The Akron Area Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) will examine "How PR Helped Prevent the Loss of Fox Channels on Time Warner Cable" at its meeting Thursday, March 11, 2010, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Martin Center, University of Akron.

On December 31, 2009, Northeast Ohio Time Warner Cable customers came within 45 minutes of losing eight major cable channels and two local broadcast channels for an undetermined time. The attorneys may have negotiated, but the public relations team framed those negotiations and prepared the business for all possible outcomes.

Topics to be discussed include:
How Time Warner Cable developed -- and constantly updated their communications plan as they approached the New Year's Eve deadline.
Time Warner Cable's rapid reaction -- while not "swinging at a pitch in the dirt."
How Time Warner Cable prepared the public in advance.
How to effectively communicate once you have won -- or lost the battle in crisis communications.
The speaker, Bill Jasso, Vice President of Communications for Time Warner Cable of Northeast Ohio, is responsible for public and community relations for the company's third largest division. He has led many major initiatives for the company, including the national product launch of Road Runner High Speed Internet service.

Jasso, an Akron native, earned a B.A. in Communications from The University of Akron, and a M.S. from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communication. He is a graduate of the Crisis Management & Advanced Public Affairs Schools at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and completed the Executive Quality Program at Michigan State University's Graduate School of Management. In his various positions, he has crafted speeches for a number of corporate executives, celebrities, and government leaders. Jasso is profiled in Who's Who In America and Who's Who in the Media and Communications.

Registration for this luncheon meeting is open. Cost is $25 for members and students; $30 for non members, late reservations and walk ins. Register by March 5 to save $5. To register contact Lianne Fowler at akronprsa@gmail.com, 330.780.5175, or visit the Akron Area Chapter's web site at www.akronprsa.org.

The Akron Area Chapter of PRSA is planning its 2010 YouToo Social Media Conference scheduled for Friday, April 16, 8 a.m. " 5 p.m. at Franklin Hall, Kent State University. This event will be co-hosted by the Akron Area PRSA and Kent State University PRSSA chapters and will feature national speakers. Find more information on the YouToo Social Media Conference on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. To connect, visit www.akronprsa.org or e-mail youtoosm@yahoo.com.

Akron Area PRSA is a professional public relations organization with more than 100 members in corporate, professional, health care and non-profit fields located throughout Northeast Ohio. It is affiliated with the Public Relations Society of America, an international organization with more than 23,000 members.