ABSTRACT
In the past, public relations professionals devoted most of their time to the quest for publicity. Their mission was to obtain “ink” for the organization. This was logical because, until recently, the newspaper was tremendously influential in the lives of most Americans. Families generally subscribed to at least one daily local newspaper, and most cities had more than one paper. Smaller newspapers even published reports about people’s vacations, out-of-town family visitors, or the accomplishments of their grandchildren. Later, most people also watched the evening news and listened to hourly reports on the radio, which also provided venues for public relations messages.
