THE BOOK

Introduction

Part 1

Our Work, Our Young, Our Future

How to Profit from Rejection

Behind the Screen of Hi-Ticket Media Mentoring

Media Workshops: What’s So Amazing?

Part 2

Advertising Space: Who Really Profits?

Corporate Communications: Good, Bad and the Ugly

Media Marketing: Shall We Screw or Cue the People?

Editorial: Absolute Burden of Absolute Power.

Part 3

Media Trends – Look Now, We’re Changing!

Blessed? Spread the Blessing Around.

Part 4

In My Opinion: Q&A

Interview in Switzerland.

Please note this book is not intended to serve as public relations/media-related advice to anybody under at any time and/or under any circumstances. Mediazone Ltd, its affiliated companies/products nor the author accepts any liability for loss of any nature arising from use of advice/information contained herein.
Care has also been taken to protect (where requested) the identity of persons whose letters have been incorporated in this publications. For advice regarding specific issues please contact Mediazone Ltd in Hong Kong fthrough the contacts listed on www.mediazone.com.hk.
Our Work, Our Young, Our Future!

(There’s a very special part of me that I hope to put into writing this chapter. Before all else though, If I may, I’d like to dedicate this chapter to the countless young people who I have met on my tours. You have inspired me to write this book. I thank you for the warmth, respect and sharing that I received whenever and wherever I stopped to speak.
I admire your boundless energy, your quest for success and particularly I salute your eagerness to make the world a better place. I thank you for your letters of gratitude, encouragement and your questions the more popular of which I have attempted to address in a separate chapter in this book. Before all though, I should like to say a very big ‘thank you’ to all of you who either in private meetings or through letters have made me a part of your lives in that you shared so much! Your trust is a much cherished accolade. I often re-read these letters to remind myself of the responsibility I have to give off my best to those who reach out to me.

As you know, I identify so very much with you because there was a time when I too was just starting out, inexperienced and badly in need of that one break we all hope for. I have experienced the frustration and anxiety, had my self esteem kicked around, wallowed in self pity and gone almost delirious from an overdose of rejection. I had no mentors, didn’t know of any self-help books that could pull me out of the seemingly bottomless pit of despair that became my home for many years. This chapter is therefore special for me because it gives me an opportunity to reach out to those who are just starting out, people who are where I was, and share some of the lessons life has taught me. I hope you will find them as useful as others have. In this chapter I address those more popular (in answer to your letters) aspects of our daily work with the young, including Trends & Tips, Glass Ceiling, the Battle of Will, the Magic
Mirror, the Treasure Hunt Within, the Sound of Silence, The Reality Cheque, Right Perspective, the Fire in a Poor Man’s Belly.

Chapter 2
Building a Company on Rejection

(Always a rebel at heart, I’ve learnt that rejection is merely what you make of it. Unfortunately, the human heart was
not made to resist its impact and the majority of us leave this world with an unsung song in our heart. No stranger to
rejection myself, I discovered the secret of handling rejection before my 14th birthday. I took that secret and used it
to build a company, lead a brand and bring hope to those who had given up on life. I hope you too find the
determination needed to find opportunity in set backs and turn every negative into a positive. You can!)
Losers of the World Unite!

Chapter 3
Mentoring the Rich & Famous

(This chapter provides a rare glimpse into the exclusive and secret realm of high ticket media mentoring. It discusses
the supply and demand of services, how to pick a mentor that's right for you and get the best out of your investment.
It is specially written for those looking for world class media mentoring services for themselves or their
businesses. It also promises to be of interest to members of the global public relations industry who have long since
wondered what goes on in the complex world of big-ticket media mentoring.)

Chapter 4

Media Workshops: What’s So Amazing?

(Enjoyable tailor-made media training workshops to suit precisely what you’d like to learn has been a successful
Mediazone mainstay. Multinationals the world over appreciate the service because they see tangible results. We are the
only company I know of that approaches the subject from the psychological framework stand point and then builds
up from ground zero. This is why our workshops are described as life-changing. Another hallmark is our focus on the
individual. By this we don’t merely mean personal attention. We mean personalized attention. Here’s a glimpse.)

