The Reynolds Center has announced its 2008 fall workshop schedule.
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The Reynolds Center has opened registration for select 2008 free online seminars.
Topics include:
*Intermediate Business Journalism
*Covering Private Companies
*Business Journalism Boot Camp
Martha Mania has officially kicked into high gear.
Following Martha Stewart's release from her five-month prison term on Friday, her name and face became practically unavoidable. Once you get past writing the lead about her probation-tainted freedom (and what she had for breakfast), there is some real business to report.
The direction of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is first on the list. Some reports indicate Stewart could return to her offices as early as Monday. Fractured business partnerships and lost advertising contracts will be of high priority. The language Stewart uses to describe her plans for MSO should be a solid indicator.
There is also the Wall Street angle. Shares of MSO have been steadily climbing for months in the face of a pretty bleak financial picture.
"Every financial analyst I have talked to has said this company is overvalued," says Jennifer Mann, business reporter with The Kansas City Star. "From revenue trends that indicate losses of $60 million, it makes no sense whatsoever that her stock continues to rise. Investors seem to be buying on sentiment."
The coming months will tell if the release means Stewart's name is associated with credibility or negativity. The price at which her stock is sold will quickly follow in line with that association.
This will likely hinge on how her company actually performs. Reporters should pay attention to sales of products associated with MSO as she resumes the company's helm. And don't forget her new reality TV show that is being built as a spin-off to NBC's "The Apprentice."
"Wall Street will be watching the numbers carefully, in terms of circulation, TV viewership, subscriptions and advertisers," observes Suzette Parmley, business reporter with The Philadelphia Inquirer. "One thing to keep an eye on is whether her brand value will increase after her unveiling of her reality TV program and syndicated talk show."
November's announced merger between Kmart and Sears will also affect the way MSO does business. How Stewart positions her brand in this $11 billion deal will be worth coverage.
Make sure that performance and results are realized before giving positive press to Stewart's company. Spin is still part of the game.
"Don't go in with any preconceived notions about how MSO is going to perform," Mann recommends. "Take the approach of questioning every possibility."
Stewart is part of a notable list of powerful executives that have the potential to lay public relation traps for reporters to fall through.
"Don't lose perspective of who you are covering," Parmley says. "These high-profile CEOs are masters of spin, and Stewart has enlisted the best in business to reinvent her image. Journalists beware. Let the facts come out before rushing to judgment."
Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism
