Insight into the PR industry from B&T Magazine

Source B&T Magazine ‘A cesspool of formulaic crap’ Publicist Phil Tripp is disillusioned with the PR industry, and yesterday decided to go out in a blaze of glory with a hoax about Glenn Wheatley, John Farnham’s manager who is currently doing prison time for tax evasion. He tells B&T about the events of the last 24 hours. Without the knowledge or complicity of Glenn Wheatley, his family or our mutual lawyer, I played the final prank of my career in PR (the art of shovelling smoke) on the media yesterday by putting out a totally phony and ludicrous press release about Immedia producing a reality program surrounding Glenn's release from jail into home detention May 19. It was so far-fetched, that I knew everyone would get a laugh, but I doubted that any credible news outlets would run it. I wasn't surprised to pick up the papers this morning (and also see on the Internet) the story in all its faux glory (stories linked included news.com.au, the Daily Telegraph and The Herald Sun). I was prepared to reveal the hoax after 9 am today and with a flurry of calls from radio, moral high-ground champion Neil Mitchell of 3AW scored the exclusive that it was a total fabrication. Only because he interviewed me at 9:06. As I type this at 9:30, a Today Tonight crew has been despatched to the house, Nine News is rushing a crew here, Seven Morning Show's and Sydney Morning Herald gossip columnist Andrew Hornery are breathlessly putting a piece to air – but they don't know it's a hoax... yet. They will. So why did I do it? It's not for my own notoriety. After 20 years of doing it, I'm putting away the PR hat with an amusing and harmless hoax. I really don't need to use the media any more for clients or personal projects and with an eye to retirement from my other music business interests. The real reason though is to put the spotlight on the media for a change as they plumb the depths of human depravity – such as the once credible 60 Minutes paying the father/daughter incest couple to be exclusive; to the tabloids that pounce on every celebrity rumour without checking them as journalists should before printing the sort of crap they do; to the celebrity rehab reality shows, morally bankrupt hookup shows with fading rock stars and rappers; to the sort of drivel that pretends to be a talent show and makes most of its revenue from phone voting at the same time it humiliates aspiring contestants and has dubious personalities for judges. And talent has become a disposable commodity in their quest for fame. Television used to be an entertainment medium with compelling drama, funny family comedy, credible news and current affairs programs and true music shows with top entertainers singing real songs and performing professionally. No more. It's a cesspool of pandering to the lowest common denominator of public taste and the most formulaic programming of crap. So I had a joke, the gullible media ready to run a story without real research and confirmation got sucked in – and will probably do their best to make me pay for it. While the professional journalists of which there are fewer and fewer these days – had a chuckle and the good sense to know the whole thing had to be a hoax. After, if you read the press release, it was too obviously insane to be true. I'm only sorry that Glenn and his family have had to suffer incredible media attention over the past year or so, despite his admitting to and serving time for the crime and I hope that this will give the media a heads up to give him the privacy and respect he deserves and needs as he comes out in a month. And I also know the Parole Board took this seriously which is why I pulled the plug on it so quickly as well as letting the family know of the hoax only a few minutes before admitting it. Once again, they had no advance knowledge of it and did not play along in any way. Signing off. Phil Tripp, ex-publicist in the Industry of Illusion.