Medialink Worldwide

Medialink Worldwide (commonly referred to as Medialink) states on its website that it helps "professional communicators and the media engage their intended audiences with compelling video and audio distributed via the Web, television and radio." In July 2009, the broadcast public relations firm The NewsMarket announced that it was purchasing Medialink.

An earlier version of the company's website described the company as "a global leader in corporate media communications services," connecting corporate clients with news industry producers. Medialink boasts proprietary databases used in audience research, while a partnership with the Associated Press puts the news releases of Medialink clients on the desks of most United States' television news editors. Medialink claims credit for having pioneered the video news release.

Self-description
"By leveraging relationships with news  organizations,  Medialink rapidly alerts and  disseminates  clients' news to every major  newsroom in the United  States. Similarly,  international  distribution  relationships enable Medialink to reach virtually  any  audience,  in any country,  through any news medium.  Each year, Medialink  generates  tens of  thousands of  broadcast  news  airings  worldwide reaching billions of viewers,  listeners and readers on media as diverse as CNN, The New York Times,  ABC, Sky News, The Washington  Post, BBC,  Bloomberg Radio, AOL, Yahoo! and China Central Television, the national television station of the People's  Republic of China," Medialink stated in its 2003 annual report.

"Medialink enables its clients to reach more than  11,000  newsrooms at television and radio networks, local stations, cable channels,  direct broadcast satellite systems, as well as more than 11,000 online multimedia newsrooms," it stated. Medialink makes no pretense that it is neutral when it comes to helping its clients. "Whether a situation calls for expert counsel during a high-profile litigation crisis or an ongoing campaign to introduce a new consumer product or defeat proposed legislation, Medialink is an integral member of the client’s strategy team," Medialink states in its 2003 Annual Report.

History
Medialink was founded in 1986 with the initial focus on the distribution of video news releases (VNR's). In 1996 it began producing VNR's "and has since developed a full range of video, audio, Internet, still photography and print services which it now provides on a global basis". Since the mid-1990's the company has taken over a series of companies and more recently sold off divisions to offset its deteriorating cash flow.

In June 1997 Medialink bought the Corporate Television Group which had been previously known as Reuters Corporate Television. The purchase, Medialink wrote in its 1998 report to the Securities and Exchange Commission "brought a roster of blue-chip clients such as Microsoft, Philip Morris, General Intruments and Compaq Computer".

In August 1997 Medialink added the London-based video and production company On Line Broadcasting which added the ability provide live radio and television broadcasting in the UK to complement its US capacity. According to Medialink, the combined US and UK market for its range of media services was estimated to be $US600 million while its actual revenue that year was only $26.7 million.

In November 1998 Medialink bought Wirepix and the following year, in a joint venture with Business Wire, Medialink created Newstream.com, a to provide "multimedia assets to more than 11,000 online news and information Web sites that  increasingly need streaming video,   audio, presentations, and graphics to be competitive". In January 2000 Medialink launched Newstream.com as with the aim of it being, according to its 2000 Annual Report, the "leading Internet portal dedicated to distributing downloadable mutlimedia news content to online newsrooms".

In October 2006 Medialink sold U.S. Newswire to PR Newswire for $19 million.

Back to the future with sponsored "news"
"As the media world assesses new ground rules, producer Medialink Worldwide says 'branded journalism' is the best way to advertise in a splintered market," reported the television industry news source Broadcasting & Cable. According to the article, this includes video news releases stations are paid to run, a practice referred to as "secured placement" or "marketing public relations." Moreover, "secured VNR buys are much more cost-effective than conventional ad buys." An average "secured" VNR costs $15,000 - $25,000 to produce and $10,000 - $50,000 for airtime, as opposed to the cost of an average 30-second TV commercial in 2003 of $372,000 to produce and $5 million - $20 million for airtime.

