Big City Public Relations: Real PR Experiences + Lessons Learned

Through 30-plus episodes, author Zack Germroth covers PR strategies, media relations and crisis communication. Each experience ends with "Lessons Learned."

Big City Public Relations replays the largest implosion in the western hemisphere attracting 50,000 onlookers and national media, to a collapsing TV infrastructure, the closing of the Preakness, and a "most wanted" suspect pursuit by 100 police officers.

The author served Baltimore's dual housing agencies with some 2,000 employees. The 10 most troubling landlords and demolishing 10,000 row homes were also topics for the thousands of media stories he handled. While wearing the Public Relations Director's hat, he also served as the Public Information Officer (PIO) for "Housing's" 35-officer police force.

Chapters 1 through 4 set the scene, and chapters 5 through 32 each replay in detail a PR/media-heavy episode: some were picture-perfect; others needed extensive hands-on mitigation.

Three contributing PIOs from Fire, Police, and Public Works detail one of their agencies' national-news-making episodes.

If you're a PR practitioner, student or teacher; city employee or resident; someone who may occasionally respond to the media, or just curious about PR in a big city, you may enjoy this Big City Public Relations tour covering 14 years.