Chapter 5

Advertising Space: Who Really Profits?

(A crack advertising team has been the pipe dream of many a frustrated publisher. Media buyers are just as
exasperated as they bemoan the scarcity of professional media sales people and media sales people are just as
displeased. We’ve successfully trained salespeople since 1993 and discovered that there is no substitute for quality
training. This chapter is devoted to issues central to the revenue generating side of the publishing business in answer
to the many related queries we receive.)

Chapter 6
Corporate Communications:
Good, Bad and the Ugly

(Corporate chiefs have long pondered the true importance of corporate communications. Each year we get letters from
listed companies spread across the globe seeking trained (by us) mass communications talent. Multinationals are only
recently beginning to perceive dollars spent on public relations as investments. This chapter ponders the late arrival of
the public relations executive on the corporate stage, provides a bird’s eye view of the industry and discusses; The
Three Tiers, ‘Corporate’ Communications and…Differentiation. We touch on the industry’s strengths and weaknesses,
the market, typical client behaviour and what is widely regarded as best business practices.)

Chapter 7
Media Marketing: Shall We Screw or Cue the People?

(People never tire of sending me lengthy marketing-related proposals seeking my views/endorsement. Few are easy to
understand. The best and most effective were among those that were simple to grasp and easy to execute. The
intricate proposals invariably seem to target the “unsuspecting” consumer and in contrast, the simple ideas seem to
have the good of the consumer-end user at heart. It seems, contrary to popular opinion, great marketing ideas are
targeted at gaining consumer faith, rather than consumer dollars. These success stories rarely appear because on the
face if it they are not deemed to be attention-worthy. Stories that do hog the limelight are those with the billion-dollar
tag line. Why? Because sadly, to many, marketing success today is all about hitting higher targets.)

Chapter 8
Editorial: Absolute Burden of Absolute Power

(Publishers are always writing in asking for help to find or coach their editorial people. We therefore decided to
include a chapter that discusses the general market scenario, the business of training/mentoring editorial teams serving
newspapers and magazines. It also covers self-improvement and the personal and professional hurdles talented
professionals face in their quest for excellence. Publishers, editorial professionals and students keen on a career as an
editor will find this chapter of use, it is hoped.)

Chapter 9
Media Trends – Look Now, We’re Changing!

(What does the future hold? Executives across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia are always asking about
trends we spot on the horizon. The spirit of competition drives professionals passionate about success to our
workshops, web sites and seminars all with the one aim of being able to get that solid gold nugget that will change
life forever. In tribute to these people for whom a quest for the perfection is a way of life, we share a few sincere
predictions after this brief commentary on Change, PR Print & Planners, Need for Quality, Days Ahead and Top 10).

Chapter 10
Blessed? Spread the Blessing Around.

(Victim of an unfortunate childhood myself I tend to appreciate the miseries of the poor and downtrodden. I feel their
pain. I feel uniquely poised to empathize with them. I also feel uniquely positioned to lend a helping hand and give
them a second chance. Blessed as I believe I am, with a good ability to judge character, I am convinced I have the
ability to see through a man’s eyes and catch a glimpse of his soul. This ability enables me to pick those who sincerely
want to change and help them across the finish line. We devote what time we can to such causes not often with the
best results, I’ll admit. It is a most irresistible challenge though, to take someone so fallen and try to raise them above
themselves and give them the start they would only wish they had. In cases where all is indeed lost, like prisoners on
death row, I think a genuine humane gesture is called for. We do what we can to help make the world a better place.)

Chapter 11
In My Opinion

(This chapter is devoted to people who send in their questions through e-mail, letters, often during our workshops, or
following the release of our publications, or in response to published essays and to those I have been lucky to meet in
the course of my work globally. Due to space constraints we’ve chosen typical questions, answers to which we hope
will help people with similar queries. Sectors the questions were selected from include, Editorial, Advertising,
Marketing, Publishing, Public Relations Media Mentoring & Global Affairs.