"Secured" VNRs also offer "built-in controls that unpaid PR tactics lack, including the ability to target specific demographics and to conduct a post-buy analysis of audience delivery." Jeff Wurtz, senior vice-president of sales and marketing at Medialink's competitor News Broadcast Network, said, "You can go on DIRECTV and DISH Network and reach 400,000, 500,000, or 600,000 people in one buy. Or you can go on something like the Today show in the top 10 markets, which will reach 2.5 million to 3 million people. You may want to hit a certain demo or income level that watches Judge Judy or Judge Brown that is watching at mid morning."

The Broadcasting & Cable article continued, "Medialink’s latest experiment is another spot that [CEO Larry] Moskowitz calls 'a bona fide newscast'; it’s scheduled to debut soon on national cable networks. Unlike pseudo-newscasts produced in the past by Medialink and its competitors, a new three-minute 'newscast' features legitimate news." During the three-minute newscast-advertisement, "the company’s logo will appear over the shoulder of the show’s news anchor, and its brand will be clearly identified during the segment." Moskowitz said, "It’s back to the future. It’s just like the old John Cameron Swayze newscasts for Camel cigarettes," referring to NBC's "Camel News Caravan" that aired from 1949 to 1956.

Response to calls for VNR disclosure
In June 2005, Medialink hired "the well-connected Public Strategies, Inc. as its lobbyist," reported O'Dwyer's PR Daily. It was the first time Medialink had hired an outside lobbyist.

Medialink retained PSI "to keep an ear to the ground" on discussions and proposals regarding VNR labeling before the U.S. Congress and Federal Communications Commission, according to CEO Laurence Moskowitz. Heading the Medialink account are PSI's John Krueger and William Moore. Moore is the former chief of staff to Rep. David Price, a founding member of the Congressional Future of American Media Caucus established in April 2005. (The Managing Director of Public Strategies, Inc., Jeff Eller, is also a member of the U.S. Newswire  Advisory Board. Eller is described in a U.S. Newswire media release as "former Special Assistant to the President and White House Director of Media Affairs".) On July 22, 2005, Public Strategies work with Medialink came to an end, with the lobbying company subsequently filing a termination report with the U.S. Senate office stating that it had been paid less than $10,000 for its short-term work.

Syndicating VNRs online
In August 2006, Medialink announced a new partnership with ClipSyndicate, a "next-generation online video advertising and content syndication platform." The press release said the partnerhsip would allow Medialink "to distribute informational video clips produced for corporations and organizations, preceded by video advertising, commonly known as 'pre-roll' or 'in-stream' spots."

The arrangement will allow Medialink clients "to easily extend brand visibility through an Internet distribution channel that syndicates video clips to thousands of themed websites for their end-users," the press release stated. "Because these viewers have actively selected to play the online video, they represent highly desirable, qualified audiences for marketers."

The videos are described as "informational" and "about two minutes in length," indicating they are video news releases or similar products. The press release says Medialink will "provide source disclosure and contact details for viewers to learn more about the product, service or issue profiled in the clip." It also lists Medialink's current options for distributing "broadcast and broadband content" as being "broadcast and cable television spots, venue-based media, digital cable video-on-demand, and online distribution such as search engine marketing (SEM), podcasts and RSS feeds, and web syndication."

Satellite media tours
Part of the art of a satellite media tour is not making the 'interview' appear too much like a commercial. The Vice President of media relations at Medialink Worldwide, Lidj Lewis, told PR Week. "TV interviews only last a couple of minutes, so multiple mentions of a product or service will only make your message sound overly commercial and anger the show's producer, which may make it difficult to schedule interviews in the future."

Partnering with WheelsTV
At the April 2005 National Cable TV Association National Show in San Francisco, Medialink announced a new partnership with WheelsTV, "a cable TV and Internet service devoted exclusively to consumers' interests in cars, trucks and motorcycles." According to O'Dwyer's, Medialink will "develop consumer automotive lifestyle programming," including both "sponsored and non-sponsored content," and WheelsTV would start distributing the material in June 2005. WheelsTV plans "to start a full linear network in 2005."

