises, and the station was boarded-up and padlocked. The dispute was highly publicized, daily, both locally and nationally, with reporting that almost universally acknowledged Pacifica Foundation's poor handling of the crisis. For Pacifica Foundation, which owned several other listener-sponsored radio stations nationwide, and for many of its Board Members, who were experiencing assaults on their reputations, the situation had become a public relations disaster.

Within the 12 days of FAPR's participation, Pacifica Foundation was able to reasonably communicate its messages and viewpoint through the media; break the counter-productive chain of threats and accusations; and publicly demonstrate its good faith by re-opening the station, withdrawing the security force and resuming broadcasts with its previously locked-out work force.

``We came into the situation with a fresh, reasonable and objective perspective,'' said agency President Michael Fineman. ``Our goal was to temper the environment so that reasoned discussion could take place between Pacifica and its staff and to allow our client's voice to be heard. In the end, we helped Pacifica find a solution that worked for all parties, especially for the station's listening audience and for the neighboring community feeling the impact of the dispute.

``What was particularly unusual about this project for us, however, was that our agency was beleagured by anti-Pacifica activists who were convinced that we were playing a nefarious role. We then had to be crisis managers for ourselves, all the while keeping an objective perspective for our client. We took a gut check each morning, reminded ourselves about the need to retain our professional demeanor, and then renewed our commitment to a job that could illustrate the best that public relations counselors could offer. The recognition we are now receiving for that is very gratifying.''

FAPR also won a silver award in the General Consumer marketing category for its work with Fogdog Sports (fogdog.com). The Bulldog Awards for Excellence in Media Relations and Publicity is sponsored by Infocom Group, a leading publisher of public relations industry newsletters and directories and a sponsor of professional conferences.

Previous agency, crisis management award-winning experience includes work for Odwalla, Fresh Express Farms and the packaged salad industry, and for construction equipment companies. Fineman Associates Public Relations is a full-service public relations agency specializing in ``Brand PR'' programs and crisis communications for consumer goods and for technology clients. Agency clients include Globalstar USA, Foster Farms Poultry, Diamond of California, Vitasoy and American Reprographics Company, among others.