The BBC Trust’s report that was prompted by speculation over the salary it paid Jonathan Ross and other presenters drew accusations that “the BBC seems to be doing precious little to manage top talent costs” (Times, 3 June) despite ‘talent’ being “the lifeblood of the BBC” (BBC, 2 June).

Another abysmal showing from Britain in the Eurovision song contest was enough to bring strong hints from host Terry Wogan that he might not make another appearance, after declaring that Eurovision was “no longer a music contest”

Centrica’s “management statement” set off a “storm of protest” (Times, 13 May)

After three months of discussions, Microsoft walked away from its bid to buy Yahoo

The level of criticism aimed at the eagerly awaited launch of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA) was miniscule compared to other computer games that are reputed to glorify violence

Days of “frenzied speculation” about an impending rights’ issue by Royal Bank of Scotland (Guardian, 22 April) were confirmed in the wake of the Bank of England’s announcement of the issuing of £50bn worth of Treasury bonds to shore up banks’ lending positions.

The Guardian joined the ranks of the right-wing press putting pressure on Gordon Brown by describing him as “the sub-prime minister”

The relay of sports people, celebrities and businessmen carrying the Olympic flame through London was turned into a “turbulent day” by pro-Tibet protesters (Times, 7 April)

The long-awaited new voluntary code for high street banks which promised they would be "sympathetic and positive" when dealing with debtors was launched by the British Banking Association (BBA) and largely ignored by the press.

Just days ahead of the opening of Heathrow’s Terminal 5, airport operator BAA came under pressure over plans to fingerprint all passengers as a security measure against ‘passenger switching’.

David Cameron rattled a few cages at the launch of the Conservatives’ policy paper on corporate social responsibility, not least those of the leaders of business organisations. Announcing a voluntary series of ‘responsibility deals’ Cameron insisted the Tories could be "both pro-business . . . and also passionate about responsible business"

Lord Mancroft, the outspoken hereditary peer, stirred up a hornet’s nest when he accused nurses at the Royal United Hospital in Bath of being "grubby, drunken and promiscuous"

There was a rather predictable shout of “publicity stunt” when Virgin became the first airline to use biofuel mixed with aviation fuel in a commercial flight.

The heavyweight merger tussle between Microsoft and Yahoo admitted a new entrant this week with Rupert Murdoch apparently mulling over a ‘white knight’ deal which would see Newscorp’s MySpace merged with Yahoo in return for 20% ownership.

GCap Media’s recently appointed CEO Fru Hazlitt is under increasing takeover pressure from media heavyweight Charles Allen, ex-ITV CEO now chairman of Global Radio, and tried to shore up her defences by announcing plans to back out of digital radio, but her presentation to shareholders was termed “far from compelling” by Peter Thal Larsen (FT, 12 Feb).

Egg, racheté à Prudential par Citigroup en 2007, a failli provoquer une révolution en retirant leur carte de crédit à 160.000 clients.

Des passagers portant des masques de vaches et brandissant de faux tickets pour protester contre les «trains en retard, bondés et chers» de First Great Western (Times, 28 janvier 2008) ont mis à mal de manière théâtrale la notoriété de «la société de chemin de fer la pire de Grande-Bretagne.» (Sun, 29 janvier 2008.)

La presse de gauche et de droite s’en est prise à Ken Livingstone, tandis que celle du centre ignorait largement la dernière prise de bec du maire de Londres suite à l’émission Dispatches de Channel 4 du 21 janvier

La perspective pour Tony Blair d’empocher jusqu’à 2,5 millions de livres sterling par an (environ 3,3 millions d’euros) pour apporter «des conseils et un éclairage stratégiques sur les questions de politique mondiale et les nouvelles tendances» (Guardian, 10 janvier 2008) a provoqué un malaise

En annonçant une hausse massive du prix du gaz et de l’électricité, Npower a suscité une forte polémique, et ce malgré les propos de Giuseppe Di Vita, directeur général de la branche consommation résidentielle, qui a décrit cette annonce comme un «événement normal».

Avec quelques jours d’avance, Tesco a publié ses résultats hebdomadaires pour mettre en exergue ses opérations naissantes aux États-Unis. Pour ce faire, la société a convié économistes et journalistes dans ses nouveaux magasins Fresh & Easy outre-Atlantique.

Le gouvernement britannique a été accusé d’«agir à la hâte» en accordant sa préférence à Virgin Money pour le rachat de la banque Northern Rock

Responsables politiques et religieux ont uni leur efforts contre le projet de loi relatif à la fécondation humaine et l’embryologie lors de sa deuxième lecture à la Chambre des Lords

Le lancement de l’iPhone au Royaume-Uni s’est fait à grand renfort de publicité dans le magasin d’Apple de la très commerçante rue londonienne Regent Street, ainsi que chez les distributeurs O2 et Carphone de tout le pays.

En annonçant la création de l’Open Handset Alliance (OHA), le 5 novembre dernier, Google a fait des vagues

La crise des ‘sub-prime’ aux États-Unis n’en finit pas de causer des dommages collatéraux

Quatre des plus importantes organisations professionnelles se sont unies pour la troisième fois de l’histoire du Royaume-Uni.

Coup médiatique de plus ou réelle percée dans le monde de la banque ? Les avis étaient partagés quant à la tentative de Sir Richard Branson d’acheter Northern Rock, une banque en déclin.

Après des mois de suspense, la nomination d’Andrew Witty, «pratiquement inconnu et donné perdant», pour succéder à Jean-Pierre Garnier, l’«un des meilleurs dirigeants au Royaume-Uni» (Daily Telegraph), a pris les observateurs au dépourvu

Le spectre de Gordon Brown et l’annonce de probables élections ont plané sur la conférence du parti conservateur britannique, faisant de l’ombre sur la promesse de son leader, David Cameron, de lancer cette semaine «la revanche des Conservateurs»

Alors que certains claquaient la porte à Chelsea, le club de football d’Arsenal a affiché sa volonté de ne pas être vendu en publiant des recettes à faire pâlir de jalousie le Real de Madrid, le plaçant bien loin devant ses rivaux britanniques Manchester United et Liverpool.

Après Mervyn King, qui dirige la Banque d’Angleterre, l’Agence des services financiers britannique et la plupart des autres organismes de prêt, Northern Rock, une société de crédit immobilier qui s’est lancée dans la banque a été la dernière société «assiégée», selon les termes des médias nationaux.

Utilisé récemment par David Cameron, le leader conservateur, pour promouvoir la politique de son parti et par les étudiants de Cambridge pour organiser une cyber-rébellion contre la banque HSBC, Facebook, le phénomène de networking social qualifié par John Naughton d’« obsession médiatique du jour»

A chaque semaine son nouveau défi pour Gordon Brown, qui n’a pas encore achevé ses cent premiers jours au 10 Downing Street.

« Bête sauvage », c’est ainsi que le président a qualifié Jeremy Paxman, le présentateur vedette britannique, qui a violemment attaqué le monde de la télévision lors d’une intervention au Festival de la télévision d’Edimbourg, intervention qui a semé le trouble.

