THthC‘J

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This is to certify that the

thesis entitled

JOURNALISTS' USE OF E-MAIL AND
THE INTERNET FOR PRESS RELEASE
RETRIEVAL

presented by
AMY LYNN HAGERSTROM

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for

M. A. degree in ADVERTISING

in a:

Major professor

 

 

Date 5/10/99

 

0-7639 MS U is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution

 

 

 

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LIBRARY
M'Chigan State
University

 

 

PLACE IN RETURN BOX to remove this checkout from your record.
TO AVOID FINES return on or before date due.
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1M C'JCIWIOMM

JOURNALISTS’ USE OF E-MAIL AND THE INTERNET FOR
PRESS RELEASE RETRIEVAL

By

Amy Lynn Hagerstrom

A THESIS

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

Department of Advertising

1 999

ABSTRACT

J OURNALISTS’ USE OF E-MAIL AND THE INTERNET

FOR PRESS RELEASE RETRIEVAL

By
Amy Lynn Hagerstrom

Press releases are an important aspect of a successful public relations
campaign. Knowing the protocols of the news room is a helpful part of the PR
practitioners job, and one of those issues may be learning what an individual
journalist’s preference is for receiving press releases and other information. This
study examines the use of e-mail and web pages among journalists in the business
section of the newspaper to determine whether the young medium is an acceptable
method of communicating with the press.

It was found that although a significant number of journalists are using e-mail
and web pages for press release retrieval, neither medium is in the top three of a list of
media including fax, mail, hand delivery, and courier. Demographic characteristics
were examined in the study pertaining to their relationship (or lack of relationship) to

use of web pages and e-mail by journalists.

To McKenzie Elyse and Scott with love

iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The research and completion of this thesis would not have been possible
without the support and encouragement of many people. My advisor, Dr. Hairong Li,
has always shown great insight and patience throughout this entire process. His
wisdom and encouragement have been instrumental in filling in the significant gaps in
my own knowledge.

I would also be remiss to not mention the assistance of Dr. Bonnie Reece and
Dr. Charles Salmon. Both professors have helped to guide me throughout this degree
and have been positive factors throughout the process of researching a thesis while
juggling a personal life that included being a mother for the first time.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my wonderful husband and
daughter for their support and understanding during my months in graduate school

and the hours spent in front of a computer working on data analysis.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES .................................................................. vii
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................. viii

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................
1

CHAPTER 1
REVIEW OF RELEVENT LITERATURE .................................... 4

CHAPTER 2
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................. 11

CHAPTER 3
JOURNALISTS’ USE OF EMAIL
FOR PRESS RELEASE RETRIEVAL .......................................... 14

CHAPTER 4
JOURNALISTS’ USE OF WEBPAGES
FOR PRESS RELEASE RETRIEVAL ........................................... 18

CHAPTER 5
RELATIONSHIP OF USE OF INTERNET AND EMAIL
WITH DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS .............................. 22

CHAPTER 6
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ................................................ 25

APPENDIX A
INDEX OF NEWSPAPERS SELECTED IN RESEARCH SAMPLING. 28

APPENDIX B

INTRODUCTORY LETTER

AND RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE ............................................. 33
APPENDIX C

FORTUNE 100 COMPANIES AND NUMBER OF CLICKS

NECESSARY TO REACH PRESS DATA .......................................... 38

LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................ 43

vi

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Means of Rank Order Preferences
By Survey Repsondents ............................................ 14
Table 2. Cross Tabulation of Age and Familiarity with E-Mail ......... 23

Table 3. Cross Tabulation of Age and Familiarity
with World Wide Web ............................................................. 24

vii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Diffusion of Innovation Curve ............................. 9
Figure 2. Percent of Press Releases Received Via E-Mail ......... 16

Figure 3. Frequency of Checking E-Mail Throughout the Day... 17
Figure 4. Typical Level of Computer Proficiency ..................... 19

Figure 5. Usefulness of Web Pages
for Press Release Retrieval .................................... 20

viii

INTRODUCTION

Public relations can be defined as the “profitable integration of an
organization’s new and continuing relationships with stakeholders including
customers by managing all communications contacts with the organization that create
and protect the brand and reputation of the organization.” (Caywood, 1997) In
addition to consumers, “publics” typically include the stockholders, employees, policy
makers, and the media.

The practice of public relations includes the writing and distribution of
information, including press releases, to various publics, including journalists. A 1987
study by Wakefield and Cottone revealed that employers rank the writing of press
releases 5‘h of 38 knowledge and skill levels required by employers, while
practitioners in the same study rated media relations their number one responsibility.
A public relations practitioner can view the purpose for writing and disseminating
press releases as two-fold. On the one hand, a well-written press release serves as a
way for an organization to communicate with journalists and thus to communicate
with their other publics. The other function of press releases is to assist the media in
accurately reporting facts and information (Caywood, 1997). According to Caywood,
“the media’s influence with the general public is particularly strong, since most
people rely heavily on the media for their information.” He goes on to say that public

relations, due to the media’s need to print information that will sell, has thus become

the practice of managing relationships between organizations and the media
(Caywood, 1997).

Traditionally, journalists have preferred one medium over another to receive
press releases and materials. In the past this medium has overwhelmingly been the
fax machine and traditional mail (Elfenbein, 1993). New and improved technologies,
including the Internet, high speed fax machines, and cable television to name a few
are rapidly changing the face of public relations and journalism alike.

According to Caywood, the advent of new media has changed the scope of
communications practice (Caywood, 1997). The Internet alone represents a deluge of
potential new tools for reaching a variety of publics. Public relations practitioners can
select from a palate of mechanisms for making information electronically available,
including specialty web sites such as the PR Newswire, EurekAlert!, and Profnet, as
well as corporate web sites and electronic publications (Editor and Publisher,
February 13, 1999).

Although the menu of options for information dissemination seems destined to
continue growing at an unprecedented rate, it is necessary for public relation as an
industry to begin to understand the potential, as well as the limitations of such media
as the Internet.

Industry experts are beginning, however, to recognize alternative vehicles of delivery
of press releases, including e-mail and web pages (Editor & Publisher, February 13,
1999). The purpose of this study is to begin to examine other vehicles for information
delivery to the press, particularly email and World Wide Web pages. It is important

for practitioners to understand the media with whom they work, including basic

preferences such as how they receive their press releases. For journalists,
understanding how typical newsrooms are effectively utilizing (or not utilizing) new
technologies such as the Internet may be useful in improving their own practices.
Educators in the field of public relations may find answers to questions regarding
information delivery and new technology useful in discussions about the writing of
press releases, possible formatting issues, and teaching their students a basic
knowledge of not only the World Wide Web and e-mail, but possible existing and

future protocols involved in utilizing these forms of media.

