Over 30 people entered with teams from the likes of M&C Saatchi PR, McDonald’s, PR News Wire, Cow PR and Weber Shandwick aiming to top the table. While it wasn’t quite as an exciting climax as the Barclays Premiership, it was special in its own right and a hard fought campaign.

League champion was Lewis Miles from Freud Communications. On his triumphant win Lewis said ‘I can’t quite believe it. I haven’t been this excited since I won player of the year for gladys Rovers under 10s. Bring on next season’.

There will be a trophy presentation and a chance for everyone to catch up for a drink to reflect on the season soon (date, location TBC). The competition will be running again next year, so spread the word and keep an eye on @tnrnews for more info.

‘PR’emier league fantasy football top 3

Lewis miles – Freud Communications

James Gilheany – Speed Communications

David Edwards – Sony

Post by Alex Waite, Marketing Executive @ TNR Communications

This is great news for the industry as it saves jobs and keeps local reporting at the highest standard.  Earlier this week Betty Renwick and Beryl Smith, the DJ Nans, at BBC Radio Humberside beat the likes of Chris Moyles and Chris Evans to Best Entertainment Programme at the Sony Awards for their afternoon show.

David Reeve of BBC Radio Humberside with Beryl Renwick (right), 86, and Betty Smith, 90.

Betty & Beryl have a total age of 176 years and were spotted on a guided tour of Radio Hull back in 2006.  According to The Sun the show’s producer David Reeves was instantly charmed by their playful spirit and decided they would be perfect for radio.  It is this kind of radio that would be sorely missed by the locals if the BBC did chose to merge afternoon shows with another station nearby.

47 million people listen to radio in the UK and it is this figure that makes you realise how special the medium is.  It is vital for the industry to keep local radio programming engaging and relevant to the audience.  In February the Mail Online reported that local BBC radio target listeners feel neglected by young station staff.  In the same article commercial radio executive John Myers said, “BBC Local Radio has been growing audiences since 2009″ and I would argue the ‘lighter’ afternoon shows are key to keep audiences growing.  Programmes like Betty and Beryl offer light entertainment, but show local radio can hold its own with the national heavyweights as well.

Post by Daniele Baron, Production Assistant @ TNR Communications

Starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, Homeland tells the story of an American Marine left for dead in Iraq who is rescued after years in captivity. Feted as a returning hero, he tries to re-adapt to life in the US, but amid the continuing terrorist threat not everyone in the CIA believes his story.

In the States, Homeland also benefited for being quoted as President Obama’s favourite show – whether that’s evidence it rings true, or serves as fantasy escapism for Obama while he’s trudging through Health bill reforms and pardoning turkeys at Thanksgiving, only he will know.

Yet despite its stars subsequently visiting the White House, Homeland is actually based on an Israeli TV series Hatufim (Prisoners of War).

Homeland is not the only US foreign drama remake doing the rounds. Series 2 of the US remake of Danish TV drama The Killing has just started screening on C4. The Danish version was screened last year to great acclaim on BBC4.

The Killing’s fellow successful Scandinavian thrillers Borgen and The Bridge are also rumoured for English language remakes in the UK.

Meanwhile, back in the US, In Treatment staring Gabriel Byrne as a conflicted psychiatrist has garnered a host of Emmy and Golden Globes nominations and awards across it’s three series despite being frequently a word-for-word translation of another Israeli series, Be Tipul.

Hollywood remakes of foreign films have been a regular feature of cinema for years from The Magnificent Seven to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Now the practice has moved to the small screen.

So how television is produced has changed. But how we consume that TV is also changing. Blogs and twitter are becoming central to how channels, newspapers and websites promote and review shows. Parallel alternate language versions generate even more discussion, opinion and speculation. Who did kill Rosie Larsen? Is Brody a double or triple agent? Is the remake better? Some fans will always prefer the originals. Many will not have ’subtitle patience’ . In other circumstances, the tension these shows thrive on is lost after viewing the English language version first. However, at a point when through multi-channels and multi-platforms the cultural resonance of television seemed to be fracturing into something much less than the sum of its parts, ‘event TV’ is suddenly back on the agenda.

