RSC Partners, Inc.

Yes, it’s true. As Kevin Roderick writes on his blog, L.A. Observed–perhaps the most influential media website in Southern California–Ryan and I are Republicans, and we’re working for a Democrat (gasp!).

Although some people might find the very thought to be offensive, to us it is really quite simple–what makes a blog a good blog is the same regardless of whether you’re Republican or Democrat, or writing about entertainment, sports, politics or your cat.

Barry Gordon has his weblog, Barry Talk, to go along with his radio show on a Southern California Air America outlet. He wanted to know if and how he could leverage the power of the Internet to grow his audience both for the radio show and the weblog.

The idea isn’t so far in left field. In fact, it’s because of his embrace of bloggers that Hugh Hewitt became a household name among bloggers.

So, among the many things we’re doing for Barry is helping him make Barry Talk a better blog–from content to presentation to being “linky” and becoming “sticky.” The basic theory is that in blogging Link = Traffic = Happy.

The same rules apply whatever letter you have after your name, and at RSC Partners, we’re working with our clients and successful bloggers to make a formula that works.

Painful as it may be for many to admit, Wal-Mart “gets it”.

Michael Barbaro writes in today’s New York Times that the planet’s largest retailer is conducting an aggressive public relations campaign that focuses exclusively on the blogosphere:

“Under assault as never before, Wal-Mart is increasingly looking beyond the mainstream media and working directly with bloggers, feeding them exclusive nuggets of news, suggesting topics for postings and even inviting them to visit its corporate headquarters.”

To Wal-Mart’s credit, the company has embraced two unimpeachable truths: (1) Bloggers are journalists with reach, credibility, and influence; and (2) The blogosphere is so vast that there are many bloggers out there who agree with the company’s point of view.

BLOGGERS ARE JOURNALISTS

Unbelievably, the majority of companies and many in the mainstream media, still dismiss bloggers as fringe players in today’s media hierarchy. This is a grave miscalculation that creates enormous opportunities for those in the enlightened minority, like Wal-Mart.

Because most bloggers lack the resources of a large news organization, they are typically receptive to tips, story ideas, and access to newsmakers (just don’t “spin,” “spam,” or pander to them because bloggers have the best BS detectors in the business).

In Wal-Mart’s case, the company simply offered legitimate, credible ideas for content to appropriate bloggers who cover specific issues. That the New York Times finds this unseemly belies a certain anxiety about the blogosphere at the “Old Gray Lady” that is not only justified, but in our opinion, long overdue.

IDENTIFY YOUR ALLIES

The folks in Bentonville, AR and their PR firm deserve credit for accepting that the company would never get a fair shake in the mainstream media which, for the most part, views private enterprise with suspicion and, often, with outright contempt.

They were smart enough to realize that, in a universe of 18 million blogs, there were bound to be lots of online journalists who see things their way.

We would advise other companies to take notice. Regardless of your issue, you most likely have an ally in the blogosphere. Reach out to them as you would to any journalist.

The New York Times tries to paint the practice of pitching stories to bloggers as somehow “ethically questionable”:

“But the strategy raises questions about what bloggers, who pride themselves on independence, should disclose to readers.”

We think this argument falls utterly flat. Pitching a story to a blogger is no different than pitching a story to a print reporter. In fact, the only way a blog-focused PR campaign differs from a traditional one, is that it is often more efficient and effective.

In our opinion, Wal-Mart’s efforts could and should become the template for future public relations campaigns.

Wal-Mart Enlists Bloggers In PR Campaign [New York Times]

More on Bloggers And PR [Instapundit]

New York Times Piece Is Up [Iowa Voice]

More on Wal-Mart, Bloggers and the New York Times [Marquette Warrior]

The New York Times, Wal-Mart & Me [PunditGuy]

As Seen In The New York Times [Crazy Politico's Rantings]

Writing in the March 6, 2006 issue of Fortune, Devin Leonard argues that the pending sale of Knight Ridder, the fourth largest newspaper company in the U.S., will be the clearest indication yet of just how much ground newspapers have lost to New Media.

Leonard notes:

“Circulation continues to erode as readers turn to the Internet to keep up with current events. Craigslist is siphoning away help-wanted classifieds. Analysts fear that classified real estate and automobile ads may follow.”

The best estimate is that Knight Ridder will be sold at a 10x EBITDA (operating cash flow) multiple, which is significantly lower than the 13x multiple Pullitzer, Inc. (publisher of the St. Louis Post Dispatch) fetched just last year.

Perhaps the most revealing observation comes from William Dean Singleton, CEO of the privately held Media News Group (publisher of, among other papers, the Los Angeles Daily News) which is the odds-on favorite to buy Knight Ridder:

“We think we can hold on to the print business for some time, but we are hoping that by 2012 we will get 50% of our EBITDA on the Internet.”

It’s clear that newspaper CEO’s and Wall Street Analysts are starting to come around to inescapable reality that New Media is no longer the “wave of the future”– it’s here, in a big way.

What Price Knight Ridder? [Fortune]

When we first came up with the idea for “RSC Partners,” we asked ourselves the very simple question, “What is this company all about?” Our mission is pretty simple and straightfoward: “To develp New Media solutions to support strategic communications objectives.”

We’re not PR flacks, but we do see value in public relations. Our role is as a complement to– not a replacement for– a traditional PR campaign.

In order to accomlish our mission, we think we need to do two things well:

1. Serve as a bridge between newsmakers– companies, high-profile individuals, etc.– and the people who are passionate enough to challenge the status quo and write about the news on their own initiative.

2. Fill the gap that is left by PR firms that have just awakened to the fact that there is this thing called “the Internet” out there and that have no idea how to respond other than to print a glossy brochure and claim expertise in this area. (To be fair, not all PR firms fit this description, but a frighteningly large number do!)

But we’re not trying to compete with the PR industry. On the contrary, we want to work with PR pros who are just beginning to recognize the power of blogs as a communcations medium.

We understand that using traditional PR tools like spamming press releases and “smiling and dialing” journalists is a recipe for disaster in the blogosphere. Rather our approach is to tailor and target outreach to appropriate bloggers to help them create original content and increase their traffic, while simultaneously helping newsmakers who want to take blogs seriously and to communicate through this valuable new medium.