Next
Issue Due Out 9/03/02 - Deadline For Materials 8/26/02
SEAMO
Update
Again, due to the extensive travel schedules of summer,
this will be short issue of SEAMO News. In just the last
few days, we've reached the milestone of 70 members. Currently
the press count is running a bit behind the PR count, so
if you haven't filled out an application and mailed a check
yet, do it today!
If you need still more encouragement
and incentive, those members who join before August 23 will
be included in the 2003 SEAMO Membership Directory &
Automotive Media Source Book, currently being readied for
production. Distribution of the directory is set for late
October through early November. Display advertising space
in the directory is also available at the rate of $300 per
page. The closing date for ad submission is also August
23. For advertising details, contact SEAMO member Al Vinikour
at (734) 671-1500 or vinikour@comcast.net via e-mail.
SEAMO member Walter Haessner of the
International Automotive Media Conference (IAMC) has told
me that this year's call for entries should be going out
in the next few weeks, so keep an eye on your mailbox. For
those unfamiliar with the IAMC, each year this event recognizes
the best examples of automotive journalism an many categories.
For more details, visit Walter's site:
on the web.
We still haven't decided on an exact
format for our ride & drive event, but block out your
calendar on the weekend of December 13-15. The event is
tentatively scheduled for that weekend, to be held somewhere
in the Atlanta metro area. We're trying to develop a unique
format that will make the event both interesting and spouse-friendly.
The event will likely be coordinated with a multi-OEM holiday
party as well.
Finally, we're still trying to organize
an event at the Miami Auto Show, but communications with
the promoters have been slow, and we have very little knowledge
of the venue, so we'd appreciate some input and participation
from those who are local to the facility.
OEM
Welcome
SEAMO is happy to welcome Suzuki to its growing list of
OEM members. PR responsibilities at Suzuki are shared between
Celeste Speier and
Sarah Boulton from
the company's corporate staff, as well as Rebecca
Rose of the Paine PR Agency. The entire team is based
on the West Coast, but they do maintain a press fleet in
this region. The company's website is at ,
featuring both press releases and online video segments.
Member
Profile - David Green - AMI Auto World
Senior Editor David Green is in his second year on the staff
of . He has specialized in auto racing the past
decade, covering the NASCAR circuits, the Indianapolis 500
and other U.S. open-wheel events, as well as international
events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Baja 2000 and
Formula One's U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
David is a graduate of Vincennes
(Ind.) University Junior College and Limestone College,
Gaffney, S.C. His journalism career includes a six-year
stint in the U.S. Army plus various newspaper, magazine
and internet media positions in news and sports.
Member Profile - Sage Marie -
Honda Public Relations
Sage Marie is responsible for Honda and Acura public relations
activities in the American Honda's newly-established Southeast
public relations office in Alpharetta, Georgia. In addition
to his automotive duties, Sage also heads up Honda's national
power equipment public relations efforts.
During his four years with Honda, Sage served as a customer
relations representative and more recently as a district
service manager in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Prior to joining Honda,
Sage worked as a Nissan and Kia retail salesman. While obtaining
his degree in Marketing from the University of Maryland
College Park, Sage also worked as an intern with the Washington,
D.C.-based Association of International Automobile Manufacturers.
Being a die-hard automotive and racing enthusiast, Sage
currently owns a '64 Austin Healey Sprite and an '87 Porsche
911 and has experience in karting, Formula Fords, F2000s,
and Porsche Club track events. His love for cars is shared
by his wife, Kelly, and son, Mason. He looks forward to
serving as a local resource for information and materials
on Honda and Acura products, and can be contacted as follows:
Mr. Sage Marie
4900 Marconi Drive
Alpharetta, GA 30005-8847
Tel: 678-339-1385
Fax: 678-339-2670
Email: sage_marie@ahm.honda.com
Media Tech
- E-Mailing Press Releases
Just a quick reminder folks. When broadcast e-mailing a
press release, the preference of the overwhelming majority
of journalists is to have the copy placed as plain text
in the body of the e-mail message. There are too many
incompatible versions of MS Word out there for it to be
effective as a distribution format. On top of that is the
concern of Word Macro Viruses embedded in the file. As such,
many journalists will delete these e-mail messages without
ever trying to review the content.
Also, do not attach the images related
to the release, but rather, provide a direct URL link where
the journalist can download the image if desired. Many of
the Nation's top editors spend more than enough time at
the far end of a slow connection, so these attached images
become more of a problem than a convenience.
Last but not least, to protect the
privacy of those journalists who have agreed to receive
press releases via e-mail, do not use the "CC:"
option to address the e-mail to your entire mailing list.
To keep the e-mail addresses confidential, use the "BCC:"
option or invest in distribution software. For those PR
folks who use AOL as their e-mail provider, Netscape can
be configured as your browser/e-mail client to enable the
use of "BCC:" e-mail addressing.
On The Lighter Side This little gem comes to us by way of
Ron Beasley of Miami's Community Newspapers
An Alexander County Deputy pulled
a car over on I-57 about 2 miles north of the Missouri state
line. When the Deputy asked the driver why he was speeding,
the driver answered that he was a magician and a juggler
andhe was on his way to Branson to do a show that night
and didn't want to be late.
The deputy told the driver he was
fascinated by juggling, and if the driver would do a little
juggling for him that he wouldn't give him aticket. The
driver told the deputy that he had sent all of his equipment
on ahead and didn't have anything to juggle. The deputy
told him that he had some flares in the trunk of his squad
car and asked if he could juggle them. The juggler stated
that he could, so the deputy got three flares, lit them
and handed them to the juggler.
While the man was doing his juggling
act, a car pulled in behind the squad car, a drunk got out
and watched the performance briefly, he then went over to
the squad car, opened the rear door and got in. The deputy
observed him doing this and went over to his squad car,
opened the door and asked the drunk what he thought he was
doing. The drunk replied, "Might as well take my butt to
jail, there's no way in hell I can pass that test."
Contact
Info & Links
Here's how to join SEAMO, be added to or removed from the
mailing list, submit news items or photos for upcoming newsletters,
or just make your opinion known.
Next
Issue Due Out 9/03/02 - Deadline For Materials 8/26/02
Send
your comments, complaints, newsletter submissions or mailing
list updates to:
South
East Automotive Media Organization
4429 Back Creek Church Road
Charlotte, NC 28213-5251
