You make a really valid point that the core of the PR business (market/industry/audience analysis, executive visibility, advocacy development, etc.) really will not change. Those aspects are always going to be important and will always be a big part of what we do.

What is changing right now is who we reach for these types of analysis and how we reach them. But at the end of the day, we are still looking to build and enhance brands and create positive brand associations for companies. And media relations is a big part of that, particularly when the advertising industry is declining – rapidly – and earned media still weighs heavier on consumer's and decision-maker's minds than does paid media.

Going forward, it will be the role of the PR practitioner to continue to understand that everything around us is changing – just the same way it always has in the world – but at the end of the day, we can never, ever forget about or lose sight of the importance of well-qualified media and our relationships with them. As long as we live in a democratic society, we will need strong journalists to tell tremendous stories, and we can do a great deal to help companies get those stories told and find some great customers who want to have their lives shaped and impacted by those stories through the effective use of our really strong relationships with the media.

The Death of The Media is being a bit oversold, especially by people who stand to gain by its demise. Yes, fewer people are reading newspapers (but the WSJ and USA Today are doing OK), there are fewer viewers of national broadcast network news (but Fox and CNN aren't dying, nor is CNBC, and Fox Business is new, and Bloomberg is still a winner).

Sure, the Seattle PI is online only, the Wash Times has killed its sports section, and many local papers in mid-markets are struggling. But the process of relating to objective third parties is still a huge part of PR.

The sea change in media may take ten years — do we stop using media relations because of that? Who knows what will happen in ten years?

PR certainly is going to change, particularly for practitioners who are used to living and dying by their media black book — but the skills and talents we bring are still going to be needed in either new or old media.

Rock on!
Sean
@commammo

Good reminder

Heather
@prTini

That's the wrong attitude as your post clearly conveys. I agree completely.

Tressa – Glad my post can be of service to you and your client work! Always happy to help out individuals and the industry at large. Thanks for the really nice compliment

I like that idea, a lot. Let's look at this as we're all in it together. Like I said, if WE as PR pros want the respect we know that we deserve, we can't go around bashing certain sectors of the media world that still are important and that we still need to value and work with on a day-to-day basis, even if there are other, maybe more cool/flashy forms of media out there now.