Les manifestants du rassemblement sur le changement climatique ont réussi le week-end dernier à forcer le blocus médiatique en affrontant, sans surprise, les excès de zèle d’une escouade de policiers dont l’effectif dépassait celui des militants.

Le mois d’août semble toujours être un mois difficile pour BAA, le premier opérateur aéroportuaire au Royaume-Uni.

Les grandes banques de la High Street sont de nouveau dans une position difficile. L’O.F.T. (Office of Fair Trading) a demandé à la Cour suprême de Justice de statuer pour résoudre la question des tarifs bancaires.

Quels sentiments suscite la personnalité de Boris Johnson ? Moqueries ou sympathie ?… là est toute la question. M. Johnson, prétendant à la fonction de maire de Londres, se lance dans la campagne et est attendu au tournant par la presse.

On dit qu’une rumeur peut faire le tour du monde avant que la vérité ne puisse éclater au grand jour… et au regard de la frénésie spéculative sur le choix de l’opérateur britannique pour la distribution de l’iPhone d’Apple, ce fut le cas.

L’application de la législation interdisant de fumer depuis le weekend dernier en Angleterre a été fort profitable pour les défenseurs de la santé, les porte-parole du ‘pro-choice’ et les associations des Pubs, mais aussi pour les analystes, les sociétés d’assurance et le National Health Society (l’équivalent de la Sécurité Sociale).

La Royal Mail est tombée de Charybde en Scylla la semaine dernière quand les négociations avec les membres du CWU (le syndicat Communication Workers Union) se sont terminées par un appel à la grève pour le 29 juin, la première en onze ans! «Les postiers préparent un arrêt de travail de 24 heures.» (Precisionmarketing.co.uk, 22 juin 2007.)

Quelle société de communication aimerait avoir la BVCA (l’Association britannique de l’investissement privé et du capital-risque) comme client en ce moment ?

BAE Systems s’est une nouvelle fois retrouvé au cœur de l’actualité suite aux dernières allégations de corruption autour des accords Al Yamamah (pour les ventes d’armes à l’Arabie Saoudite).

Westminster a été ébranlé par la nomination d’Andy Coulson au poste de directeur de la communication du Parti Conservateur.

Le flamboyant Pdg de Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, a sauté à pieds joints dans la «bataille transatlantique» (Times, 13/04) la semaine dernière en affirmant qu’une compagnie jumelle de Ryanair serait en mesure d’offrir des vols vers les États-Unis pour seulement sept livres d’ici 2010.

Avec le passage imminent au numérique, le rapport tant attendu commandé par Ofcom (le régulateur des médias) et dirigé par la société de conseil LEK, prédisait que Channel 4 «serait dans le rouge d’ici 2010.» (Guardian, 05/04.)

N’ayant toujours pas de nom officiel, le nouveau site de partage de vidéo en ligne de NBC Universal et de News Corp a été baptisé ‘le tueur de YouTube’ par une partie des médias. «Microsoft finance ‘le tueur de YouTube'.» (vnu.net, 23 mars 2007.)

L’indemnisation de 600 000 livres Sterling payée à Bernard Matthews, suite à l’abatage de milliers de volailles affectées par la grippe aviaire dans l’une des filiales du groupe agroalimentaire britannique, a jeté un pavé dans la mare.

L’hypothèse d’un rapprochement entre la banque britannique Barclays et la néerlandaise ABN Amro a fait la une des médias, avides de publier les détails d’une telle transaction.

Une des marques de voitures la plus mythique au monde, “la quintessence britannique » (Sky News, 09/03), une «icône» (monsters&critics.com, 12/03) et une des plus «branchées» (DeHavilland, 12/03) est revenue chez elle cette semaine, grâce à des fonds d’investissements importants provenant des États-Unis et du Koweït.

Même si quelques-uns se sont interrogés sur la motivation qui se cachait derrière la stratégie environnementale prévue par Sir Terry Leahy de Tesco

 Pre-launch coverage of Microsoft’s long-awaited new operating system Vista showed a distinct lack of journalistic excitement. Comment was mainly confined to the trade press, which was cynical about Vista’s self-marketed ‘wow’ factor .

Les médias se délectent avec les frasques que Britney Spears enchaîne les unes après les autres : qu’elle se débarrasse de son mari par texto, qu’elle sorte sans relâche, qu’elle s’habille de manière impudique, qu’elle passe de longues minutes dans les toilettes avec ses nouveaux copains Paris Hilton et Brandon Davis ou qu’elle oublie sa culotte quand elle sort, tout est bon pour la presse

Pour une compagnie aérienne qui se targue d’être la plus populaire au monde, British Airways s’est récemment attiré de sérieux ennemis. La décision de la compagnie d’interdire à une employée, Nadia Eweida, de porter une croix chrétienne a provoqué un tollé auprès des pouvoirs religieux et politiques...

Lorsque le régulateur de l'Ofcom, Ed Richards, a annoncé l’interdiction des publicités pour les produits alimentaires à forte teneur en gras, sel et sucre pendant les programmes destinés aux enfants,

L’annonce d’une offre de rachat de ITV par NTL, le 9 novembre dernier, a provoqué une réaction de dérision dans la presse le lendemain : «Mariage de l’année pour ITV ? Ça ne s’invente pas !» (The Daily Telegraph, 10/11)...

La nomination de Tom Cruise chez United Artists, le studio en demi-sommeil fondé par des cinéastes indépendants...

Madonna, la reine de la musique pop, a ouvertement fustigé la presse mondiale la semaine dernière suite à la polémique à propos de l’adoption d’un bébé du Malawi, David Banda...

L’annonce, la semaine dernière, d'un éventuel rachat de Corus, anciennement British Steel, par Tata Steel n’a pas suscité de commentaires sur le déclin de l’ancien fleuron industriel britannique, même si le Daily Mirror (18/10) n’a pas pu résister à un jeu de mots : «le vieil empire de British Steel pourrait être avalé par un ‘takeaway’ Indien de ￡4 milliards». En revanche, ....

à l’ouverture du nouveau Centre pour la sécurité et la science du crime au "University College" de Londres, une conférence, dédiée aux travaux de recherche dans le domaine des sciences et des technologies contre la menace du terrorisme, a attiré une forte présence médiatique...

Le PDG du groupe Arcadia, Sir Philip Green, a fait très fort en recrutant Kate Moss pour créer les collections de ses boutiques, TopShop : «un coup de maître – unir la plus grande icône du monde fashion à un magasin de l’actualité fashion.» (The Daily Mail, 05/10.) Malheureusement, ...

La proposition d’élargissement des amendes de 100 livres Sterling à payer sur place, pour y inclure les agressions, l’état d’ébriété et les comportements menaçants...

L a compagnie Virgin s’est retrouvée une fois encore sur le devant de la scène quand Richard Branson « milliardaire rebelle »...

La réaction à la récente campagne de publicité d'une organisation œcuménique britannique...