Medialink's media relations head, Lidj Lewis, called the deal "an ideal fit for our news and information packages," adding that it "will substantially enhance the content and service offerings of both organizations, and lay the groundwork for future collaborations across all media." Future possibilities include a "co-branded radio series serving the sponsorship base of both companies." Medialink has already produced a "prepackaged news program for General Motors," which "began with statistics on arthritic Americans" and promoted GM's "Sit-N-Lift" powered seat.

Digital PR report
In March 2007, Medialink announced a new project, "The Digital PR Report," launched jointly with PR News. A press release described the project as a "one-of-a-kind microsite dedicated to providing PR professionals with communications strategies surrounding Web 2.0, from video-based PR campaigns to leveraging brands within online communities." The release quoted Medialink's senior vice president of corporate communications, Mary C. Buhay, as saying, "As audiences seek more relevance and greater control in their media consumption, Medialink is empowering public relations professionals to appreciate their modern roles as content providers and publishers in a what is rapidly becoming a disintermediated world."

Management team
As of March 2008 Medialink's management is comprised of:
 * Laurence Moskowitz (Commonly referred to as Larry).
 * Larry Thomas, Chief Operating Officer
 * Kenneth G. Torosian, Chief Financial Officer
 * Donald M. Michels, Chief Technology Officer
 * Andy Nobbs, Managing Director, Teletrax
 * Richard Kellner, Group Vice President, Finance
 * Scott Michaeloff, Senior Vice President, Executive Producer
 * Jack Serpa, Senior Vice President, Client Solutions
 * Andrew Lipson, Vice President of Operations with a focus on new media

Board of Directors
As of March 2008 the Board of Directors of Medialink comprises:
 * Laurence Moskowitz, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Medialink Worldwide
 * Bruce Bishop, CFO Text 100
 * Harold Finelt, venture p[artner American Research & Development
 * John M. Greening, Associate Professor and director, graduate program at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University,
 * Douglas S. Knopper, CEO Free Wheel Media, Inc.
 * Jeffrey Stone, private investor
 * Catherine Lugbauer, principal, The Lugbauer Group
 * James J. O'Neill, private financial consultant
 * Theodore W. Tashlik, member, Tashlik, Kreutzer, Goldwyn & Crandell P.C.

In its annual 10-K return to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Medialink states that as of December 31, 2004 it had 164 employees. "None of the Company's employees is represented by a labor union. Management  believes that its employee relations are good," the annual report states.

Other personnel

 * Drew Maxwell
 * Kate Brookes
 * Emily Wright
 * Andrew Schmertz

Former staff

 * Mary C. Buhay, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
 * J. Graeme McWhirter, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
 * Victor L. Lee, President, U.S. Broadcast
 * William McCarren, President, U.S. Newswire
 * Lucy Hadfield, Managing Director, International Operations, U.K. Broadcast
 * Nick Peters, Senior Vice President, Western Region
 * Mitchell B. Saslow, Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Technology Officer, Teletrax
 * Susan Macaluso, Associate Vice President, Corporate Communications
 * Michele Wallace, Senior Vice President, Client Services

Finances
Medialink was incorporated in Delaware in 1986 and is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (under the symbol MDLK).

See also:
 * Medialink Worldwide Financial Performance
 * Medialink Productions (Australia)
 * Google Finance