Chapter 12
INTERVIEW

A difficult birth, a childhood fraught with poverty, injustice and racial prejudice would seem likely elements to have
produced an emotional wreck. Instead, they produced arguably the world’s most sought after media strategist, soon
to be the subject of a global best selling book on media management. Widely recognized for his wizardry in the world
of media consultancy and publicity management, Australia-based GLENN ROGERS is in a true class of his own. No
props, no name dropping and no clock watching. The substance shines through during this interview leaving no
doubt that the legend is real.

INGRID MIELI reports from Geneva, Switzerland.

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED in the BOOK!
(E-mail your questions to contact@mediazone.com.hk for possible inclusion in future editions)
US Media Hypocritical?
The US corporate media is most hypocritical in its coverage. A case in point being the terrible tsunami disaster along
coastlines of the Indian Ocean, which left tens of thousands dead and many times more homeless and weakened.
Front pages news stories swept the US corporate media -- 14,000 dead, 50,000, 90,000 and 120,000 made
progressive day-by-day headlines. Twenty-four hour TV news provided minute-by-minute updates with photos and live
aerial shots. As the days after unfolded, personal stories of survival and loss were added to the overall coverage.
Unique stories such as the 20-day old miracle baby found floating on a mattress, and the eight year old who lost both
parents and later found by her uncle, were human interest features.
Reports from Americans caught in the catastrophe made national news and US embassies set up hotlines for relatives
of possible victims to seek information. Quickly added into the corporate media mix was coverage on how the US was
responding with relief aid and dollars. President Bush announced that he had formed an international coalition to
respond to the massive tsunami disaster. The US corporate media coverage of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, for
most Americans, was shocking, and emotional. Empathic Americans wanted to help in any way they could. Church
groups held prayer sessions for the victims, and the Red Cross received an upsurge of donations. In contrast, left
uncovered remains the massive disaster that befell Iraqi civilians. Over 100,000 civilians have died since the beginning
of the US invasion and hundreds of thousands more are homeless and weakened. In 2004, the British Lancet medical
journal published a scientific survey of households in Iraq that calculated over 100,000 civilians, mostly women and
children, have died from war related causes. The most common cause of death was aerial bombing followed by
strokes and heart attacks. Surely the loss of life from war in Iraq is as significant as the Indian Ocean tsunami, yet
where is the US corporate media coverage of thousands of dead and homeless? Where are the live aerial TV shots of
the disaster zones and the up-close photos of the victims? Where are the survivor stories - the miracle child who lived
thought a building collapsed by US bombs and rescued by neighbors? Where are the government official’s press
releases of regret and sorrow? Where is the international coalition for relief of civilians in Iraq and the upsurge in
donations for Red Cross intervention? Would not Americans, if they knew, be just as caring about Iraqi deaths as they
are for the victims of the tsunami? The US corporate media has published Pentagon statements on civilian deaths in
Iraq as unknown and dismissed the Lancet Medical Journal study. It seems US media concerns are for victims of
natural disasters, while the man-made disasters, such as the deliberate invasion of another country by the US, are
better left unreported. Would you please comment?
(Name Withheld)
American Media Biased
As a media student, I can’t but help feel that the US media is a pet of the Government. Just like Hollywood which
nearly always portrays the Americans as heroes, the US media can always be relied on to showcase America’s point of
view while claiming to be unbiased. I cite as an example, reports on Iraq where the US media (including talk show
hosts) are always interviewing American families about their lost ones who wax lyrically on the bravery (note that the
high-tech weapons of US soldiers were far superior to those of their Iraqi counterparts) of their fallen. The reports
never offer balance by interviewing the families of the Iraqi fallen probably because their side of the story will most
certainly make America look like the villain it truly is. This makes me sick to be an American because I know that the
world is no longer fooled by our media or by Hollywood and our behaviour is building anti-American sentiment