L’initiative de l’emballage ‘compostable’ de Sainsbury’s a généré une grande couverture médiatique. Acclamé par certains comme «une révolution environnementale» (Daily Telegraph, 08/09) et la «plus grande initiative pour éliminer la matière plastique de l'avenue "High Street" en Angleterre» (let’srecycle.com, 11/09), le géant de la vente au détail a rendu hommage à ses clients..

La nouvelle selon laquelle Ford envisageait de vendre Aston Martin, constructeur de la voiture fétiche de James Bond 007...

Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's "outspoken" Chief Executive (Guardian, 18/8), succeeded in generating considerable attention for his condemnation of the Government's new airport security regime...

Pundits were under no illusions what David Beckham's omission from England's friendly against Greece...

Insurance company MoreThan generated solid coverage of its new DriveTime policy for young drivers last week...

Le règlement de 61 millions de dollars de Kazaa aux sociétés de disques la semaine dernière semble marquer une victoire importante pour l’industrie de la musique et la disparition programmée des services de téléchargement illégaux. Les titres de journaux et commentaires étaient franchement hostiles au réseau P2P : «Kazaa assommée»...

Rosneft's Russian juggernaut appeared unstoppable last week, as it sought its first IPO on the London / Moscow Stock Exchanges...

Speculation heightened this week over the launch of an 'iPod killer MP3 player' by software giant Microsoft...

If G8 leaders were hoping that events in Germany would give them licence to sunbathe, they'd reckoned without Bob Geldof. A year on from Gleneagles, Geldof, in self-confessed 'Saint Bob' mode, warned leaders of the world's richest nations not to renege on their commitments to Africa...

Il n’y a eu aucun gagnant dans la guerre de propagande médiatisée entre Asda (un supermarché) et le syndicat GMB, lors de leur dispute sur les négociations pour une convention collective...

Powergen a réussi à conserver une couverture médiatique positive malgré un sujet potentiellement fâcheux...

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) decision, to approve the breast cancer drug Herceptin, was lauded with the headline: "It's good news time" (Mail on Sunday, 11/06).

Boon or bone of contention - that was the verdict on BBC's announcement that it would be broadcasting live the World Cup games it has rights to on its own BBC Sport website.

Last week's publication of the official report into the 'elephant man' drug trials brought scant comfort to Parexel, the organisation behind the "disastrous" (Guardian, 26/5) testing of drug TGN1412. Finding that the negative effects of the drug, which left six healthy adults with mutiple organ failure and swelling, were due to an unexpected biological effect rather than any error by Parexel, the report criticised sloppy administration procedures, a lack of adequate training and experience of staff, no 24 hour cover, inadequate insurance cover and a delay in appropriate counter treatment.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the three Princes' interview with Ant and Dec was just how unremarkable the Royals appeared to be. The unprecedented interview with Charles, William and Harry to mark the 30th anniversary of the Prince's Trust successfully revealed how ordinary and down to earth the Princes are, despite being variously perceived out-of-touch, grumpy and yobbish. The "heart-warming anecdotes of Windsor family domesticity" (Times, 19/5) included Harry and Wills' arguments about the remote control, how rubbish they are at cooking, their taste in music, and how much they enjoy reality TV. "'Princes 'watch Pop Idol!'" (viewlondon.co.uk, 19/5); "Royals reveal rows over remote" (bbc.co.uk, 19/5) ran the anodyne headlines. Nothing negative, nothing controversial there: "Hey! Look at them! They're just like us" noted Megastar.co.uk (19/5).

The Da Vinci Code scarcely required the additional promotion afforded by its forthcoming world premiere at the glamorous Cannes Film Festival. The film, based on Dan Brown's best-selling novel, is "already one of the most anticipated movies of the year and set to be a worldwide hit" (Sunday Mirror, 14/5). Indeed, the film's release at Cannes undoubtedly gave a boost to the festival itself, which in recent years has attracted criticism for being "too French" (The Scotsman, 12/5). "'The Da Vinci Code' brings snap, crackle and pop culture to Cannes" (Monsters&Critics.com, 15/5).

Headlines were personal last week, as TV presenter, celebrity and Soduku ace Carol Voderman came under pressure to drop her advertising contract with FirstPlus, the loan consolidation company. "Sorry Carol, these loans just don't add up", said the Guardian (6/5), while the Daily Record simply stated, "Not much credit for TV Carol" (5/5).

The Buckingham Palace Press Office must be basking in a soft rosy glow. The launch last week of Prince Harry's AIDS orphans' charity, hard on the heels of his passing out from Sandhurst, produced a slew of good headlines for the young Royal: "Harry is prince of hearts" (The Sun, 28/4), "Harry helps Africa" (Megastar.co.uk), "Harry follows in his mother's footsteps" (Daily Mail, 28/4). Diana's commitment to HIV positive children, and Harry's pledge to continue her legacy was heavily talked up: "With his gentle grip and a genuine touching smile, Prince Harry shows he is every inch his mother's son" noted The Sun (28/4), in unusually saccharine prose.

When the problematic Child Support Agency hit the headlines again there was little PR gold in the Government's stable left to spin. Early suggestions that their IT contractor should take the rap were accounted for in, just part, of the opposition's assault. While the late arrival, cost and ongoing problems of EDS' IT system were noted, it was the CSA's overall management that came under most brutal attack...

As with every other change to the Radio 4 schedule, Sue Lawley's announcement that she would leave Desert Island Discs in August was greeted with alarm and incredulity. " After 19 years, Lawley deserts her island" (Independent, 13/4), " Lawley to cast away from Desert Island Discs" (Guardian, 13/4) read the valedictory headlines, prompting Megastar's comment that the papers were acting " like the poor gal has just popped her clogs" ...

There's nothing like a good jobs scare to make the headlines, as BAE Systems found out last week when it announced it was selling its 20% stake in Airbus. " Jobs fears in Airbus sale" (Sun, 7/4), " Jobs fears over Airbus"(Sky News, 7/4), " Job fears as BAE confirm sale talks" (Daily Mail, 7/4) ran the unanimous headlines, despite some recognition that BAE, Airbus UK and the Government had " gone out of their way to allay such fears" (Daily Telegraph, 8/4)...

Expect a rugby scrum in Cannes this week as TV execs from around the world attempt to land the jackpot by buying the worldwide rights to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, the British television show hosted by Chris Tarrant and owned by Ulsterman Paul Smith and comedian Jasper Carrott. Credited with " transforming the fortunes of ITV within months of its launch"(Daily Express, 31 March), the global phenomenon spawned a host of successful format shows that have been sold around the world...

Rod Aldridge dashed to distance himself from his company, amid the raging political “cash for ermine row” (The Business Online, 26/3), as a means of deflecting negative publicity and adverse speculation away from Capita. “It was simply because of this (… damaging criticism) that he resigned" (Telegraph, 26/3) asserted one unnamed Labour donor. It was an action appreciated by some…

If Dame Anita Roddick hoped the media would share her enthusiasm for the £652m sale of the Body Shop to L'Oreal, she must be disappointed. Despite her protestations that she was not selling out the Body Shop, with its " campaigning, being maverick, changing the rules of business" (Independent, 19/3) mix of brand and ethics, many commentators were taken aback by its unlikely marriage with a global conglomerate...