Chapter 1

REVIEW OF RECENT STUDIES AND LITERATURE

The advent of the Internet as a communications medium has chiseled away at
the information delivery cycle (Bowman, 1998). A cycle which used to be at least 24
hours has significantly decreased because of the rapid transmission of information via
computers not only to the media, but also from the media to consumers via web pages
and online publications. Important information travels from computer to computer at
the speed of seconds, and the stories are published every minute on Internet wire
services (Bowman, 1998).

A 1993 study conducted for Editor and Publisher by Dick Elfenbein examined
the preferences of editors of the business section of the newspaper for the receipt of
press releases. Elfenbein’s study indicates that not only does the time that the release
reaches the editor play an important role in whether or not it is published, the medium
by which it is sent is also important. The media listed in the survey included
facsimile, press wire service, PR wire service, US. mail, telephone, and hand delivery
(Elfenbein, 1993). The results of the 1993 study varied by section, but fax was the
number one choice for every section.

Just under half of the respondents to Elfenbein’s study, which focused on
dailies with a circulation of over 25,000, listed one preference for receiving press
releases. 43 percent of the respondents in his survey preferred fax over any of the
other listed media, which also included press wire services, PR wire services, US

mail, telephone, and hand delivery (Elfenbein, 1993).

More than half of the respondents to the survey listed several media as
“preferences” for receiving surveys. Fax was in the preferred methods for these
respondents 98 percent of the time, with press wire services and PR newswire ranking
second and third at 79 percent and 67 percent, respectively.

Use of Web pages and e-mail for the delivery of information to the press was
not examined in Elfenbein’s study. Although later studies on the effectiveness of
press releases have alluded to the Internet as a communications tool for PR
practitioners (Elfenbein, 1993) the effectiveness of its. use has not been studied in-
depth. Corporate web sites with a strong public relations emphasis are springing up
across the World Wide Web, and journalists are increasingly using the Internet as a
tool for research and communications with hard to reach sources (Dem, 1997).

Public relations professionals are also utilizing the convenience of e-mail to send
press releases, often referring journalists to client web sites for additional product and
company information (Forbes, October 6, 1997).

Steven R. Thomsen, who is an assistant professor of public relations at
Washington State University, conducted research on public relations practitioners’
use of one aspect of the Internet, PRForum. PRForum is a newsgroup on the Internet
established for and used primarily by persons involved in public relations (Thomsen,
1996). Although his study is from several years ago (1996) and focusing on a very
specific use of the Internet, one particular finding in his study is interesting pertaining
to practitioners’ use of the service primarily for research questions. 46.6% of the
posts during the course of the study were questions relevant to the Internet. This

could imply two things: a learning process that PR practitioners and other

professionals are encountering because of the newness of the medium, and applying
the innovation adoption curve discussed in the last section of this research, a growing
interest in the web as a research tool with the proliferation of the technology into the
mainstream consumer population.

Thomsen’s research also pointed out the growth of the Internet among
individuals, and particularly among persons running home-based personal businesses
(Thomsen, 1996). He stated that in 1996 the Internet was used by 20 million to 40
million, and that number was expected to increase by 200 million by 1999. He also
noted that commercial domains are the fastest growing segment of the Internet, with
new business domains being registered at a rate of 8,000 per month (Thomsen, 1996).
This has practical application in the study of use of the Internet and e-mail by
journalists due to the fact that many business sites are utilizing at least a portion of
their resources, both economic and in terms of web space, to put up information
intended specifically for use by the media.

Current research suggests various ways that businesses are utilizing the
W for public relations purposes, including client recruitment, client services and
training, issues research, and others (Bobbitt, 1998). Some studies conclude that press
releases are not effective on the WWW (Bobbitt, 1998), while others find that if they
are properly placed, they will be well-utilized by the targeted media (Marken, 1997).
According to a recent article in Campaigns and Elections , one criticism journalists
have of public relations practitioners is the tendency to send press releases more than
once utilizing a variety of media (for example: once by fax, once by e-mail, and once

by “snail” mail). Journalists interviewed for the same article cited the importance of

developing knowledge of journalists with whom practitioners have regular contact,
including knowing their preference for receiving press releases and other information.

A study conducted by Columbia University Associate Professor of
Professional Practice Steven Ross and public relations practitioner Don Middleberg
from 1995 to 1997 asserted that journalists were beginning to favor electronic (such
as e-mail and internet) transmissions of data versus other more traditional methods.
According to their findings, 12 percent of journalists found it useful if web sites
contain press releases. The information journalists most frequently listed as useful on
web pages were photos (19% of respondents) and contact information (17%).

The study by Middleberg and Ross actually focused primarily on data
transmission, and their findings showed that with improvements in recent years in
technology reporters were more comfortable receiving copy and artwork from inside
and outside of their publication on media such as CD-Rom. They also encapsulated
how their survey sample used the Internet, and those uses included research, e-mail,
and press release retrieval, among others (Middleberg and Ross, 1997). Their results
indicated that in 1997 36 percent of journalists reported using web pages for news
releases, and 64 percent indicated that they were using e-mail.

An important finding in the Middleberg and Ross study was an increase in the _
number of journalists from 1995 to 1996 using both the Internet and e-mail, and
specifically using the W for press release retrieval. Other industry analysts agree
that the popularity of the web among PR practitioners and reporters alike is growing
exponentially, even asserting that journalists “swear by the web as the newest

information transmission platform (Stone, 1999).”

Theories regarding the diffusion of innovations may explain possible increases
in use of the World Wide Web and e-mail by journalists in recent years. As both
technologies become increasingly mainstream across various demographics,
businesses and newspapers may be more willing to invest resources into increases
utilization of the resource. According to Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard, products
diffuse more rapidly when a standardization of technology exists (1994). As the
Internet has grown and become more user-oriented, there have been changes
standardizing certain information and applications, including changes in software and
format of information.

There is a variety of theoretical models that may be applied to the adoption of
innovations, including the Internet. Figure 1 illustrates the theoretical diffusion of
innovation curve according to Everett M. Rogers, originator of Diffusion of

Innovation theory in the early 19605.

 

40.00%
35.00%
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00% 4
5.00% ,
0.00% I i I 1 ' . . ' " ‘

Innovators Early Early Late Laggards
Adopters Majority Majority

Adopter Classes

 

Percent Adopting Within Each Class

 

 

 

Figure 1. Diffusion of Innovation Curve

It is possible from existing research about and references regarding the e-mail
and Internet use among journalists, as well as existing theories about the diffusion of
innovations to form several hypotheses to examine. One question remaining to be
answered is whether or not mainstream journalists are using the Internet regularly
enough to consider it an effective medium for communicating important information,
or if the Internet and e-mail should be used only in limited circumstances.

