Next
Issue Due Out 10/25/02 - Deadline For Materials 10/18/02
SEAMO
Update
After a brief (too brief) summer hiatus, things are back
up to full-speed with SEAMO. Recent activities with the
manufacturers' regional PR representatives included visits
from Hyundai, Toyota and Nissan. We're still working on
plans for a ride & drive event combined with a holiday
reception during mid-December, details should be available
in time for the next issue of SEAMO News.
Although we don't have any firm details
yet, more than one manufacturer will be conducting a regional
launch in conjunction with the Miami Auto Show press days
on November 7-8, which will likely include a multi-OEM/SEAMO
reception on the evening of the 7th. Stay tuned for more
details.
Let us know via e-mail if you have
plans to attend either SEMA in Las Vegas or the NAIAS in
Detroit. We'll try to plan some form of get-together at
both events if everybody's schedule permits. For those who
can't attend, let us know if we can help you out by picking
up press kits or whatever.
At the risk of sounding like a broken
record, if you haven't already taken the time to fill out
an application and join SEAMO, what are you waiting for?
The membership dues are inexpensive enough that price is
not a valid excuse, and some of the Southeast's busiest
journalists are among the most active in SEAMO, so claims
regarding lack of spare time are not taken seriously.
Your involvement in SEAMO can be
as minimal as showing support for your industry and your
colleagues by signing up and joining the group, or as major
as taking on the development and management of an event
you've always wanted to see happen in this region. It's
unrealistic to spend one minute complaining about a lack
of local or regional events and then spend the next minute
saying you're "not a joiner."
Sure, we cover a huge geographic
area, but in today's electronic world, that's no excuse
for not picking up a phone or blasting out an e-mail to
share an idea, offer a suggestion, make a complaint, or
just get to know each other.
Every other region in the country
has a strong automotive media group that conducts interesting
meetings and events, including a group even newer than SEAMO.
Our group is off to a good start, but it seems that every
few months we get to a plateau and moving forward will only
happen after some requisite hell-raising. If you want your
position and your region to enjoy the same sort of credibility
as those in Detroit or Los Angeles or Chicago, YOU need
to join and participate at least as much as the members
of APA, MPG or MAMA.
So, show your support and professionalism
by joining SEAMO today!
2003
SEAMO Directory
The deadline 2003 SEAMO Membership Directory is getting
ever closer, so don't delay your plans to join SEAMO and/or
secure an advertising space in the directory. So far, the
majority of the manufacturers, several PR firms, and related
groups have committed to advertising in the directory.
Show your support for SEAMO and keep your contact information
in the hands of the Southeast's key automotive journalists
by advertising in the directory. The ads are $300 per page
and the materials deadline is 9/27/02. For more information,
contact us at tom.kelley@deadlinefactory.com or by phone
at 704-599-0570.
As of "press time" for this issue of SEAMO News,
we are in the process of snail-mailing each member with
their contact information that we currently have on file.
If this information is up to date, no action is required.
However, if your address, phone, e-mail, etc, has changed,
you'll need to update those changes and fax the form back
before the 9/27/02 deadline. If we don't hear from you,
we'll assume we have your correct information for the directory.
In addition to helping fund SEAMO's efforts and events,
the directory is also a valuable resource for both press
and public relations personnel. For many journalists nationwide,
just being listed in and getting a copy of the directory
is well worth the price of membership in one or more of
the regional groups. My copies of various directories are
rarely more than an arm's length from my computer and telephone.
Member
Profile - Bob Kroupa - Automotive
Writers Group
Bob Kroupa is one of the principals of the Automotive Writers
Group with offices in Greensboro, NC and Chicago, IL. He
is also the Editor of the Vette-N-Vestment monthly Corvette
Market Letter and has a monthly column, "On the Block"
in Corvette Fever Magazine. In the "new automotive"
department, Bob also provides articles for the News and
Record Daily Newspaper in Greensboro, NC.
Member
Profile - Sharon
Villanueva Scott - PainePR for American Suzuki
Sharon Villanueva Scott, a client service manager from PainePR,
works with Celeste Speier and Sarah Boulton from American
Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) PR division to assist all
automotive media from the Southeast region.
Sharon is responsible for all media activities in the Southeast,
including test drives, media events and press association
activities. Sharon also works with the ASMC PR team to create
and execute media events, product launches and press conferences.
Prior to PainePR, Sharon worked at PPI Motorsports for
more than three years developing and managing successful
public relations programs for four racing teams - two CART
open-wheel racing teams and two Toyota Atlantic teams, working
with such drivers as Christiano da Mata, Max Papis, Scott
Pruett, Anthony Lazzaro, Robby Gordon and more. Sharon is
a graduate of California State University, Long Beach with
a degree in Journalism and a minor in Marketing.
She looks forward to serving as ASMC's Southeast connection
for information, photos and any other materials on Suzuki
products. Sharon can be contacted as follows:
Sharon Villanueva Scott
Paine Public Relations
19000 MacArthur Boulevard, 8th Floor
Irvine, CA 92612
Tel: 949.809.6740
Fax: 949.809.6741
Email: sscott@painepr.com
Media Tech
- Domain Renewals
As more and more companies come to rely on internet communications,
keeping up to date on domain registrations is as important
as keeping the actual doors of the company open. Although
the names are fairly easy to register, the renewal process
still has more than a few bugs that need to be worked out.