Tesco stood up well against the onslaught of reports covering the Office of Fair Trading's (OFT) likely referral of UK supermarkets to the Competition Commission. "Supermarkets face dominance probe"(bbc.co.uk, 9/3). As market leader, Tesco was the most targeted player in the grocery arena. While The Sun reported that, "The OFT does appear to have Tesco in its sights"(10/3), others left little room for doubt over the giant's position...

The crowning last week of Sir Menzies Campbell as Liberal Democrat leader finally put the party back on a positive footing after the string of revelations sparked by Charles Kennedy's resignation in January. Widely seen as " the safe bet, the comfort zone, the elegant, hot water bottle candidate" (Guardian, 2/3), Sir Menzies was careful to stress that as well as bringing strong leadership to the party, he would also overhaul its organisation and policies, take risks and generally confound expectations that he would be a caretaker leader. The headlines reflected his success: " He's bloody resilient. He's competitive, he's tough"(Guardian, 3/3), " Ming's moment" (The Times, 3/3), " Menzies: Here for keeps" (The Sun, 6/3)...

It should have been a good week for British sport last week. Shelley Rudman's unexpected silver medal in the skeleton bob contained all the elements of a good media story - unknown female talent overcomes a lack of funding to take silver in a sport most of us have never heard of. " Rudman was in Turin only because of a whipround at her local pub" noted The Times (17/2); " Fame and fortune beckon for the girl on a tea tray" (Daily Telegraph, 18/2); " Consider that Britain does not even have a full bobsleigh track and it is Rudman's first full season on the top level circuit, and you begin to realise how remarkable her skeleton medal was" (bbc.co.uk, 17/2)...

For 13 long years, the Child Support Agency stood beleagued by constant cries of anxiety from the very people it was set up to assist. It saw a battery of IT & telecoms revisionism and Government reviews. Last week, it stood three billion pounds in debt with a backlog of 330,000 cases...

Blackberry maker RIM scored some important victories last week in the latest twist of its longstanding patent dispute with Luxembourg-based InPro. The announcement that the UK High Court had ruled in its favour generated some highly favourable headlines: "Another patent victory for Blackberry" (PC Advisor.3/2), "RIM wins patent case in the UK" (Techworld, 3/6), "Brits can hang on to their Blackberrys" (ABCMoney.co.uk, 2.2), which appeared to grant a stay of execution for the Blackberry service, under threat of total blackout...

The launch of "Bono's Red Revolution"(FT, 28/1) at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, referred not to the creation of a stable of Red branded products and services from some of the world's most "iconic companies"(Bobby Shriver - Red, ABC Money 28/1), nor even to the initiative to hand over a proportion of their sales to the Global Fund, to further its fight against endemic diseases in the world's poorer nations...

Live by the sword, die by the sword? The protest group which raised public awareness of fathers' access rights with headline-grabbing superhero stunts was last week brought down by its favourite medium. Wednesday's front page of The Sun exposed an alleged Fathers for Justice fringe plot to kidnap Leo Blair, and brought about the disbanding of the group: " Blair plot spells the end for 'Men in Tights'" (Times, 18/1), " Fathers' group axed after Leo plot" (Sky News, 18/1). Yet despite being portrayed as "a mateurish, angry and extremely annoying" (Times, 21/1) there was considerable respect for what F4J had achieved: " the issue of fatherhood rights and responsibilities has a currency … unimaginable three years ago" (Times, 21/1)...

Luton Football Club boss Mike Newell dropped a bombshell at the launch of Coca-Cola's 'Win a Player 2' competition. Newell claimed that 'bungs' were rife and that he himself had been offered cash to sell his best players. Newell angered a group of high-powered agents. The newly formed Football Agents Association told Newell he needed hard evidence for his accusations leading to the headline "Put up or shut up, agents tell Newell"(Daily Mail 12/1)...

As political gambles go, George Galloway's entry into Celebrity Big Brother seems to be right up there with Charles Kennedy's confession to liking a drink. Will it, as Galloway hopes, provide him with a " Heineken" (Guardian, 7/1) opportunity to influence young voters about the Iraq war, or will unforeseen events in the BB hothouse and its " nudity, intoxicated sex and swearing" (Independent, 6/1) damage the maverick MP beyond repair?...

Despite hailing New Year Tube strike "a success"(bbc.co.uk, 1/1/06), the RMT union must have been disappointed by its limited impact on London's celebrations. Rather than the predicted turmoil, " London Tube strike deadlock leaves revellers facing chaos"(Edinburgh Evening News, 31/1205), Ken Livingstone referred to the industrial action as a "non event"(Scotsman, 1/1/06)...

Punch's acquisition of Spirit was a win-win situation for its 37 year old " beaming" (Independent, 2/12) Chief Executive, Giles Thorley. Rendering Punch the UK's biggest pub owner in one fell swoop, the deal was also viewed favourably by the City, analysts and the media, as reflected in the next day's headlines: "Punch tops pub league with £2.6bn Spirit takeover" (Daily Telegraph, 2/12); "Punch toasts £2.7bn deal to buy Spirit" (Scotsman, 1/12), "How Punch fought its way back to number one place in the beerage" (Independent, 2/12)...

GCap's strategy to slash advertising and play more music to tempt back listeners to the ailing Capital FM may be viewed historically as doing a 'Ratner'. Acknowledging an "extremely disappointing set of results" (Daily Telegraph, 25/11) as well as falling audience figures and a halved interim dividend, GCap CEO Ralph Bernard attempted to put a gloss on his " high risk" (The Times, 25/11) strategy, pointing out that similar action had improved audiences at Classic FM, and that the £7m hit to 06/07 revenue should be regarded as long-term investment...

At face value the compromise deal struck between the FA Premier League (PL) and the European Commission (EC) last week appeared to provide a winning scenario for all the parties involved, not least for BSkyB which, despite the forthcoming breakup of its monopoly over English football rights, is likely to remain the dominant broadcaster under the new auction scheme. "BSkyB has scored all the goals in the EU's Premiership carve up"(Scotsman, 19/11)...

The British Medical Association provided quickfire comdemnation to the news that Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt intended to extend prescription rights to suitably trained nurses and pharmacists from spring 2006. "Wider prescribing by nurses is too risky, say doctors"(Telegraph, 11/11). However, despite the BMA being "out of the blocks with lightning speed"(Press & Journal, 11/11), and openly damming of the Government's proposals "This is an irresponsible and dangerous move. Patients will suffer"(Dr Paul Miller - BMA, Times, 11/11), little could dampen the enthusiastic response from nursing and pharmaceutical groups...