Post by Tim Kerr, Joint Managing Director @TNR Communications

Newspapers and magazines knew a good thing when they saw it and such shots became a staple of tabloid coverage. They provided and instant hit of sun, sea, sand and celebrity: with the most sought after exclusives snapped up for large sums.

Some celebs sued, some decided to stay indoors. The smarter, or perhaps the more desperate, decided to get in on the act themselves. The art of the set up pap shot was born, with agency photographers commissioned (at arm’s length) by the celeb or their PR, to photograph their holiday in a flattering light in return for the newspaper coverage and sometimes a share of the profits.

Now, the celeb agencies are being cut out. Via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, celebs are taking and uploading their own holiday snaps and sharing them with their audience (and the tabloids) directly.

Rihanna has recently been posting snaps of her holidays to her near 55 million worldwide Facebook fan base, while British favourite Kelly Brook has been uploading her ubiquitous bikini shots from the beaches of Brazil and elsewhere on Tumblr. The previously social media shy Beyoncé also got in on the act, launching her official Tumblr site with a host of personal photos. All have been lapped up by the UK tabloid press, almost unable to believe their luck at a stream of A list images delivered to them free of fees and legalities.

However, while the papers revel in free photo spreads now, they’ll surely be wise to the longer term situation it creates. Like in so many areas of this new 21st century media, the traditional channels of photo distribution are becoming secondary. The ability to connect directly with fans has made Rihanna and others their own publishing houses. Celebs are publishing on their own terms, using exclusive photos, not as something to be protected and controlled, but as free content to share and widen their fan-base and their ‘brand’. Social media has been the game-changer creating a new mind-set that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

And it’s not just sun kissed celebs. Although The Sun bought up the rights to Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba’s story of his recovery from a cardiac arrest on the pitch, the first pictures of Muwamba following his recovery were issued by his fiancée on Twitter . What, in a previous era would have been an exclusive photo worth maybe several hundred thousand pounds, now snapped on a smart-phone and issued for free on Twitter. Amid the mass goodwill and concern that Muwamba’s fight for life generated, it seemed a fitting touch.

Post by Tim Kerr, Joint Managing Director @ TNR Communications

Manufacturers are continuing to developing TV sets that can be connected directly to the internet. It is providing the audience with another way to instantly access HD TV programmes, movies or other video platforms like YouTube.

This is an area that programme and content producers are starting to react to by creating content that can be viewed as an alternative to what we deem standard broadcast programming. The modern capability and widespread accessibility of the internet is allowing us as consumers more choice than ever when it comes to viewing content in our homes. In regard to films, this is already the case, with the success of companies like Netflix, Apple & Lovefilm proving the concept is popular.

This is a significantly interesting move for brands as they can become content producers themselves. It gives them the opportunity to have their brand on the big screen in people’s homes, without it necessarily needing a traditional editorial value. There is a lot of scope for brands to be creating new content that help to engage and entertain their audience in their own homes – potentially with their own channels.

Will this content resonate more with audiences when they are viewing it on television, or will TV just be seen as another platform for viewing content like a tablet? Either way it is reinforcing the growing need and demand for video, and is opening a door for brands to become content producers themselves.

Post by Alex Waite, Marketing Executive @ TNR Communications

The move has been planned for some years and is part of the BBC’s £1.5billion plan to shift 50% of its programming out of London by 2016.  BBC Breakfast joins 5 Live and the Children’s department at the Media City complex in Salford, Manchester.

But what does this all mean for the wider media landscape?

This grand plan by the BBC goes some way to squash the London bias within the media industry, which is all good and well but will the show now have a Manchester slant?  The Mail Online reported that the first show from Salford was dominated by North-West guests and the show’s former sports presenter Chris Hollins openly said this wasn’t an editorial decision, more a political one.  Hollins made a good point when he said, ‘it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to say that it will be practically impossible to get the Prime Minister on set, as we do at the moment’.