A hypothesis for the purposes of framing the following research is that
although a significant number of journalists will list e-mail among their preferred
media for press release retrieval, it will not rank as high as the more traditional
methods of faxing, mail, and hand delivery. The reasons for this hypothesis are two-
fold; one being the aforementioned diffusion of innovation theory and the perceived

“newness” of the medium relative to more traditional forms of information transfer,

and the second being due to the second hypothesis for this research, that younger
journalists are more likely to use both media and there are currently more “baby—
boomer” generation journalists than younger generations.

This research will also seek to prove the hypothesis Internet and e-mail use
for the purpose of press release retrieval will be directly correlated with demographic
variables including age, gender, level of education, and overall regard for computer
use. A hypothesis regarding the correlation of demographic characteristics and use of
World Wide Web pages and e-mail for press release retrieval is that there will be
significant relationships existing among these variables, and that specifically younger
journalists will tend to use the technologies in question with greater frequency than
older journalists, that journalists possessing higher levels of education will be more
likely to use them, and that larger newspapers will be more likely to encourage the use
of web pages and e-mail by reporters due to the fact that they have an assumed higher

availability of resources to invest in new technology.

10

Chapter 2

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

For the purpose of understanding the survey sample, it is necessary to include
a brief description of the research methodology used to collect data for statistical
analysis.

A survey was administered to randomly selected U.S. newspapers. Using
"Marketer's Guide to Media 1997-98," every 15th newspaper in the newspaper
questionnaire was selected to receive a survey, and letters were addressed to the editor
of the business section for distribution to an appropriate member of their staff for
completion. (See Appendices A and B)

The survey was mailed to participants with a stamped envelope for return.
The survey design was a bi-fold questionnaire consisting of eleven multiple choice
questions. An introductory letter was included as part of the survey. The surveys
were sent to the editor of the business desk for distribution to journalists in their
section.

200 surveys were mailed with a goal of at least 60 completed surveys (30%).
The actual response rate for the survey was 76, or 38%. A request for a response
within three weeks of receipt was included in the survey, and a follow-up postcard
was mailed 10 days after the initial mailing in an attempt to increase the number of

responses.

11

The survey included questions regarding the reporters use of various forms of
communication media to receive media relations materials. Preferences were based
on an ordinal measurement system, such as:

Based on the list of communications media below, please place a 1 next to the means
you most prefer for receiving press releases, a 2 next to the one you prefer second,
and so on.

Fax

US mail

Hand delivery

E-mail
Web sites

The questions focused on the use of e-mail and the intemet, as well as specific
demographic information in an attempt to draw correlations between factors such as
age, education, gender, and the size of the newspaper organization to use of and
comfort with computers and technologies such as the W.

The returned surveys were numbered and entered into SPSS for analysis.

Fortune 100 Accessibility Analysis

A small component of this study was to determine whether or not companies
are actually making information available to the press via their web page. An analysis
of the accessibility of press materials such as press releases, speeches, and major
announcements was conducted by counting the number of “clicks” necessary to reach
press portions of the web sites of the top 100 of the Fortune 500. Material included

on the companies’ web sites was also considered. A spreadsheet of the number of

12

clicks was established for the purpose of finding a mean, as well as a high and a low

(see Appendix C).

Data Analysis

The surveys were compiled in an SPSS file and variables were analyzed both
as independent and dependent. Statistical analyses included frequencies and
descriptives for general summary and illustrative measures, as well as regression
analysis, bivariate correlation, and cross-tabulations for determining significant
relationships among variables.

A general summary of the demographics of the population surveyed showed
that a vast majority (73%) had at least a bachelor’s degree. Over three quarters of the
survey respondents were between the ages of 26 and 55, and 55% of the surveys were
completed by males. Length of time as a reporter generally ranged anywhere from
five to 25 years. 90% of the journalists worked for newspapers having a circulation of

less than 100,000, and 100% worked for newspapers with a local versus national

scope.

l3

Chapter 3

USE OF E-MAIL FOR PRESS RELEASE RETRIEVAL

Is it true that journalists are beginning to prefer e-mail to more traditional

methods of receiving press releases? According to this research e-mail is still not

among preferred methods of press release retrieval. The chart below illustrates that

among the journalists surveyed, e-mail was not in the top three preferred methods of

press release retrieval for one-third of the respondents, and was actually in the bottom

third for over one-third. According to the survey results, only 30 percent of

respondents ranked e-mail in their top three choices for receiving press releases.

Table l is a break down of the means of the responses to the question requesting a

ranking of each of eight methods of press release retrieval.

 

Table 1. Means of Rank Order Preferences By Survey Respondents

N
FAX 72
MAIL 72
HAND 7 1
EMAIL 72
FEDEX 69
PHONE 69
WEBPAGE 69
OTHER 9

Minimum
1

p—ep—sp—Nh—ey—up—e

Maximum
5

OOOOOO\J\)OOOO

Mean
1.78
2.94
3.68
4.17
4.61
5.41
5.42
6.44

 

According to Table 1, the most preferred method of press release retrieval was fax,
and mail was second with a mean of 2.94. On average e-mail was ranked fourth
while web pages ranked second-to-last.

75 percent of journalists surveyed reported having e-mail addresses at work,
but a few of the respondents indicated that the address is a general address for the
newspaper, compared to individual user-boxes for each reporter. The absence of a
question on this survey dedicated to addressing that specific issue is a weakness,
because the absence of individual user boxes would seemingly greatly reduce the
usefulness of the medium.

According to this research, a high percentage of newspapers do not publish
their e—mail addresses, although at least one e-mail address is available. Almost half
of those journalists reporting working for a newspaper with at least one e-mail address
also reported that the newspaper did not publish the address. Interestingly, a very
small percentage of journalists did not know if they had an e-mail address. Although
almost one-third of newspapers do publish their e-mail addresses, Figure 2 illustrates
that an extremely small percentage of journalists actually receive any releases via that

medium.

15

Missing

  

 

10% or less

Figure 2. Percent of Press Releases Received Via E-Mail

The results of the survey also illustrated that currently a very small percentage
of press releases are arriving in news rooms via e-mail. 72.9% of journalists
responding to the survey receive fewer than 10% of their press releases via e-mail.

For practitioners, another important discovery is the frequency with which
journalists check their e—mail throughout the course of the day. As illustrated by
Figure 3, a majority of the respondents to this survey checked their e-mail one time or

less daily.

 

40

30-

20.

10.