Clients
"Clients also include virtually every major PR firm in the United States and the United Kingdom," the company states in its 2003 annual report to the U.S. Securities and Stock Exchange Commission. PR firm clients include Burson-Marsteller, Hill & Knowlton, Ketchum, Edelman and Weber Shandwick Worldwide.  Medialinks boasts that it has had over 3000 clients. While it does not list current clients on its website, some clients can be identified from the VNRs posted to the website. Past and present clients include:
 * AARP
 * Accenture
 * Altria Group
 * American Association for Retired  Persons
 * Anxiety Disorders Association of America
 * AT&T
 * AXA Equitable
 * Bayer
 * Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
 * Colgate
 * Diageo
 * Disney
 * European Space Agency
 * Ford
 * Flower Promotion Organization
 * GE Financial
 * General Motors
 * GlaxoSmithKline
 * Intel
 * Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
 * Jackson Hewitt
 * Jaguar
 * Kellogg's
 * Lamborghini
 * Mars
 * Miramax
 * McDonald's
 * Morgan Stanley
 * Nasdaq
 * National Association of Realtors
 * Natural Resources Defense Council
 * Nokia
 * Pfizer
 * Procter & Gamble
 * Royal Philips Electronics
 * Siemens
 * Smithsonian Institution
 * Society of Interventional Radiology
 * Thomas Nelson Publishers
 * Tourism Ireland
 * Visa International

Contact info
708 Third Avenue New York, NY 10017 Phone:(212) 682-8300 Phone:(800) 843-0677 Fax (212) 682-5260 Email: info AT medialink.com Website: http://www.medialink.com

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Medialink Public Affairs
 * Bryan Cave Strategies
 * Fake news
 * Audio news releases
 * National Association of Broadcast Communicators
 * Satellite Media Tours
 * Public Service Announcements
 * Public Strategies, Inc.
 * The NewsMarket
 * Video news releases

Statements By Medialink Worldwide

 * Laurence Moskowitz, "Medialink Position Statement: Video News Releases and Full Disclosure", March 15, 2005.
 * Medialink Worldwide, "Ethical Guidelines for Video Public Relations Practitioners", March 15 2005.
 * "Transcript to VNR Teleconference", O'Dwyers PR Daily (sub. req'd.), March 17, 2005. Also available publicly on the Center for Media & Democracy website, here. This teleconference featured comments by Medialink CEO Larry Moskowitz.

External articles

 * The Digital PR Report, a joint project of Medialink and PR News.
 * Joe Mandese, "The Art of Manufactured News", Broadcasting & Cable, March 28, 2005.
 * "Medialink to Provide Programming for Cable," O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub. req'd.), April 4, 2005.
 * "PSI Listens for Medialink," O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub. req'd.), June 27, 2005.
 * Christie Casalino, "Gaining exposure with proper disclosure", PR Week, October 3, 2005. (Sub re'q.) (This is an article on Satellite Media Tours).
 * Diane Farsetta and Daniel Price, "A Planted Story on Ethanol Plants", from "Fake TV News:Widespread and Undisclosed", April 6, 2006.
 * Diane Farsetta and Daniel Price, "VNR Gets Extra Mileage Out of Car Commercial", from "Fake TV News:Widespread and Undisclosed", April 6, 2006.
 * Diane Farsetta and Daniel Price, "A Few Good Wrenches", from "Fake TV News:Widespread and Undisclosed", April 6, 2006.
 * Diane Farsetta, "Fake TV News Show Covers Fake TV News Report", PRWatch.org, May 5, 2006.
 * PR Newswire, "PR Newswire Acquires U.S. Newswire; Transaction to benefit government, private sector public information officers", Media Release, October 2, 2006.
 * Press release, "PR News and Medialink Launch Digital PR Report Online," Medialink and PR News via eMediawire, March 15, 2007.
 * "Medialink Posts $1.7 M Loss," O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), August 15, 2007.
 * Ben Klayman, "Major League Baseball signs deal with Medialink," Reuters, October 2, 2007.
 * Tonya Garcia, "Medialink stock reaches record low", PR Week (US), May 28, 2008.
 * Tonya Garcia, "Medialink reportedly mulls sale after unloading Teletrax division", PR Week, August 15, 2008.
 * Tonya Garcia, "UPDATED: The NewsMarket to acquire Medialink," PR Week, July 1, 2009.
 * David Kaplan, "Video Distributor TheNewsMarket To Acquire Medialink," paidContent, July 2, 2009.