Pity the poor pink 'un. Already struggling with declining sales and advertising revenues, a perceived loss of authority in the City and a lack of focus on UK issues, the former 'City's bible' (Independent on Sunday, 6/11) was dealt a further blow last week with the forced resignation of its editor, Andrew Gowers. " Very rapid and a little blunt … not the way they normally do things at the FT" noted the Times (5/11): " Blood at the pink 'un" echoed the Daily Telegraph (4/11)...

Another week and the Google powerhouse was still unable to keep itself out of the headlines . "They are clearly riding a rocket ship right now,"commented analyst Derek Brown (Pacific Growth Equities, Observer, 30/10). Last week the company 'secretly' unveiled to the world a new project called Google Base, which sent the media and bloggers "speculation-o-meter … [into] overdrive"(digital-lifestyles.info, 27/10)...

Imagine the outcry if a well-known company like BA or P&O or Railtrack were to announce it was making nearly one third of its employees redundant. Picture the banner headlines, the union protests, the quotes from embattled management, the PR damage...

WH Smith CEO Kate Swann successfully combined two tactics when she announced the company's worst results in 200 years. At the helm of the ailing High Street business for under a year, she used the twin-track strategy of holding her predecessor responsible and 'kitchen-sinking' - getting the bad news over in one go - to full effect...

The Secret Intelligence Service put necessity over secrecy: it donnned a new guise, learnt a new lingo and launched itself into cyberspace. "Licensed to surf: MI6 comes out of the shadows and on to the web"(Times Leader, 13/10). There was an undeniable irony about an organisation that must protect its secrets, embracing a medium of transparency and openess yet, given that only a decade ago the SIS did not officially exist, Friday's web launch was momentous. "MI6 not-so-secret service … seeks to recruit spies"(Personnel Today, 13/10)...

First Kate, now Rose. Burberry seems to be losing its leading ladies. But while the media were sanguine about Kate Moss' exit from the iconic fashion house, rumours of Burberry's CEO Rose Marie Bravo's departure prompted concerned headlines...

Ken Livingstone stood unrepentant over his decision to extend London's congestion charge area in 2007, despite fierce backlash from business and transport groups, Westminister Council and London Assembly opponents. "Congestion zone doubles as mayor ignores objectors"(Telegraph, 1/10)...

The failure last week of Equitable's £700m legal claim against former auditor Ernst & Young and subsequent mudslinging disgraced both parties, disgusted media commentators and "shattered the dreams" (Scotsman, 23/9) of thousands of policyholders. Reporting of the "biggest climbdown in UK legal history" (icWales, 23/9) focused on whether Equitable Chairman Vanni Treves and CEO Charles Thomson should resign, with sympathy evident in some quarters: "Treves must stay, despite the climbdown" (thisismoney.co.uk, 25/6)...

The failure last week of Equitable's £700m legal claim against former auditor Ernst & Young and subsequent mudslinging disgraced both parties, disgusted media commentators and "shattered the dreams" (Scotsman, 23/9) of thousands of policyholders. Reporting of the "biggest climbdown in UK legal history" (icWales, 23/9) focused on whether Equitable Chairman Vanni Treves and CEO Charles Thomson should resign, with sympathy evident in some quarters: "Treves must stay, despite the climbdown" (thisismoney.co.uk, 25/6)...

The Lancet spoke in the quietly respectable tones expected from a leading scientific journal, the "bible of the world's medical industry"(Times, 9/9). Yet when its September 9th Editorial "respectfully ask[ed] Reed Elsevier to divest itself of all business interests that threaten human, and especially civilian, health and well-being"(The Business, 9/9), there was little doubt in commentators' minds over the severity of the request...

Combative rhetoric bloomed in the budding digital download arena last week, as two music retail giants drew their opening battle lines . "HMV and Virgin to do digital battle in days", hailed Silicon.com (31/8), while The Sun focused on the core issue, "Downloadsamoney: Two tribes go to war"(1/9)...

Phoney war or "one of the most aggressively personal takeover bid battles in recent years" (Sunday Times, 28/8)? Sir Gerry Robinson's intended bid for Rentokil woke up the sleepy August City pages, but many commentators were sceptical about the timing, credibility and value of Sir Gerry's intervention...

Another summer holiday season, another BA strike. For the third year running, the weekend papers carried the now familiar scenes of angry passengers, chaos at Heathrow, TGWU banners and a PR disaster for BA. " It really is a flight mare" (The Sun, 13/8), " Food fight grounds BA" (Guardian, 11/8) " No-fly zone" (The Mirror, 12/8) ran typical headlines, although there was considerable media sympathy for BA and departing CEO, Sir Rod Eddington, who just weeks ago announced record profits, having guided the airline through the 9/11 fallout as well as two previous summer strikes...

The recently announced nuptuials between industry giants Adidas and Reebok were variously described as, "Adidas sprints toward Reebok acquisition"(The Manufacturer, 3/8) and "Massive global brand sells out to, er ... other massive global brand"(Observer, 3/8). However, the significance of the amicable link-up between the two previous rivals was not lost in the rhetoric...

There was little positive in the news that Granville Technology Group, parent company of the Time, Tiny and Computer Shop businesses, called in the administrators last week . "Time runs out for Tiny: a British system failure"(Independent, 31/7)...

Muggles worldwide greeted the latest episode of the Hogwarts adventure with an unprecedented level of enthusiasm, "Harry Potter and full-blooded mania"(Sunday Times, 17/7). The figures emerging from Bloomsbury's carefully orchestrated launch of the penultimate boy wizard saga, spoke reams, with record breaking sales of 8.9 million in the first 24 hours and estimated revenues of £20 million for author JK Rowling...

News of London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympics prompted an outpouring of euphoria across national, regional newspapers and trade press alike. Every one was keen to flag up the multiple benefits of the Games to London and beyond, and get a slice of the Olympic pie...

The collapse of the railway tunnel under a Tesco development site at Gerrards Cross seemed to provide all the right ingredients for a good media bashing: a giant retailer overriding local residents and retailers in a quest for more square metres and higher profits; the Deputy Prime Minister's personal authorisation of the controversial development; the necessary re-routing of mainline services; commuter misery; campaigners' delight...

Co-operative Bank, noted for its strong stance on ethical issues took the moral high ground last week, when its presented right-wing religious group Christian Voice with its marching orders, "Co-op shuts "anti-gay" group's account"(dehavilland.co.uk, 24/6). Christian Voice was asked to take its business elsewhere, because its anti-homosexual "discriminatory pronouncements"(Sunday Times, 26/6) were deemed inappropriate for a bank proud of its commitment to "diversity and dignity"(ekklesia.co.uk, 25/6)...

The launch of BT's hybrid mobile / landline phone appeared to push all the right buttons for a successful PR launch. The aptly named Fusion was heralded by BT as a world first, offering customers value, convenience and seamless switching between a mobile network and a home-based broadband connection...

There was a poor start to the week for Woolworths as it admitted a like-for-like sales downturn of 4.4% over the 18 weeks to June 4th, evidence for some of a deeper malaise in the high street, " Woolworths adds to UK retail gloom"(FT, 7/6). Indeed Kevin Hawkins of the British Retail Consortium asserted that Woolworths figures, "should remove any lingering doubt that we are now in a consumer-led recession"(Guardian, 7/6)...