globally. How do we tilt the balance in the interest of truth if not redemption?
Clive Douglas, Texas, USA
The Tibet Trouble
As perhaps the most influential spin doctors of our time and with connections from Beijing to Washington, you should
be perfectly aware that Tibetan terrorists attack innocent people and destroy private properties and lives leaving China
with no option but to protect her citizens and save lives.
The Western media is calling for the Beijing Olympics to be boycotted due to China crack down on Chinese Tibetans.
Why is it when it happens in the West, it is called “maintaining law and order” and when it happens in China, it is
called “crack down”? You have always championed a free and unfettered press in China and wondered aloud in
America and Europe why China does not let in the foreign press. Has this answered your question?
Tibet is as much a part of China like Scotland is part of Britain. The Chinese are fully aware that their country was
carved up by the same Western powers who now want to preach to China what human rights are about?
My second question is, given your influence in the regional power play, your good offices with the governments of
China and Hong Kong (which is an openly published and proven fact as one can clearly see from several Mediazone
publications) and your association with the Dalai Lama, couldn’t you have intervened to stop the bloodshed? You may
choose not to answer this but I’ll ask anyway -- Why didn’t you do anything?
Xu Li, Guangzhou, The People’s Republic of China.
Your CIA, MI5, FBI Association is a Disgrace!
I was most appalled to see your facebook page clearly revealing your cosy relationship with the American CIA, FBI and
the British Secret Service. On one side you project an image of protecting and watching out for the poor underdog,
showing compassion for the less fortunate. Why then this open association with the worst sort of legal terrorists that
stalk the planet?
(Name withheld)
Government Censorship in Russia
Sir, we in Russia are sick and tired of the government’s monopoly on broadcast media. When do you see an end to
this puppet press we have? What would you regard to be the fundamental hurdles facing the evolution of a free press
in Russia and Would you please help us call on the Kremlin to revoke censorship so that free markets can find free
expression and rejuvenate the Russia we love?
Efremka Lizaveta, Moscow, Russia.
Long Road to Tehran
Why do media hot shots like yourself publish on your web sites a ban on visiting countries like Iran as if in agreement
with Western powers that countries like Iran are terrorist states and part of Bush’s handcrafted “Axes of Evil?” From
you in particular, being so respected for your candid views, we in Iran expected better. Would you care to explain?
Saifuddin Ali Ahmed, Tehran, Iran.
Abuse of Media Power
The global media scene is largely dominated by Western countries and is undeniably biased in favour of their masters.
They abuse their power by showing Asia in a negative light and their own countries as specimens of perfection. They
conveniently promote these stereotypes to their advantage while insisting they are impartial. What must we do to set
right what’s wrong?
Samson D’Souza, Bangalore, India.
No Politics Ban in Myanmar
All media in Yangon is controlled by the military government and our access to satellite television is severely restricted
not least because of the price we have to pay. We have no access to proper media education and would like you to
visit us to present a few media workshops for our youth. Would the government impose a condition of “no politics”
on you, if you came? Would it take sponsors to bring your workshop here? Please let us know because we are very
interested in your work and would love you to come to Yangon.
Naing Shway, Yangon, Myanmar.
Human Rights in India
Sir, I implore you to please do something to draw the attention of the world press toward the plight of the poor man
in India who suffers at the hands of the Indian police whose tactics have not changed in spite of our national growth
and development. In local jails, human rights are unheard of and people unfortunate to have no family at all, often
conveniently disappear as a result of “accidents” or “encounters”. The media here have long since accepted this as
part and parcel of our nation’s rich cultural tapestry. As for the politicians, the poor man has just no hope. Would you
please write back! This is my third letter to you.
Shrikanth Iyer, New Delhi, India.
Stop Selective Religious Identification in the Media
Hello from Islamabad! Recently, it has become common to see selective religious identification used in the mainstream
press. It seems when crime is committed only if the perpetrators are Muslim, their religion gets mentioned in the press.