 

 

 

Percent
0

one time three times
two times more than three times

Figure 3. Frequency of Checking E-mail Throughout Day

Analyses were run on the data to determine whether or not there were
significant relationships between the circulation of the newspaper or the type of
newspaper (daily, weekly, etc...) and the availability of access to e-mail for its
reporters. No significant relationships were determined using Pearson’s and

Spearman’s significance measures.

Chapter 4

JOURNALISTS’ USE OF WEB PAGES FOR PRESS RELEASE RETRIEVAL

The second hypothesis for this research was that although journalists may be
using the WWW, it is not generally for press release retrieval. Over 80% of the survey
sample have at least some familiarity with using the World Wide Web, and over 90%
of newspapers provide access for their reporters to the web.

As with e-mail, web pages did not fall in the top three preferences of
journalists’ for press retrieval media. In fact, barely 15 percent of survey respondents
ranked web pages in the top three, while close to 80 percent ranked it at numbers five,
six, and seven out of a possible eight options.

However, just over half of the survey respondents use the Internet for press
release retrieval, while over one-third of journalists with access to and familiarity with
the web are still not using it as a source of press release retrieval.

For the purpose of this section of the research I would like to specifically look
at the respondents’ answers to the question regarding their typical daily use of
computers, as well as their overall familiarity with the WWW. Figure 4 illustrates the
fact that over 70% of the surveys returned indicated that computers were only used to
complete their jobs, while under 20% had a strong liking of computers. It is also
important to note that 100% of the respondents fell within the first two categories,

which were 1) love computers and is very skilled, and 2) uses computers when

necessary, is proficient. None of the respondents were actually uncomfortable with or

unfamiliar with computers.

 

80

60-

40.

  

Percent
o

 

 

 

I
loves computers and is very uses computers to complete
skilled job and is proteicient

Figure 4. Typical Level of Computer Proficiency

Over 70% of the survey respondents were over the age of 36, or in the “baby
boom” generation.

Based on the survey results, it is possible to hypothesize that although
journalists are using the W to retrieve press releases, it is likely that a
relationship exists between the average journalists’ level of enthusiasm over computer
technology and their likelihood to use a computer-based medium such as the WWW
for press release retrieval when other, more familiar media still exist.
Demographically, users of the WWW still tend to be overwhelmingly young

(American Demography, 1998).

50

 

40-

30-

20¢

10!

 

 

 

3ercent 0
i

 

very useful not very useful 5
somewhat useful not useful at all

Figure 5. Usefulness of Web Pages For Press Release Retrieval

According to the responses to the survey, a majority of journalists did find
web pages very useful to somewhat useful for the purpose of retrieving press releases
(Figure 5). However, almost 60% of the respondents use web pages once in a while
for that purpose. It is also important to note that over 90% of the journalists surveyed
indicated that the newspaper for which they work is providing them with access to the
World Wide Web.

The accessibility analysis on the Fortune 100 companies was simply to

”I

determine the number of “clicks the media would need to reach relevant

 

' Click refers to the number of links to other areas of the page are necessary to access before

reaching the desired press information

20

information from a corporate “splash”2 page. It only took an average of 1.5 clicks to
reach press information on the company sites, although seven of the financial
powerhouses either had no press links or the information was impossible to find.
Although no concrete conclusions can be drawn, it could safely be assumed that
companies are making press information easily available due to a supposed increase
in web site traffic by the media. The information contained on the sites was
consistently a combination of press releases, corporate spokesperson contact numbers,
speeches, new product announcements, and information on shares.

A small number of the respondents to the survey wrote in that although they
are not using the Internet for press release retrieval, it is a useful source of information
when doing company research and information searches for stories. Further research
into this aspect of web page use could provide insights for PR practitioners when
considering web page design. Although a majority of journalists are not using web
pages for press release retrieval, the chart on the previous page illustrates that a

majority of reporters find the media useful for just that purpose.

 

2A splash page is the first set of information reached when a corporate domain is accessed by a browser

21

Chapter 5

WEB PAGE AND E-MAIL USE RELATIONSHIPS
TO DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

Analyses were run to determine possible significant correlation between use of
e-mail and the World Wide Web and requested demographic information including
age, gender, and current level of education. The premise was that there would be
significant relationships such as increased use of the W with higher levels of
education. Bivariate correlation analyses were run using the independent variable
press release retrieval via the W with age, gender, and education, respectively,
yielded no significance, thus disproving the premise. However, an analysis of the
variables “familiarity with the WW” and “age” did yield a significant correlation.‘
It is interesting to note that age did not appear to impact familiarity with use of e-mail.

It is important to note that when cross tabulating certain demographic
variables with the research variables involving web, e-mail, and computer use certain
patterns emerge. A look at the variables “familiarity with e—mail” and “age” shows
that the two age groups who are the most familiar with e-mail (also the two largest
age groups responding) are 26 - 35 and 36 - 45. Again, it should be noted that the
18 - 25 age group was the second smallest group responding.

Table 1 is an illustration of the breakdown of the age groups within the
context of the “familiarity with e-mail” variable. Two results are interesting to note:

In the age group 18 - 25, a majority of respondents considered themselves “very

 

22

familiar” with e-mail. In the age group 46 - 55, most of the respondents considered
themselves somewhat familiar with the medium. As the population continues to age
and the baby boom generation retires, persons who are only somewhat familiar with
e—mail will likely be replaced by persons with higher levels of understanding of the

medium.

 

Table 2. Cross Tabulation of Age and Familiarity with E-Mail

Total
18-44 45+
Very and somewhat 5 39 44
familiar with e-mail
Limited to no 3 7 10
familiarity with e-mail
Total 8 46 54

*Pearson’s Chi-Square calculated at 2.24

 

When cross-tabulating the variables “gender” with “familiarity with e-mail,
males outnumber females by over 1/3 in overall familiarity with e-mail. Over twice as
many male respondents as female stated that they “love computers and are very
skilled users.” Comparing the frequencies of the variables “familiarity with e-mail”
and “daily computer use” with the variable “level of education” did not yield any
significant relationships or observable patterns.

Again, when the variable “age” was examined with the variable “familiarity
with the WWW” it can be seen that as the respondents got older, their familiarity with

the medium increased. (see Table 2)

 

‘ P<.05, Bivariate correlation was found significant at .174 using Pearson’s l-tailed measure

23

 

fine 3. Cross Tabulation of Age and Familiarity with the www

Total
18-44 45+
Very and 8 40 48
somewhat
familiar
Limited to no 1 6 7
familiarity
Total 9 46 55

*Pearson’s Chi-Square calculated at .025

 

It is also interesting to note that again males claim to have the highest level of
familiarity with the WWW. Again, level of education and length of time as a reporter
did not seem to produce any patterns in perceived knowledge of the WWW.