At TNR we often pitch guests to relevant broadcast media, including BBC Breakfast.  It will be interesting to see, over the coming months, how Breakfast manages its sofa guests and whether there will be a northern bias.  Even if this bias does arise, isn’t it about time?  This media growth in the north has been a long time coming and there are BBC employees excited about the move, including new presenter Susanna Reid who said, “BBC Breakfast really connects with its audience. We have fantastic, loyal, interested and engaged viewers who keep in touch regularly”

There have been other talking points flying around about the first show, from the chilly weather to the ‘crime land’ of Salford, but I think it is too soon to start speaking negatively about the move.  It’s surely going to bring more status to other areas in the UK and if the BBC can make it work it will certainly prove all the doubters wrong, including Hollins.

As Reid said above, Breakfast does connect with around 1.5 million average daily audience and they provide quality guests to discuss news of the day.  Ultimately, brands and PRs are going to have to be willing to urge spokespeople to travel north, whether that is celebrities or business types.  There is no doubt the BBC will strive to keep standards high.  Given time, I believe it will be as if they never left London.

Post by Daniele Baron, Production Assistant @ TNR Communications

In his Editor’s Letter ‘Bosses must engage with the media’, Heath goes as far as calling bankers, business people and CEOs “frankly pathetic” for not “making their own case to the media.” A little harsh perhaps, but he’s got a point.

http://www.cityam.com/latest-news/allister-heath/bosses-must-engage-the-media

As in Heath’s article, Stephen Hester is a perfect example. The CEO of RBS has been lambasted in recent days over his £963,000 bonus. Now he has rejected it, the media is citing “political pressure” as the catalyst to his decision.

But what about media pressure? Every newspaper across the land was quick to voice its opinion about what he should do. However, if he had publically justified why he should be given a reward for sorting out RBS’ mighty mess, he may have changed public opinion – and not have felt like he had to give the money back at all.

As the Media Training Manager at TNR, the communications arm of the Press Association, I am often surprised at the reflex response by many high-level executives (often from the financial world) to avoid the media at all cost. It allows journalists to set the agenda and get their message out to the public.

If they are prepared to face the lions, their image and reputation could be managed in a more balanced way. But….here’s the banging our drum bit….that said, without proper media training it can be a disaster. Knowing your enemy is key and learning how not to end up as media fodder can save your company’s skin.

In Heath’s words, businesses need to “get out and fight their corner.” I couldn’t agree more, but only if their spokespeople are armed.

Post by Tessa Parry-Wingfield Training Manager @ TNR Communications

For those not persuaded by Bizzle, the chart also picks out some festive treats. The list compiled by Josh Halliday (how appropriate!) features a mix of home made videos and the usual household names with slightly bigger budgets.  A personal favourite for me is the video entitled ‘Harvey Nichols Christmas walk of shame’. If this video was designed to get you talking then job done – within minutes I had forwarded this round to my closest friends and a few choice people that have not only done the walk, but the train of shame as well!

Each week I continue to be impressed with the creativity and ingenuity people have when it comes to video production. I work on some fantastic projects at TNR, but it can be so refreshing to take a step back and look at the unlikely viral videos doing the rounds. It didn’t feature on this weeks list but my top rated video of the week, courtesy of YouTube, is All I Want For Christmas – HMS OCEAN. It’s a brilliant take on Mariah Carey’s classic, with servicemen and women aboard the ship celebrating the news of their return home after seven and a half months away. The video has stormed it’s way to a million views already (as of Friday 9th December), with broadcasters even picking it up. The power of viral video continues to dominate with the BBC even contacting HMS Ocean directly through YouTube via the comment post, requesting to run it on national TV.

The news agenda is more aware than ever of viral videos. Only last month the notorious deer chasing dog Benton proved a simple video can sometimes be enough, from Newsnight to CNN covering his deer chasing adventure across Richmond Park.