The claim that all terrorists are Muslim blatantly ignores history and the media headlines that selectively identify the
religious identification of both perpetrators and victims unfortunately reinforce this impression.
Why doesn’t the press consider the religious affiliation of those who enslaved and murdered the Native Americans,
colonized what is now known as the Third World, dropped the Atomic Bomb, participated in Nazism and Fascism,
carried out the Rwandan Genocide, participated in torture at Abu Ghraib, responsible for millions of deaths in Hitler’s
death camps? I’m sure if any of these atrocities had been committed by Muslims the criminals would have been
identified as Islamic. Just as today, the US, Britain, China, India, Russia, only have atomic bombs but we in Pakistan
have…the “Islamic” Bomb.
Isn’t the media to be blamed for this selective religious identification? Isn’t the media doing us all a disservice with
such behaviour? Would it be too much to ask that media you control be more sensitive to this issue? Since you have
the ear of the world’s most influential, would you please help to put right this universal injustice?
Fauzan Ali Farid, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Murdered for Revealing the Truth
Every successive government we have endured has been corrupt and murderous and journalists here fear for their lives
and many have paid the price for revealing the truth. How can we as true members of the press crusade for truth
when even the law can’t be relied upon to keep us secure? I will be more than happy to understand your predicament
if you chose not to print my letter because if you did run it, in every probability your book would be banned from the
Philippines.
Reggie Curzon, Manila, Phillipines.
Patriotic Media?
I missed your talks in Kuala Lumpur a few years back so I hope you will be kind enough to answer this blunt question
though I know you are a friend of our ex-prime minister Mahathir Mohammed. My question is, is it fair for the media
to be patriotic?
Yusuf Ali Khan, Malaysia.
I’m an American, Help!
Sir, the world hates us and thanks to our poor choice of Presidents having an American passport today isn’t what it
used to be. Is there hope?
Swetlana Horace, New Jersey, USA
Is Justice for Sale?
Sir, before the Internet became as popular as it is today, I purchased a few domain names for the purpose of
collecting them as a reminder of just how long it took big corporations to wake up to the importance of the Cyber
highway. I bought five dot coms that large corporations should have purchased but didn’t. I had no intention of
blackmailing or hijacking their brand name. On the contrary when they did find out that I owned the domain names
they contact me and I offered to sell them the names I owned. Instead they took the case to a US court, which
ordered my domain names to be released to them. I’ve moved on since then and the bitterness is no longer there but
isn’t this is a classic case of big businesses using money to pervert the course of justice. If anyone would answer this
truthfully, it would only be you so tell me sir, in your experience, is justice for sale?
Dwight Cossack, Dublin, Ireland.
Global Double Standards
I’ve worked in China for a few years now straight after a decade’s stint in the Middle East. It surprises me that America
finds it fit to inflict its brand of democracy on China while seeming to almost enjoy the lack of it in the Middle East
where the Arab word is law and people who incur the wrath of the powers that be disappear forever. There are
draconian laws that permit the chopping off of hands for stealing a loaf of bread, or public flogging for a women who
showed her face -- behaviour that the West turns a blind eye. Why the double standards and how come the global
media doesn’t expose this hypocrisy.
Calvin Gibbles, Essex, UK.
Unfair Criticism of US Media
The US media is an easy target partially because of its success. Doesn’t every large corporation have their own
objectives, targets and methods? Just for the record, I am the only Asian currently serving with a leading US-based
newspaper and I wish to go on record to say that our paper does not practice biased news reporting. The public has
forgotten the great and good things the media has done and continues to do. Instead, people are allowing themselves
to be conditioned to hate us. Why don’t people try to engage us with skepticism without cynicism? Why don’t you
have your workshops focus on credibility and ethics of journalism and showcase the heroic acts of enterprising
journalism? Help reverse the trend and restore public support so we may fight political and judicial mischief together.
Mark Graham, Los Angeles, USA.
Where is Clark Kent?
As managing editor of a group of magazines, I’ve long since been wondering what became of the alter-ego of