It should be stated that no significant relationship or pattern exists among
between the variable “newspaper circulation size” and “provides e-mail address at
work, future studies could further break down the newspaper size categories. A large
majority of journalists responding to this survey worked for papers with a circulation
of under 100,000, but the survey failed to further breakdown or ask for specification

regarding circulation sizes.

24

Chapter 6

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Again, it is important to note that although many of the newspapers involved
in this survey publish e-mail addresses, a majority do not. It is also important to
emphasize the extremely low percentage of press releases received via e-mail. One
theory to explain both of these outcomes to frame e-mail within the context of still
being a relatively new medium, or product, for the purposes of applying the theory of
adopter classes (Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard, 1994).

Figure l in Chapter 1 illustrates the standard adoption curve for new products,
or innovations, by the various consumer groups. A possible explanation for the low
number of press releases retrieved could be that e-mail is still in the innovator to early
adoption portion of the above bell-shaped curve. According to a typical consumer
adoption curve, 16% of adopters at the beginning of a product’s lifecycle are
considered innovators or early adopters. Some typical characteristics of these groups
are higher levels of income, education, literacy, etc. (Engel, Blackwell, Miniard,
1994). While the adoption curve is generally applied to consumer-based studies,
approaching use of e-mail among businesses and journalists from this perspective

could serve as a possible explanation of number of press releases received via e-mail.

25

Over 80% of the newspapers surveyed had a circulation of less than 100,000,
which is typical of a majority of US daily newspapers (Marketers Guide to US
Newspapers, 1998). One possible explanation for each of the two variables in
question, publication of e-mail addresses and percentage of press releases received via
e-mail, could be directly related to the size of the newspaper and resources available.
According to the adoption curve, innovators and early adopters tend to have more
financial resources than the majority of the population.

Applying the attributes of innovation adoption classes to e-mail use among
professionals, both journalists and others, could explain each variable. Indications on
returned surveys were that although newspapers have e-mail addresses, they are not
individual, easily accessible addresses. This could be a product of the size of the
newspaper and its revenue stream. Assuming that many of the companies sending
press releases to small newspapers are likewise small to medium sized, lack of
resources could have an impact on the company’s likelihood to possess e-mail for use
by persons conducting press relations activities.

Although press release retrieval through newer media such as e-mail and web
pages is still not as mainstream among journalists as more traditional methods such as
fax machines and US mail, the data in this survey shows a gap that is small enough to
suppose that it may become more popular in the years to come. Experts in public
relations are recommending new ways of formatting press releases to take into
consideration the availability of more in-depth information via a variety of sources on
the web, including not only corporate web sites but also specialized information

services such as PRNewswire, EurekAlert!, URLWire, and others.

26

The fact that the intemet and e-mail use do not appear to be impacted by any
demographic considerations such as age, education level, or by newspaper
characteristics such as circulation size, etc. perhaps indicates that the medium is not in
the top three preferences for reasons other than the youth of the medium and the
typical innovator to laggard adoption curve. At this time it appears that more
traditional media offer attributes more desirable to journalists than e-mail, such as
possibly reliability or case of use.

As previously mentioned, some respondents to this survey indicated that
although they had access to an e-mail account, their newspaper had not set up
individual accounts for each journalist, therefore making the medium more difficult to
use than fax and traditional mail. A viable conclusion for practitioners is that
journalists with access to individual e-mail accounts as opposed to one account for the

publication would find press release retrieval via e-mail more convenient.

27

APPENDIX A

LIST OF NEWSPAPERS SELECTED USING RANDOM SAMPLING

 

 

Company Address City State Zip
Martinsville Bulletin PO Box 3711 Martinsville VA 241 12

The Ithaca Journal 123-127 W. State Rd. Ithaca NY 14850
Kent-Raveanna Record- PO Box 1201 Raveanna OH 44266
Courier

New Castle News PO Box 60 New Castle PA 16103
Hendersonville Times-News PO Box 490 Henersonville NC 28793

Las Cruces Sun-News PO Box 1749 Las Cruces NM 88004
Goldsboro News-Argus PO Box 10629 Goldsboro NC 27532
Visalia Times-Delta PO Box 31 Visalia CA 93279
Wooster Daily Record PO Box 918 Wooster OH 44691

Fort Dodge Messenger PO Box 659 Fort Dodge IA 50501
Carroll County Times PO Box 346 Westminster MD 21158

The Times & Democrat PO Drawer 1766 Orangeburg SC 29116
Palladeum-Item PO Box 308 Richmond IN 47375

The Reporter PO Box 630 Fon Du Lac WI 54936

The News Tribune PO Box 11000 Tacoma WA 98411-0008
Independent Tribune 924 Cloverleaf Plaza Kannapolis NC 28083

Sun Chronicle PO Box 600 Attelboro MA 02703
Hilton Head Island Packet PO Box 5727 Hilton Head SC 29938
Santa Fe New Mexican PO Box 2048 Santa Fe NM 87504

The Tribune PO Box 69 Fort Pierce FL 34594
Centre Daily Times PO Box 89 State College PA 16804
Niagra Gazette PO Box 549 N iagra Falls NY 14302-0549
Battle Creek Enquirer 155 W. Van Buren St. Battle Creek MI 49017

The Record 501 Broadway Troy NY 12180—3381
The Elkhart Truth PO Box 487 Elkhart IN 46515
Wenatchee World PO Box 1511 Wenatchee WA 98807
Record Journal 11 Crown St. Meriden CT 06450-5788
Telegraph Herald PO Box 688 Dubuque IA 52004-0688
The Herald PO Box 11707 Rock Hill SC 29731
Pottsville Republican & PO Box 209 Pottsville PA 17901
Evening Herald

Johnson City Press PO Box 1717 Johnson City TN 37605-1717
Stuart News PO Box 9009 Stuart FL 34995

The Daily Herald PO Box 717 Provo UT 84603-0171
Herald-Palladeum PO Box 128 St. Joseph MI 49085
Journal Times 212 Fourth St. Racine WI 53403
Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ 75 N. Washington St. Wilkes-Barre PA 18711
Voice

Observer-Reporter, 122 S. Main St. Washington PA 15301
Washinton County

Bay City Times 31 1 Fifth St. Bay City MI 48708

San Mateo County Times PO Box 5400 San Mateo CA 94402
Lafayette Advertiser PO Box 3268 Lafayette LA 70502

The Jackson Sun PO Box 1059 Jackson TN 38302
Naples Daily News 1075 Central Ave. Naples FL 34102

The Star Press PO Box 2408 Muncie IN 47307

The Kentucky Post

The Bristol Herald-Courier
The Sun News
Kingsport Times-News
The Tribune Democrat
Journal News

