Public Relations and Earned Media - July 25, 2010 - Segment One

Public Relations and Earned Media - Betsy and Renee discuss the differences between “earned media” (public relations) and “paid advertising” (advertising). Earned media is truly newsworthy coverage that airs/published on various media channels. Earned media is much more difficult to get than to pay for advertising. To be successful with public relations you need to define your target audience and the media channels that target audience uses. Once that is defined, you have to create the “hook” to distinguish your business as a newsworthy entity that will appeal to the reporters at the media channels you decide to go after. If you can establish yourself as an expert in your industry, reporters may well seek you out for your opinion on timely matters when they arise.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.

A Tribute To Mothers - May 9, 2010 - Segment Four

Caneel Fraser, a practicing attorney who is also Renee’s daughter, joins the show to discuss what it was like growing up with a working professional mother. While her mother was consistently busy, Caneel and her sisters always saw their mother when it mattered. As a professional businesswoman herself, Caneel notes that her mother was a great role model to have growing up: she was out during the week at meetings and events, but she was there for dinner, when you needed help studying for a test, on the weekends, or when you felt like you had a horrible day in high school and just couldn’t go on. Although Renee would bring work home with her, Caneel points out that her mother did so in a good way, talking about the difficult parts of the job, but also sharing the highlights of her work. Renee clarifies that when she brought work home, there was also all her other commitments in addition to the advertising agency, such as the boards she was on and the volunteer work she did. Having those stories and experiences growing up inculcated a sense of commitment and service in Caneel, and also provided a good idea of what to expect once she was out in the real world herself.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.

Social Media Smarts - CEO Interview - Alan Buckelew, CEO of Princess Cruises - March 7, 2010 - Segment Three

Social Media Smarts - CEO of Princess Cruises, Alan Buckelew.

Betsy and Renee speak with Alan about how the cruise industry and specifically Princess Cruises have taken to using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in very effective and engaging ways. You can follow Princess on Twitter here or on Facebook here or on LinkedIn here. You can learn more about their 2 brand new ships on these channels over the next couple of years as they are built and prepared for launch. The Princess Cruises’ philosophy is “evolution” not “revolution” and they devote themselves to improving products and services with a steady hand.

As media dollars for advertising migrate more and more to the Internet, Alan is a firm believer of insuring that the IT staff is at a adequate number with the expertise to handle the new requirements of constantly being online, engaged and involved on the many social media channels.

Alan’s career with the company has spanned 33 years, and most recently his title was executive vice president of corporate services, responsible for strategic planning, marketing and yield management. In his previous post he also served as chief information officer and chief financial officer. As the line’s president, he is responsible for all aspects of Princess’ business with the exception of fleet operations and Princess Tours.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.

Show Me The Money - CEO Interview - California Inspector General Laura Chick - February 21, 2010 - Segment Three

Show Me The Money - Interview with California State Inspector General Laura Chick.  Betsy and Renee speak with the only state level Inspector General Laura Chick about the stimulus dollars coming into California from the Federal Recovery Act.

Shortly after President Obama signed the Federal Recovery Act, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger turned to Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick. He tapped her to be the first-in-the-nation Inspector General to oversee the more than $50 Billion in economic stimulus dollars that California is receiving.

“Laura’s impressive track record as a watchdog and public servant makes her uniquely qualified to ensure this funding is used as it was intended-to create jobs and help our state through this difficult economic time,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.

The Sacramento Bee heralded Chick’s arrival in the Capitol with the headline, “MISUSE STIMULUS CASH, YOU’LL ANSWER TO HER.”

A trained social worker, Laura received her Bachelors Degree in History from UCLA and a Masters in Social Work from USC. Her experience includes managing a family-owned retail business. Laura first entered elected office in 1993 when she defeated a 16 year incumbent for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council in the West San Fernando Valley. Seven months after taking office her district was devastated by the Northridge Earthquake. Chick went into action working around the clock, an ever present figure in the toppled neighborhoods. Laura used the crisis as an opportunity to rebuild in a smarter and better way, creating what is now a thriving redevelopment zone with shops, cafes and a legitimate theater converted from an X-rated movie house.