The planned flotation of Partygaming.com, the hugely successful online poker company, raised the spectre of a dotcom bubble mark II. The similarities were quickly spotted: the dazzling growth, the anticipated high stock market valuation, the likely FTSE ranking alongside bricks and mortar companies, the young techies set to become billionnaires. " Poker float rush revives memories of dot-com bust" noted The Independent (3/6), while The Times predicted that " a second round of dot.com hysteria is descending" (2/6)...

Reviews aside, three issues surrounded the final Star Wars epic. Firstly, its phenomenal box office success, "This is an unprecedented achievement"(Paul Dergarabedian - Exhibitor Relations, reuters.co.uk, 21/5). Secondly, the speed and ferocity of pirate copies in both internet download and DVD format, "Sith is Attacked by the Clones"(thisislondon.co.uk, 20/5)...

Nokia's PR machine can congratulate itself on a job well done. The launch of its N91 'mobile jukebox' generated a slew of headlines suggesting it could replace the iPod as the nation's digital multimedia device of choice. "Nokia takes on Apple's iPod"noted The Independent (28/4); "Nokia unveils iPod killer"warned Forbes (29/4) in similar vein, while consumer technology magazine Stuff's editor predicted that "this is definitely the beginning of the end for the iPod"(The Times, 28/4)...

Why, when the FT sagely headlined Manchester United "Shareholders delighted as tycoon puts club in a league of its own", (J Cumbo, FT, 14/5), would fans and Shareholders United recoil in horror, encourage Malcolm Glazer effigy burning, sponsor-boycotts and produce alternative merchandise sales, promising "a rolling and growing campaign"(Sean Bone, Shareholder's United, Independent, 15/5) to "really hit Glazer where it hurts"(u.tv, 14/5)...

Capital Radio, born 32 years ago as one of the UK's first commercial radio franchises, finally threw the towel in and joined West Country rival GWR to form Britain's largest radio group - GCap - a name according to Marketing's media commentator Ray Snoddy " perfect for any future diversification from commercial radio into contraceptives" (05/05).

The headlines, "Google earnings soar past estimates"(FT, 22/4) and the analysts' buoyant appraisal, "The quarter was nothing short of phenomenal"(David Garrity - Caris & Co, Times, 22/4), told nearly all of Google's, alias "the internet goliath"(sharecast.com, 25/4), recent story. Revenue doubled, profits climbed almost six-fold, there was an enthusiastic run on shares, together with dominant market share and a ticket to ride on one of the fastest growing advertising outlets...

Tesco's £2bn profits announcement revealed a strong media backlash against the retail giant and its impact on the High Street, the environment, the Third World and suppliers. Sentiments such as "Time to tame Tesco"(thisismoney.co.uk), "Every little helps on the road to crushing your retail rivals"(The Times, 12/4) and "The supermarket that ate Britain"(Independent, 12/4) firmly took the gloss off Tesco's record profits / jobs creation / international expansion news...

Last weekend's trade unions' action against ITV proved to be a battle on two fronts: the conflict of planning and resources versus the battle of words. ITV won the first round: its use of overtime payments; freelancers; the pre-recording of popular 'live shows' and loan of a BBC studio kept the City on side during the dispute. It was noted, even after the weekend's events, that "ITV … worked hard to offset the impact of the strike on its on air schedule"(Swiss Broker UBS, iii.co.uk, 11/4)...

Journalists and headline writers had a field day as DTI-led talks in Shanghai about investment and the future of MG Rover (MGR) 'stalled' over Chinese fears of a pensions 'black hole'. But the weekend-breaking story left copywriters bereft of quotable sources from the main protagonists, although the Sunday Times found an un-named DTI official who described the task as " a very difficult brief with little ammunition" (03/04)...

The National Audit Office investigation into the liberalisation of the Directory Enquiries (colloquially DQ) market offered little sanguine cheer for either Oftel or the 118 Service Providers. The spending watchdog dourly surmised that while deregulation of 192 Directory Enquiries had produced more choice and additional services for customers, it was at the cost of "an increase in average prices and uncertainty over improved quality"(Sir John Bourn - Auditor General, Daily Mirror, 18/3)...

Mars' announcement that it was axing 700 jobs as part of a European restructuring was almost as smooth as its chocolate. Employees were banned from speaking to the media in a tightly controlled operation that ensured management messages about the voluntary and generous nature of redundancies, the need to remain competitive and a £45 million investment in state-of-the-art facilities were uppermost in coverage...

Transport for London's (TfL) announcement of plans to make its Oyster card a vehicle for e-payments generated favourable but low level media exposure: "Oyster card could shell out for small purchases"(FT, 5/3). Reports were fuelled with key statements from TfL spokespeople, while Ken Livingstone's support encouraged headline reviews. "London's mayor aims to replace cash with Oysters"(Retail Bulletin, 5/3)...

Abbey's latest image overhaul reflecting its new Spanish ownership was greeted with weary scepticism by City commentators. Coming just 17 months after the previous rebrand - dubbed "the sort of desperate nonsense that companies are prone to when they utterly lose the plot"(Independent, 26/2) - pundits predicted that Banco Santander Central Hispano's decision to make its mark would be met with "knowing looks in a marketing world long convinced Abbey has lacked a consistent identity"(thisislondon, 27/2)...

"Smarties Reach the End of the Tube,"lamented The Scotsman (18/2 ). "Quite simply, the worst catastrophe to befall modern man. Don't do it, Smarties!!"begged Helen (bbc.co.uk, 18/2). But Nestlé chiefs stood firm on Friday 18th February, the day on which, for Smartie lovers the nation over, the only colour that could possibly exist in the new 'hexatube'was black...

Reporting of the disastrous opening of the Edmonton Ikea store may sound some warning bells for the Swedish retailer. Beyond the predictably negative headlines was an undercurrent of hostility towards the flatpack pioneer. The Ikea consumer experience, deemed to come a poor second to low prices, was singled out for particular criticism: "Ikea treats its customers so badly, a riot is the least it might have expected"wrote The Guardian (10/2), cataloguing an absence of internet ordering, insufficient stock, poor customer service, and lengthy queues...

A bumper results season got into full swing last week with Shell's £9.8 billion earnings announcement, "Shell's £1m an hour profit"(Evening Standard, 3/2). Predictably, the large profit statement bought with it castigations for unseemly profiteering, calls for a 'windfall tax', and demands for greater social responsibility . "Britain is still suspicious of wealth creators", noted The Times (4/2)...

Proctor and Gamble (P&G) took the market and the media by surprise last week when it announced its $57 billion dollar acquisition of Gillette. "Another mega-deal eludes the media"(Tom Bawden, Times, 29/1)...

By now old hands at handling a crisis, P&O's PR team handled their latest embarrassment - luxury cruise ship Aurora's extended stay at Southampton Docks due to mechanical problems - with relative ease. Despite a smattering of predictable headlines about the "Cruise from hell"(Daily Record, 15/1), the message appearing most frequently was that passengers on board last year's Communication Directors Forum venue were sanguine about the delay to their world cruise, and happy to enjoy P&O's hospitality in luxurious surroundings...