The Pantagraph

Pueblo Chieftan
Burlington Free Press
The Post Crescent
Pensecola News-Journal
Herald-Journal

The Repository

The Springfield News-
Leader

Union Leader

Cedar Rapids Gazette
Scranton Times

Portland Press Herald
The Times

The News-Press

The Modesto Bee

York Daily Record

El Paso Times
Greensburg Daily News
Wichita Eagle

The Advocate
Patriot-News

Times Union

The Mobile Register
The Gazette

The Clarion Ledger

The Capital Times
Knoxville News-Sentinel
Washington Evening
Journal

The Daily Herald

News & Observer

The Fresno Bee

Tulsa World
Birmingham Post-Herald
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The Commercial Appeal
Rochester Democrat &
Chronicle

Daily Oklahoman

San Antonio Express News
The Oakland Tribune
Sun-Sentinel

The Tampa Tribune
Colmbus Dispatch
Boston Herald
Milwaukee Joural Sentinel
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Miami Herald

PO Box 2678
PO Box 609
PO Box 406
PO Box 479
PO Box 340
PO Box 298
PO Box 2907
PO Box 4040
PO Box 10
PO Box 59
PO Box 12710
PO Drawer 1657
PO Box 9901
PO Box 798

PO Box 9555
PO Box 511
PO Box 3311
390 Congress St.
PO Box 30222
PO Box 10
PO Box 5256
PO Box 15122
PO Box 20
PO Box 106
PO Box 820
PO Box 588
PO Box 2265
PO Box 15000
PO Box 2488
PO Box 1779
PO Box 40
PO Box 8060
PO Box 59038
PO Box 471

PO Box 233

PO Box 191

1626 E. St.

PO Box 1770

PO Box 2553

PO Box 2221

PO Box 364

55 Exchange Blvd.

PO Box 25125
PO Box 2171
PO Box 28884

200 E. Las Olas Blvd.

PO Box 191

34 S. Third St.

PO box 2096

PO Box 371

900 N. Tucker Blvd.
One Herald P12.

29

Covington
Bristol
Myrtle Beach
Kingsport
Johnstown
Hamilton
Bloomington
Pueblo
Burlington
Appleton
Pensecola
Spartanburg
Canton
Springfield

Manchester
Cedar Rapids
Scranton
Portland
Shreveport
Fort Myers
Modesto
York

El Paso
Greensburg
Wichita
Baton Rouge
Harrisburg
Albany
Mobile
Colorado Springs
Jackson
Madison
Knoxville
Washington

McDonough
Raleigh
Fresno
Tulsa
Birmingham
Little Rock
Memphis
Rochester

Oklahoma City
San Antonio
Oakland

Ft. Lauderdale
Tampa
Columbus
Boston
Milwaukee

St. Louis
Miami

KY
VA
SC
TN
PA
OH
IL

CO
VT
WI

SC
OH
MO

NH
IA
PA
ME
LA

CA
PA
TX
IN

KS
LA
PA
NY

CO
MS
WI

IA

GA
NC
CA
OK

AR

OK
TX
CA

OH
MA
WI

MO

41 01 2-2678
24203
29578
37662
15907-0340
45012
61702
8 1003-4040
05402
54912
32574
29304-1657
4471 1
65801

03 108
52406
18505
04101
71 130-0222
33902
95352
17405
79999
47240
67201 -0820
7082 1 -0588
17 105
12212
36602
80901
39205
53708
37950
52353

30253
27602
93786
74102
35202
72203
38101
14614

73125
78297
94604
33301-2293
33601-0191
43215
02106-2096
53201
63101
33132-1693

Seattle Post-Intelligencer
New York Post

Chicago Sun-Times

The New York Daily News
The New York Times
The Washington Post
The Cape Coral Daily
Breeze

Lebanon Daily Record
The Southwest Times
Punxsutawney Spirit
Ironton Tribune

Newton Daily News
Brookhaven Daily Leader
State Gazette

Newton Kansan
Kerrville Daily Times
Mt. Airy News

Piqua Daily Call

Madera Tribune

News Virginian
Advertiser-Tribune
News Messenger

Oneida Daily Dispatch
Thomasville Times-
Enterprise

Cullman Times

Logan Banner

West Hawaii Today
Columbus Telegram
Courier-Express

Daily News

The Oakridger

Bryan Times
Eagle-Herald

The News Herald
Henderson Gleaner
Hammond Daily Star
News-Capital & Democrat
Journal Tribune
McComb Enterprise-Joumal
The Caledonian-Record
Middletown Press
Kentucky New Era
News-Item

The Hanford Sentinel
Sentinel-Tribune
Effingham Daily News
Morning Journal
Roswell Daily Record
Vicksburg Post

Rocky Mountain Telegram
Times News

Iowa City Press-Citizen
Murfreesboro Daily New

PO Box 1909
121 1 Ave. of the Americas
401 N. Wabash Ave.

450 w. 33rd St.

229 w. 43rd St.

1150 15‘h 51., N.W.

PO Box 151306

PO Box 192
PO Box 391
PO Box 444
2903 S. Fifth St.
PO Box 967
PO Box 551
PO Box 808
PO Box 268
PO Box 1428
PO Box 808
PO Box 921
PO Box 269
PO Box 1027
PO Box 778
PO Box 730
PO Box 120
PO Box 650

300 Fourth Ave., E.
PO Box 720
PO Box 789
PO Box 648
PO Box 407
PO Box 777
PO Box 3446
PO Box 471
PO Box 77

PO Box 1149
PO Box 4

PO Box 1149
500 S. Second St.
PO Box 627
PO Box 910
PO Box 8

2 Main St.

PO Box 729
PO Box 587
PO Box 9

PO Box 88

PO Box 370
PO Box 249
PO Box 1897
Po Box 821668
PO Box 1080
PO Box 239
PO Box 2480
PO Box 68

Seattle
New York
Chicago
New York
New York
Washington
Cape Coral

Lebanon
Pulaski
Punxsutawney
Ironton
Newton IA
Brookhaven
Dyersburg
Newton IA
Kerrville
Mt. Airy
Piqua
Madera
Waynesboro
Tiffin
Marshall
Oneida
Thomasville

Cullman
Logan

Kailua Kona
Columbus
Du Bois
Palatka

Oak Ridge
Bryan
Marinette
Morganton
Henderson
Hammond
McAlester
Biddeford
McComb

St. Johnsbury
Middletown
Hopkinsville
Shamokin
Hanford
Bowling Green
Effingham
Lisbon
Roswell
Vicksburg
Rocky Mountain
Lehighton
Iowa City
Murfreesboro