And finally, for anyone still not quite feeling festive yet, sit back and enjoy some lambs singing Jingle Bells – why? Who knows, but that’s the joy of YouTube.

Post by Elizabeth Herridge, Project Manager @ TNR Communications

It feels like a natural move by Global Radio, who own Capital, LBC and Heart, to bring in Berry who moved from XFM to Capital’s weekend breakfast show in April this year.  Although this might be the case tweeters suggest otherwise…

‘Dave Berry’ was trending on Twitter yesterday but not all for the right reasons.  The fact he was trending does show the presence of Capital FM but many tweeters took to the social network to voice their concerns, with one saying

‘@958capbreakfast Devastating news that Johnny leaving Capital Breakfast!!! Even more devastating that Dave Berry is his successor!!!!’

The over use of the exclamation mark in this tweet alone outlines how Capital fans are feeling about the news, but is it warranted?

London-born Dave Berry has successfully presented on radio and TV for over 10 years, starting at Nickelodeon UK before moving to MTV UK, so his CV is packed with enough experience to back Global’s decision.

Only time will tell whether Berry is the right man for the job or if it’s a huge error by Global Radio. At the moment it is clear Capital fans are not happy so we leave you with this – a grab from the most recent comments on Captial FM’s website…

Post by Daniele Baron, Production Assistant @ TNR Communications

A popular question asked during the evening was “so why are you doing this?” The popular notion was that TNR & PR Newswire must love a good social drink (which of course we do!), but this myth was put to bed by our joint MD Tim Kerr being teetotal. As a result of this, I thought I would set the record straight and clarify the thinking behind the first PR Happy Hour.

My colleague Penny Joyner and I sat down and decided we wanted to host a PR & Media event that people within the industry would actually want to attend. We initially thought about an informal breakfast, afternoon or evening meeting and came to the conclusion there were a lot of these events in people’s diary’s already. We then thought about potentially hosting a networking event, but having compared this to speed dating in the original invite – you know our views on that. (Apologies to those speed daters out there, please don’t take it personally!)

The rate we were discounting ideas at rapidly narrowed our options. The main criteria of the event was to lay on something different, fun & sociable for people. We figured that people in the PR & Media industry have a tough life that often involves juggling multiple balls at 100mph – figuratively speaking. Then the idea struck us that we should just host a drinks event at an uber cool location like Foundation Bar. The idea was not to give the evening a label like “networking”, and to just do it because – well why not! The idea of people just turning up to evening drinks to chat, let off steam and just shoot the breeze started to tick all the boxes.

It was however missing a certain something, a little USP to climb nearer to the top of people’s social diary. I’ve always been a believer that the simplest ideas are often the best, and when the idea of free drink was voiced, I knew that we had found a winning formula. I mean, what better way to round people up in one place than by offering free drink! We successfully got TNR & PR Newswire on board to very generously sponsor the bar; which is no mean feat in the PR & Media industry. Then out of that the name ‘PR Happy Hour’ was born!

The night itself saw people come from as far afield as Bristol & Gloucester. Some arrived at the beginning & stayed until the lights came on, and some popped in for a few hours for a chat and colourful drink from jam jars. We had a great turn out including David Ross from The Sun propping up the bar chatting to people; Cowboys (my name for blokes from Cow PR), 10 Yetis, McDonald’s, Frank & Ketchum to name but a few. Our stunning TNR camera person, Gemma De-Ville, caught the eye of a few as she shot the whole evening on her Z5 in a pair of 5” Kurt Geiger heels without even a wobble!

A lot of effort was put in to make the evening a success and we certainly enjoyed it, in fact I’m pretty sure everyone there did as well. We definitely believe this is the template for more evenings to come and will be looking at dates in 2012 soon. Keep your eyes on the @PR_Happyhour Twitter feed for more info!

Post by Alex Waite (Marketing Executive @ TNR Communications)