The BBC's decision to broadcast Jerry Springer - The Opera was always likely to be controversial, given the recent reaction to the play Behzti by the Sikh community in Birmingham. Positively, the show attracted 1.8 million viewers, still less than Match of the Day, but certainly a wider audience than might normally have been expected to watch this "important piece of contemporary musical theatre"(BBC statement, bbc.co.uk, 10/1)...

The New Year City pages returned almost immediately to the pre-Christmas big story: the bid by Deutsche Boerse for the London Stock Exchange. Uppermost was the news that the Boerse was prepared to up its bid and compromise on every aspect of the deal, including the location of the new organisation's headquarters...

Like its new model, coverage of the launch of Volvo's YCC (Your Concept Car) was small but almost perfectly formed. The Volvo PR team succeeded in ticking all the boxes on the successful launch checklist: innovative product, new research statistics, celebrity endorsement (if you include the CBI's Digby Jones) and glossy photos...

BT took the market by storm last week, confounding the critics with the purchase of global data networking organisation Infonet, followed by robust second quarter results . "BT rides broadband wave to £1bn mark"(Western Mail, 12/11). The acquisition initially generated a cautious response, but placed within context of BT's notable growth in new wave services, analysts welcomed the addition...

The momentous day arrived: "another important date in The Times's long and extraordinary history"(Times Editor, 1/11), November 1st, the day that saw the reputed broadsheet turn compact. Assurances followed that the paper's tradition and quality would remain unaffected, its new format ensuring "The Times will continue to flourish and to perform its unique role in British society"(Times Editor, 1/11)...

Last week's ruling wiping out a couple's £384,000 debt leaves the consumer credit sector with a PR problem growing as fast as the compound interest loans it pedals. The landmark ruling, which could challenge the sector's very raison d'etre, was met with a resounding silence from London North Securities and other lenders, leaving consumer groups and MPs to launch an uncontested attack on the home credit market, its dubious business methods and impenetrable small print...

According to CEO Meg Whitman, eBay has hit the "knee of the curve"and become a "mainstream shopping destination"(Evening Standard, 21/10). The strong third quarter results supported Ms Whitman's language of impetus, describing the company's "incredible acceleration"(Evening Standard, 21/10) and "excellent momentum"(register.co.uk, 21/10). "eBay surges on 'spectacular' UK market"(Times, 21/10)...

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) wielded a double-edged sword as it announced legal actions against 'major uploaders' of its music. Prolific online pirates had been warned that their activity was 'illegal and harmful' via the group's automated messaging system. "We have resisted legal action … [and] done everything we can to raise awareness", asserted BPI chairman Peter Jamieson (Guardian, 8/10)...

Working Title's latest release, Wimbledon, got no further than deuce in weekend reviews. The romantic comedy (rom-com) / sports film drew praise and criticism in almost equal measure, with the authenticity of the tennis and London setting attracting most comment. "Nothing … rings true, and the makers have no interest in examining the minds of professional sports people"commented The Observer (26/9), taking it all rather seriously...

Five major players of the British Beer and Pub Association ran the media gauntlet last week, announcing a voluntarily imposed smoking ban across their collective 22,000 premises. Punters were informed that their "Last gasp in the bar"(FT, 11/9) would take place before the end of 2005, while 80% of floor space in a third of UK bars, would be smoke-free by 2009...

The end of the British summer would never be quite complete without a "furious public row"over the state of the education system (Guardian, 20/8). The country's examination results provided, as always, a surfeit of axes to grind, and a plethora of numbers to support or deny any premise or allegation...

A 'leaked' e-mail about Cherie Blair's lucrative US speaking engagements gave the media the perfect excuse to Cherie-bash and pad the columns in a quiet week. Mrs Blair was primarily viewed as capitalising on her privileged position, a perception reinforced by freebie holidays, and that embarrassing Burberry incident...

The last eight days provided Lastminute.com with a roller-coaster ride of extraordinary proportion. The week started with the high of its innovative broadband-based restaurant booking system, "BT / Lastminute's BB Restaurant System"(ispreview.co.uk, 3/8). Then came the dip: "Lastminute axes 14% of workforce"(bbc.co.uk, 5/8). Then a small rise: "Lastminute not as bad as expected"(digitallook.com, 5/8). And then the fall-out: "Lastminute lost value at £106m"(Guardian, 7/8)...

Another week, another tabloid witch hunt. Into the media spotlight moved violent video games, hailed by the Daily Mail as the root of all evil. Its "Murder by Playstation"headline (29/7), recounting the brutal killing of Stefan Pakeerah by a Manhunt devotee, sparked a media storm that prompted the removal of the Rockstar video game from retailers' shelves...

There was consensus that Alistair Darling's White Paper ' The Future of Rail' was both overdue and a welcome addition to the railway debate. This despite the fact that the findings represented not only "Shake-up No 5 in just 7 years"for rail policy (Mirror, 16/7), but also a glaringly apparent u-turn for Labour's Strategic Rail Authority...

The Sun's attempt to apologise to Liverpool after its shameful reporting of the Hillsborough disaster 15 years ago could not have backfired more spectacularly. The front page mea culpa was seen by many in Liverpool as a cynical attempt to revive low sales on Merseyside, and turn Scousers against their new boy wonder, Wayne Rooney. In their wholesale rejection of The Sun's olive branch, local newspapers and football websites revealed the rekindled strength of Liverpudlian hatred towards the UK's supposed favourite newspaper...

"All in all, it was a bloody week for the food-retail sector", concluded The Sunday Times (4/7). Few would disagree that Sainsbury's endured a difficult few days in the media spotlight, along with rivals Marks & Spencer and Morrisons. However, out of the furore emerged a careful optimism. Sainsbury's story was marked by a clean break, which provided a positive mandate for change...

The sighs of relief from Canary Wharf were audible when the Barclay brothers' £665 million acquisition of the Telegraph Group was announced. The delighted Telegraph CEO Jeremy Deedes took the lead in hailing his new owners as a safe and successful pair of hands which embodied conservative principles, and who would manage by evolution, rather than revolution...

It was a less than promising start for Merrill Lynch. Its defence against Stephanie Villalba's compensation claim for alleged sexual discrimination, unequal pay and unfair dismissal was lacklustre in the face of the relentless media headlines: Merrill Lynch accused of 'institutional sexism'"(Guardian, 12/6), "Banker 'too scared to complain'"(Telegraph, 15/6) and "Another case of sexism in the City"(Times, 18/6)...

Health Secretary John Reid clearly lit a political touchpaper when he appeared to condone smoking by what used to be termed the 'working' class. His opposition to a blanket ban on smoking in public sparked a debate that encompassed the class system, civil rights, and the nanny state...

A coup d'état revealed itself last week as Spurs announced the capture of French national coach Jacques Santini, just days before the onslaught of Euro 2004. "Spurs chief has hit the Jacques-Pot"(dailyrecord.co.uk, 4/6)...