WA
NY
IL
NY
NY
DC

MO
VA
PA
OH
50208
MS

KS
TX
NC
OH
CA
VA
OH

NY
GA

AL
WV
HI

PA

OH
WI

NC
KY
LA

OK
ME
MS

KY
PA
CA
OH

OH

MS
NC
PA
IA

981 1 1-1909
10036-8790
6061 1
10001
10036
20071
33915-1305

65536
24301
15767
45638

39601
38025
67 l 14
78029
27030-0808
45356
93639
22980
44883
7567 1
13421
3 1799

35055
25601
96745-0789
68602
15801 -0407
32178
37831
43506
54143
28680-0280
42420
70404
74501

4005

39648
05819
06457
42241
17872
93232
43402
62401
44432
88202-1897
39182-0008
27802-1080
18235-0239
52244

37 133

Journal

Batavia Daily News
Beloit Daily News
Killeen Daily Herald
Indiana Gazette

Union -Sun & Journal
The Sentinel-Record
The Maui News

The Times

The Dominion Post
Oelwein Daily Register
Princeton Daily Clarion
Hopewell News

Green Bay News-Chronicle
News-Courier
Statesboro Herald
Alamagordo Daily News
Virginian Review
Gettysburg Times

The Tribune

Lake City Reporter
Benton Courier

Great Bend Tribune
Richmond Register
West Plains Daily Quill
Muskatine Journal
Grand Haven Tgribune
Express

Xenia Daily Gazette
Log Cabin Democrat
State Journal

Bedford Gazette

Ponca City News
Morning Sun
Advocate-Messenger
Cortland Standard
Kansas City Kansan
Porterville Recorder
The Argus-Press
Times-Record

Natchez Democrat
Huntington Herald-Dispatch
The Enquirer-Journal
The Sentinel

The Athens Messenger
Messenger Wolfe

The Sanford Herald
The Newport Daily News
Marion Star

Gallup Independent
The St. Augustine Record
Cleveland Daily Banner

PO Box 870
149 State St.
PO Box 1300
PO Box 10

PO Box 503

PO Box 580
PO Box 550

23 Exchange St.
1251 Earl Core Rd.
PO Box 51 1
100 N. Gibson St.
PO Box 481

PO Box 2467
410 W. Green St.
PO Box 888
PO Box 870
PO Box 271

PO Box 3669
PO Box 447
PO Box 1709
PO Box 207
PO Box 228
PO Box 9901
PO Box 110
PO Box 809
101 N. Third St.
PO Box 208
PO Box 400
PO Box 969
PO Box 1418
PO Box 671

PO Box 191

PO Box 447
PO Box 149
PO Box 5548
PO Box 175002
PO Box 151

PO Box 399
PO Box 10

PO Box 1447
PO Box 2017
PO Box 5040
PO Box 588

Rte. 33 N. & Johnson Rd.

73 Buffalo St.
PO Box 100

PO Box 420

150 Court St.
PO Box 1210
PO Box 1630
PO Box 3600

31

Batavia
Beloit
Killeen
Indiana
Lockport
Hot Springs
Wailuku
Pawtucket
Morgantown
Oelwein
Princeton
Hopewell
Green Bay
Athens
Statesboro
Alamagordo
Covington
Gettysburg
Semour
Lake City
Benton
Great Bend
Richmond
West Plains
Muskatine
Grand Haven
Lock Haven
Xenia
Conway
Frankfort
Bedford
Ponca City
Mt. Pleasant
Danville
Cortland
Kansas City
Porterville
Owosso
Brunswick
Natchez
Huntington
Monroe
Lewistown
Athens
Canadaigua
Sanford
Newport
Marion
Gallup

St. Augustine
Cleveland

NY
WI
TX
PA
NY
AR
HI
RI
WV
IA
IN
VA
WI

GA

VA
PA
IN

KS
KY
MO
IA
MI
PA
OH
AR
KY
PA
OK
MI
KY
NY
KS
CA
MI
ME
MS
WV
NC
PA
OH
NY
NC

OH
NM

14020

5351 1
76540
15701
14095
71902
96739
02860
26505-6298
50662
47670
23860
54306-2467
3561 1
30458

8831 1
24426-0271
17325
47274
32056
72015
67530
40476
65775-01 10
52761
49417
17745-6791
45385
72033-0969
40602
15522
74602
48804
40423
13045
66101
93258
48867

0401 1
39121
25701

281 1 1
17044
45701
14424
27331-0100
2840

43302
87301
32084
37320-3600

APPENDIX B

MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT (SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE)

November 2, 1998

Dear Sir or Ma’am:

I am a graduate student at Michigan State University working toward my degree in
Advertising with a concentration in Public Relations. I am

completing research for a thesis, and would appreciate it if you could take a few
moments of your time to fill out the enclosed survey.

As I am sure you are aware, many businesses, particularly large ones, have areas of
their Web pages dedicated to press releases and other information intended for the
media. The use of e-mail as a means for communicating with the press is also on the
rise. My study focuses on whether or not reporters are actually using information
posted on Web pages, and whether e-mail is an efficient means by which to reach
reporters with press releases.

This survey is part of a larger study examining this issue. All answers are
CONFIDENTIAL and will not be published. Answering the questions on this survey
is Optional. If you choose to participate in the survey, it is your choice what questions
you do or do not answer. You indicate your voluntary agreement to participate by
completing and returning this survey.

I sincerely appreciate your time in assisting me with this research. Enclosed with the
survey is a post card which you may mail back to me with your name and address,
separate from the survey, if you are interested in receiving a copy of the results after
they are tabulated and compiled into recommendation form.

Again, thank you for your consideration of this matter. Please return the completed
survey in the enclosed, postage-paid envelope no later than November 18, 1998.

Sincerely,

Amy Hagerstrom

32

1 Which of these statements best describes your daily use of computers:

1

“I LOVE COMPUTERS AND AM VERY SKILLED AT
VARIOUS TYPES OF SOFTWARE AND

APPLICATIONS.”

“I USE THE COMPUTER WHEN I NEED IT TO

COMPLETE MY JOB, AND AM PROFICIENT AT
THE APPLICATIONS I NEED FOR MY JOB.”

“I USE THE COMPUTER ONLY WHEN IT IS

ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, AND DO NOT ENJOY
IT.”

“I DISLIKE COMPUTERS AND AVOID THEM AS
MUCH AS POSSIBL .”

2 Please describe your familiarity World Wide Web (WW).

1 VERY FAMILIAR
2 SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR
3 LIMITED FAMILIARIT Y
4 NOT FAMILIAR WITH AT ALL
3 Please describe your familiarity with e—mail retrieval using the Internet or the
WW.
1 VERY FAMILIAR
2 SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR
3 LIMITED FAMILIARIT Y
4 NOT FAMILIAR WITH AT ALL
4 Do you currently have an e-mail address at work which is accessible via the
Internet or W?
1 YES
2 NO
3 I DON’T KNOW

If you answered YES to #4, please continue with question #5, otherwise please skip to

#8.