Superman, crusading reporter Clark Kent? Where does one find a Clark Kent in today’s world?
Natasha Jamison, New Jersey, USA.
Is Journalism a Religion?
Sir, our college enjoyed a talk recently by a visiting professor of journalism who strived hard to drive home the point
that journalism is like a religion where media people are all believers and there is a sort of priesthood-like structure in
the mass media. If so, is the media experiencing a crisis of faith too?
Shirley Elizabeth Mason, Texas, USA.
Unfair West or Unfair Asia?
Sir, as a Caucasian a diplomat posted in Asia I cannot but help notice the disparity with which the Asian media treats
Asians and whites. It appears, journalists at my press conferences treat me more favourably than they do my Asian
counterparts. Why then do many Asians complain about being treated unfairly by the West when they seem to be
doing a pretty good job of misttreating themselves.
(Name Withheld)
United Nations’ World Class?...Where?
My work with delegates at the United Nations office in Geneva brings me in contact with some choice specimens. I’ve
seen some pretty despicable behaviour on the part of candidates representing developed nations and claiming to be
‘world-class’. Why then do they frown upon shortcomings they spot in candidates from developing countries? How do
we in developed countries begin to command respect and be awarded an equally important spot alongside our
developed country counterparts on the global respectability platform?
(Name Withheld)
Two Magic Words
Never fortunate enough to be picked by Mediazone for its subsidized workshops I write in the hope you will send me
at least a few success secrets. I can’t seem to get ahead in my job as a reporter. My professional life in general is in the
doldrums. Please help.
Robert Walker, Canberra, Australia.
Catch-22?
Our (American) nuclear missiles/warheads are so unprotected that any terrorist could walk in and pick them up
without any trouble at all. I’ve complained till blue in the face to my superiors who claim they have done their bit but
Washington couldn’t be bothered. If I blow the whistle, the media will swoop in and practically show people where
and how the missiles could be procured. My bosses and I would certainly lose our jobs.
If I don’t then I’ll never be able to live with myself if they do get stolen. Do you think the media would be sensitive
enough to report it well enough for the problem to get the attention it deserves, yet without showing people the exact
location of the missiles? If they did that would that not amount to selective, biased, incomplete or even patriotic reporting?
(Name withheld). USA.
HIV Hoax
Sir, we have sent your office in Hong Kong valid scientific documents, films, research proving that HIV is a hoax that’s
become a scam. We have sent you proof that HIV is nothing more than an entity of convenience that suits the
business interest of powerful groups. We have shown you science proving that HIV is not real and that no vaccine will
be forthcoming. No effective treatment will appear. The hype will exhaust its credibility. Yet you refuse to publish or
make public our findings thus forcing us to reluctantly place you in the same category of the mass media, more likely
though as a victim than a perpetrator of this conspiracy.
Daniel Wilkinson, Leeds, UK.
Should We Call the Press?
If a priest or a nun or a monk is caught in consensual or even worse, nonconsensual sex would it be right for the
media not to cover it in the interest of the ‘greater good’?
(Name withheld) Thailand.
The Power to Start and Sustain
Sir, you have us a great motivational talk in Shenzhen (China) on ‘The Power to Start and Sustain’ for which I remain
grateful. Unfortunately I lost the notes and am writing to ask you to kindly send me the content of the first page
referring to ‘self motivation techniques’. Also, would you please talk a little on the natural born enemies of
sustainability?
Jason Chan, Hong Kong
"Written by one of the world's finest minds, the book is a rare glimpse into the murky world of media and
 
media management," - Stewart Croft, Los Angeles.
   
"Shocking," - Darcy Bright, London.
   
"It is one hell of an eye-opener," - Kendy Wtanama, South Africa.
   
"After reading this book, you tend to view anything even remotely associated with the media with skepticism,"
   
- Jillian Crawford, Texas
   
"Rarely has the abuse of trust been so exposed," - Keith Sommers, Perth.
   
"I now wonder if the 'necessary evil', is in fact so necessary," - Christien Denmark, New York.
   
"Perhaps the media is the antichrist?" - Jennifer Darly, Sydney.
   
"As a book, it is more engaging than gripping. As a life lesson, it is both," - Abel Abbot, Netherlands.

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