Coverage of Napster's launch in the UK showed signs of a rush job. The surprise element of its immediate launch ensured high-profile coverage in the national press, with headlines that rivals in the aggressive internet music market would kill for. "First blood to Napster in the battle for online music sales"was typical coverage in the Daily Telegraph (21/5), while The Times noted that "the unexpected early start gives Napster what could prove to be a crucial headstart in the £1 billion British music market"(21/5)...

Marks & Spencer saviour 'Lucky' Luc Vandevelde walked away from his charge last week amid criticism that he had played away from home too often to save the UK's high street icon from a disappointing relapse into dismal sales and sliding share value. Although the official M&S announcement asserted that Vandevelde's departure was due to prior "personal commitments" to Carrefour, the terse statement with no thank you note, nor best wishes for the future, belied a different story...

Sub-editors were quick to spot the headline opportunities in John Scarlett's appointment as the new 'C' at MI6. "'C' is for suspected crony in spying HQ'"was the Sunday Times' reaction to the controversial appointment (9/5) and reflected the broad thrust of coverage in tabloids and broadsheets alike...

Dixon Group CEO John Clare handled the sensitive issue concerning the closure of 106 high-street Dixon stores with slick efficiency. Targeted stores were prolonged loss-makers, affected personnel would be 'redeployed', a profit-improvement plan and continued investigation into new store formats were in place...

Another week, more bad headlines for the Abbey. An AGM halfway through a painful restructuring programme, shareholder disquiet over executive pay and corporate rebranding, and a profit warning to boot, was never going to generate glowing press coverage, but Abbey made it even worse...

British Airways' announcement that it was cancelling 1,000 flights was, thankfully, not a repeat performance of its PR nightmare in August, when thousands of disgruntled passengers were stranded at Heathrow, and it was dubbed "the world's least favourite airline"by the politer newspapers (Daily Telegraph, 25/8). Last week's news generated no more than a glimmer of interest in the nationals, with BA's rationale for the cancellations - the need to improve operational performance and maintain the robustness of its schedule - uppermost in reporting...

Financial Results

Reporting of events leading to and including Beverley Hughes' resignation actually did the UK media proud. Far from deteriorating into a xenophobic clamour against illegal immigrants (although some tabloids inevitably went there), overall the media coverage honed in on more heavy-weight targets: Beverley Hughes, David Blunkett and Tony Blair...

If the success of Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ, which opened in the UK last week, is to be measured in either box office turnover, or by provoking headlines and debate, then the film must have its place among the cinematic greats. US earnings in just one month have already reached $300million , "not bad for a subtitled indie film spoken entirely in dead languages, retelling a story that everyone already knows"(The Times 20/3)...

It was open season on the store card market, and General Electric Consumer Finance in particular, when the Office of Fair Trading announced its investigation last week. High profile and negative coverage captured headlines and front pages alike. "Massive blitz on rip-off store cards"(ThisisLondon.co.uk, 15/3)and "Store cards discredited"(Mirror, 19/3) heralded tales of extortionate interest rates, confused consumers, burgeoning debt and GECF's market dominance...

John Lewis, viewed as the "bellwether for the British retail industry"(tiscali.co.uk, 12/3), announced solid results last week, together with an £87 million bonus for its employee 'partners'. The 140-year old mutually-owned organisation lauded the performance of its Waitrose supermarket business as "outstanding", while offering praise for its department stores, which made a profit despite 2003's "difficult trading conditions"(Evening Standard, 11/3)...

The McDonalds PR team had its lines carefully rehearsed for the announcement that its supersized portions were being discontinued. Against a tricky background of UK legislative threats, US litigation cases, rising obesity, and a vociferous healthy-eating lobby, the global fast food concern succeeded in communicating the message that it was promoting salads, yoghurt and low-fat milk as well as Big Macs and fries, and that individuals, not fast food outlets, were responsible for their calorie intake...

Ann Winterton's 'joke' about sharks and Chinese cocklers did little to put clear blue water between the Tories' old racist image and its new policy of inclusiveness. Just one week after Michael Howard's Burnley speech, when he denounced the British National Party and emphasised his multi-racial roots, he was forced to take disciplinary action against the politically incorrect face of Conservatism...

Tesco's announcement of its bid for Adminstore, the London chain of Europa, Cullens and Harts convenience stores, was a predictably noisy affair. The £54 million bid to increase its share of the convenience store sector, seen as the next battleground of the giant food retailers, prompted squeals of protest from the Big Food Group and unleashed a stream of unflattering comment about the Tesco "juggernaut that smashes over anything in its way"(Telegraph, 25/1)...

Equal and opposing forces raged last week with the release of the Royal Bank of Scotland's annual results. While the City, analysts, shareholders and the Taxman's coffers applauded the RBS's record £7bn profit (equivalent to £227 per second), consumer groups, politicians and union representatives condemned the results as 'profiteering' at the expense of debt-ridden consumers and undervalued employees ." Cashing in on their customers?" (Scotsman, 20/2)...

Mega mergers are returning with style. The latest tale of two giants includes a menagerie of iconic beasties, a mouse named Mickey and a lion destined to be king. But all is not well in Disney's land. Times have been hard, the herd has been weakened by infighting., Pixar characters like Nemo the clownfish have gone away and the Comcast shark is moving in for the kill...

Sporting legends, best friends, feuding enemies, money, reputations and allegations of corruption and dirty tricks - publicly fought for the sake of … a horse. Hollywood blockbuster, or a week at Old Trafford?..

Ryanair's Michael O'Leary launched a characteristically noisy campaign against the " numbnuts" Brussels' ruling forcing it to repay money received from Belgium's publicly-owned Charleroi airport on the grounds that it constituted illegal state aid. His aggressive vow to "sue the arse off the Commission"(Sunday Times, 8/2) and launch tit-for-tat complaints against rival airlines led commentators to seriously question the wisdom of the ruling...

The lavish launch of London's 2012 Olympic bid at the Royal Albert Hall was heralded a huge success. Although the glitz of the event, the star-studded cast of sporting heroes, and the technical / logistical details which accompanied the presentation, were appreciatively relayed in the press, it was the open and deliberate political support which ensured the occasion's fundamental triumph . "Britain United"(Daily Mail, 17/1)...

Cunard ran a tight PR ship for last week's launch of the Queen Mary 2. In spite of the £550m price tag and the earlier deaths of 15 people at the St Nazaire builders' yard, the cruise liner's superlative statistics and luxurious fittings, laced with a heavy dose of royals, celebrities and British patriotism, ensured strongly positive coverage of the naming ceremony...

That adverse weather disrupted the New Year events in several major British cities was disappointing and unfortunate. That it led to the complete cancellation of Edinburgh's Hogmanay bash was lamented as " the night that never was" (Guardian, 2/1/04), a " washout" (Express, 3/1/04), a " fiasco" (Herald, 2/1/04) and a " damp squib" (Independent, 2/1/04)...