33

5 Does your newspaper publish its reporters’ e-mail addresses?

1 YES
2 NO
3 I DON’T KNOW
6 On average, how often do you check your e-mail throughout the day?
1 ONE TIME
2 TWO TIMES
3 THREE TIMES
4 MORE THAN THREE TIMES
7 Approximately what percent of press releases come to you via e-mail?
1 10% OR LESS
2 25%
3 50%
4 75%
5 90% OR MORE
8 Does your newspaper currently provide access to the W to its
reporters?
1 YES
2 NO

3 I DON’T KNOW

If you answered YES to this question, please continue with #9, otherwise please skip
to #1 1.

9 Do you use business Web pages to retrieve press releases when they
are available?

1 YES
2 NO

34

10

ll

12

13

If YES, approximately how often do you use this method for press release

retrieval?

AWN—-

VERY FREQUENTLY
SOMEWHAT FREQUENTLY
ONCE IN A WHILE
HARDLY EVER

How useful do you find Web pages for the purpose of retrieving press

releases?

AWN—t

VERY USEFUL
SOMEWHAT USEFUL
NOT VERY USEFUL
NOT USEFUL AT ALL

Following is a list of means for sending press releases and information
relevant to news stories. Please number the items from 1 - 8, with 1
being the method you prefer most and 8 being the method you prefer

least.

US MAIL

FAX MACHINE

HAND DELIVERY
TELEPHONE

E-MAIL

WEB PAGES
FEDERAL EXPRESS
OTHER (PLEASE LIST)

 

Please indicate your current level of education.

\IONLIIALHNt-r'

SOME HIGH SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA

SOME COLLEGE

ASSOCIATES DEGREE
BACHELORS DEGREE
MASTERS/PROFESSIONAL DEGREE
DOCTORATE/PHD

35

14 What is your age?

UNDER 18

18 - 25 YEARS
26 - 35 YEARS
36 - 45 YEARS
46 - 55 YEARS
56+

OLA-kWN—e

15 Please indicate the length of time you have been a reporter.

LESS THAN 5 YEARS
5 - 10 YEARS

11 - 15 YEARS

16 - 20 YEARS

21 - 25 YEARS

26 - 30 YEARS

30+ YEARS

\lONUt-IXUJNH

16 Please indicate your gender.

1 MALE
2 FEMALE

17 What is the approximate daily circulation of your newspaper?
1 LESS THAN 100,000
2 100,000 - 500,000
3 500,000 - 1,000,000

18 Do you write for a local or national newspaper?

1 LOCAL
2 NATIONAL

36

APPENDIX C

LIST OF FORTUNE 100 COMPANIES
AND WEB SITE CLICK THROUGH COUNT

9.
%

Company

GM

Ford

Exxon

Wal-Mart

GE

IBM

Daimler Chrysler
Mobil

Philip Morris
AT&T

Boeing

Texaco

State Farm Insurance Co.
Hewlett-Packard
du Pont

Sears

Travelers Group
Prudential Insurance Co.
Chevron

P&G

Citicorp

Amoco

Kmart

Merrill Lynch
JC Penney
American International Group
Chase Manhattan
-Bell Atlantic
Motorola
TIAA-CREF
PepsiCo
Lockheed Martin
Fannie Mae
Dayton Hudson
Dean Witter
Kroger

Lucent

Intel

>

>

>>

37

Allstate

SBC Communications
United Technologies
Compaq

MetLife

Home Depot
ConAgra

Merck

Bank America

GTE

J&J

Safeway

Disney

UPS

Costco

NationsBank Corp
USX

Bellsouth

Enron

International Paper
Cigna

Dow Chemical

Sara Lee

MCI

Loews

Atlantic Richfield
American Stores
Caterpillar

New York Life Insurance
Coca Cola
Columbia/HCA Healthcare
AMR

Aetna

Xerox

American Express
JP Morgan& Co.
UAL

RJR Nabisco
Lehman Bros. Holdings
Bristol Myers Squibb
Ingram Micro
Supervalu

Duke Energy
Ameritech

FDS

Phillips Petroleum
PG&E Corp
Fleming

US West

EDS

3M

Sprint

Eastman Kodak
Albertson's

Allied Signal

38

zH—tmu—ep—ee—e—

>

>

>

Sysco

Federal Home Loan Mortgage
First Union Corp

Fluor

American Home Products
Archer Daniels Midland
Raytheon

39

H—‘I—NNIQN

LIST OF REFERENCES

40

LIST OF REFERENCES

Bobbitt, Randy (1998), “An Internet Primer for Public Relations”, in Public Relations
Review, v.

American Demographics (1999), “Been there, done that!”, January 1999, Primedia
Intertec.

Bobbitt, Randy (1995), “Using the W in Public Relations”, in l_’_ublic Relations
uarterl , v.

Bowman, Robert (1998), ITT President and C00, in Symposium delivered an
Michigan State University, March 20, 1998.

Bowen, Charles (1998), “Business Sleuthing: the Web has the dirt”, p. 23 in Editor &
Publisher, December 19, 1998.

Caywood, Clarke L. (1997), The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations & Integrated
Communications, McGraw-Hill, New York.

Dem, Daniel (1997), “Using the Internet as a PR Tool, in Communications News,
6:28.

Engel, James F., Blackwell, Roger D., Miniard, Paul W. (1994), Consumer Behavior,
Dryden Press.

Elfenbein, Dick (1993), “Fax Survey: Editors Indicate Preferences for Faxed Business
Information but Turn Thumbs Down at Those 4:45 Press Releases”, pp. 18-32 in
Editor & gublisher, June 26, 1993.

Marken, Andy, “Getting the Most from Your Presence in Cyberspace”, pp. 36-37.in
Public Relations Quarterly, 40:3.

Middleberg, Don, and Ross, Steven (1997), “Media in Cyberspace Study”,
http://www.mediasource.corn/study/cont.htm.

Stone, Martha (1999), “The Online Pitch”, p.26 in Editor & Publisher, February 13,
1999.

Thomsen, Steven R. (1996), “@ Work in Cyberspace”, pp. 115-124 in Public
Relations Review, v22,n2.

41

Wakefield, Gay and Cottone, Laura P. ( 1987), “Knowledge and Skills Required by
Public Relations Employers”, pp. 24-32 in Public Relations Review,l3:31, JAI Press,
Inc..

42

"Iiiiliiililiiiliiiii