Last year, I inherited the domain renewal duties for another
organization just after that group's domain came within
days of expiring. One of my publishers lost the domain name
for one of their publications when a third-party webmaster
didn't stay on top of the renewal process. Even if your
billing contact information is updated and accurate, there's
no guarantee that a renewal invoice will be mailed on a
timely basis.
Many hosting deals that include the registration of a new
domain will result in the hosting service, not you the owner,
being listed as the billing contact for your domain. As
a general rule, hosting services do not handle the renewal
of these domains.
And even if you think you've renewed the registration,
you still need to keep an eye on the "whois" listing
for your domain to make sure that the update was processed
successfully. One of my colleagues contacted the domain
registrar, not once, but three times, to process a renewal
prior to expiration and the renewal still didn't go through.
I was recently contacted by Courtney Caldwell of American
Woman Road & Travel and informed that her domain name
had been picked up by a cyber-squatter on the day it had
expired, and that her e-mail and web traffic came to a screeching
halt only two days later.
Courtney had passed along a detailed report of her dilemma
in the hope of helping other people avoid the same sort
of problem. The simple solution in Courtney's case was to
register a new domain name that was similar to the one that
had been cyber-squatted, and then pass along the new information
to thousands of her colleagues and subscribers.
For your records, the "aw" at the front of Courtney's
old domain name has been dropped, so the new URL is www.roadandtravel.com
and the new e-mail addresses are @roadandtravel.com preceded
by the recipient's first name. For more information, contact
courtney@roadandtravel.com
via e-mail.
BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex
Opens First Road Course
SEAMO member Elke Martin of the Brandware Group passes along
this information regarding a new motorsport and testing
facility.
BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex, the country's newest multi-track
400-acre motorsports facility, has inaugurated the first
of its two planned road courses with a full day of no-holds-barred
Formula 2000 testing. John Walko Racing, a two-time national
championship-winning SCCA Formula Continental team and a
front-runner in the pro U.S. F2000 Zetec Championship, reserved
the just-opened 1.6-mile track to shake down two Van Diemen
F2000 chassis in advance of the Zetec Championship's next
round.
Designed by renowned track designer Alan Wilson, the 12-turn,
36-foot wide circuit is an exciting new choice for all types
of car and motorcycle testing and competition. BeaveRun
also offers several high-elevation, panoramic viewing areas
ideal for spectators, as well as one of the most convenient
and central locations in the country—just minutes off
I-76 Exit 2, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The track's combination of slow, medium and fast corners,
along with a series of elevation changes and high-speed
straight-aways make for a level of diversity unmatched by
most other racetracks. Veteran F2000 racer Paul Dana participated
in the first official testing session to take place at BeaveRun
and had especially high marks for the track's Turn 7. "There
are several technical sections I liked, but Turn 7 stands
out," he said. "It's a quick, right-hand kink
that falls off the backside of the hill you just climbed
through Turns 5 and 6. The apex is blind, so you turn in
on faith—turn in earlier than you think is right and
when you clear the crest your apex will be there to meet
you. The corner was flat-out in the F2000 car, but it's
scary enough to require some courage to get through it."
Team owner John Walko also liked the circuit's length—a
significant benefit for testing applications. "We were
well under a one-minute lap time, so it's short enough that
you can run plenty of laps within a given timeframe and
get a lot of work done," he said. "With its combination
of various-speed corners, a car that works well at BeaveRun
should work anywhere."
The 1.6-mile course will ultimately be connected to a second,
2.2-mile track. BeaveRun's second road course is scheduled
for completion in 2003/2004. In addition, consumer and corporate
customers can reserve time at BeaveRun's challenging 8/10-mile
Wilson Circuit, the facility's top-tier Karting Center and
a six-acre Vehicle Dynamics testing area. For complete information,
contact BeaveRun MotorSports Complex at 724-535-1000.
On The Lighter
Side - Getting Older
For all of you who are feeling a little older and missing
those great old tunes, there is good news. Some of your
old favorites have been released again with great new lyrics
to accommodate their aging audience:
Herman's Hermits – "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a
Lovely Walker"
Marvin Gaye – "I Heard It Through the Grape Nuts"
Credence Clearwater Revival – "Bad Prune Rising"
The Who – "Talkin' 'Bout My Medication"
The Troggs – "Bald Thing"
Carly Simon – "You're So Varicose Vein"
The Bee Gees – "How Can You Mend a Broken Hip"
Roberta Flack – "The First Time Ever I Forgot
Your Face"
Johnny Nash – "I Can't See Clearly Now"
The Temptations – "Papa's Got a Kidney Stone"
ABBA – "Denture Queen"
Leo Sayer – "You Make Me Feel Like Napping"
Commodores – "Once, Twice, Three Trips to the
Bathroom"
Procol Harem – "A Whiter Shade of Hair"
The Beatles – "I Get By with a Little Help From
Depends"
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 10/25/02 - Deadline For Materials 10/18/02
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