In 2001 Laura was overwhelmingly elected City Controller, becoming the first woman to hold citywide office in Los Angeles. As Controller, she was the Chief Auditor and Chief Accountant of the City working to ensure its fiscal health. In her nearly eight years in this office, Laura released over 170 audits and reports exposing a wide range of problems throughout city government. As the taxpayers’ watchdog she rooted out waste and fraud and championed innovation and new ideas to challenge the status-quo.

A Los Angeles Business Journal feature said, “Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick has emerged as a central voice in the ongoing debate over how the city handles its contracts.” As the Los Angeles Magazine stated, “Where others couch and evade, she is Ms. Blunt.”

One of her last audits to be released exposed a backlog of thousands of untested DNA rape kits at the Los Angeles Police Department. Laura’s report brought a national spotlight to an intolerable situation. This resulted in City officials finally making the problem a priority. Her work recently won her the prestigious ProPublica Prize for Investigative Governance. Laura is now energetically taking up the state’s challenge of overseeing the massive expenditure of American Recovery funds. “My job as Inspector General is to deter, detect and disclose waste and fraud. I’m putting everyone on notice that I am watching and if there is something wrong we will find it,” said Chick.

Laura Chick is the proud mother of two grown daughters-Katherine, a public school teacher in Los Angeles, and Care, a psychologist in northern California. She is also the beaming grandmother of Morgan.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.

Romance Sells! - CEO Interview with Linda LoRe, CEO of Frederick’s of Hollywood - February 14, 2010 - Segment Three

Romance Sells - Interview with Linda LoRe, President and CEO of Frederick’s of Hollywood.

Betsy and Renee speak with Linda about the busiest day of their year for Frederick’s of Hollywood, Valentine’s Day!

In her 18-year-career as a CEO of world-renowned brands, Linda LoRe is widely recognized as a leading brand advocate. Her extensive experience includes building consumer companies from the ground up, revitalizing storied brands and breathing new life into consumer favorites. LoRe became President and CEO of Frederick’s of Hollywood in August 1999, and immediately set upon the challenge of revitalizing and re-launching the iconic Frederick’s of Hollywood brand. Since her arrival, she has overseen Frederick’s July 2000 Chapter 11 reorganization and brand turn-around and its much-lauded January 2003 emergence, securing the company’s strongest growth period in more than 10 years, and most recently, seeing through the merger between Frederick’s and apparel partner, Movie Star Inc. LoRe believes strongly in the Frederick’s of Hollywood brand and its potential to become a billion-dollar fashion business.

As President and Chief Executive Officer, LoRe enhances Frederick’s image and maintains its reputation for sexy, playful apparel by holding true to the company’s historical roots. Her focus on nurturing growth opportunities has kept Frederick’s among the fifty most recognizable brands in the United States. LoRe has also parlayed her expertise in the beauty business to expand the Frederick’s brand into new categories, including the launch of a highly successful signature fragrance line.

Prior to joining Frederick’s of Hollywood, LoRe was President and CEO of Giorgio Beverly Hills. LoRe spent eleven years building Giorgio Beverly Hills into one of the world’s premier luxury brands, with sales exceeding $325 million. LoRe made a name for herself in the world of branding when Giorgio successfully launched some of the industry’s top fragrances, including Giorgio Red, Wings and Hugo by Hugo Boss.

LoRe serves on the Boards of Directors for, Frederick’s of Hollywood, Inc., the Trusteeship of the International Women’s Forum, The Women’s Leadership Board for the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the Board of Advisors for the Fashion Institute of Design Merchandising (FIDM), the United States Air Force as their Entertainment and Industry Liaison emeritus, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Enterprise Institute, and the Executive Woman’s Alliance (EWA). She is also the founding Board Member of the Youth Mentoring Connection, which serves at-risk youth in Southern California.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.