The 2019 PR/Media Quiz

Some years ago, frustrated by the lack of a mechanism to assess prospective PR agency candidates, I developed a questionnaire on media and PR trends that served as a non-scientific barometer for hiring. It was not intended as a measure of whether a candidate will ultimately succeed in the job, but rather one that speaks to his or her currency and experience.

Here is the latest iteration. Have fun with it. I will post the answers in a few weeks.

Q1) What’s the difference between TicToc and Tik Tok?

_______________________________________________________________________

Q2) How many digital subscribers does The New York Times currently have?

____ 100,000 – 999,000

____ 1,000,000 – 1,999,000

____ 2,000,000 – 3,000,000

____>3,000,000

Q3) Match the following journalists with where they work (insert number):

1. Ben Smith                                           _______The New Yorker
2. Katy Tur                                              _______CNN
3. Ronan Farrow                                     _______The New York Times
4. Brian Stelter                                       _______NBC News
5. Jane Mayer                                        _______Fox Business News
6. Andrew Ross Sorkin                          _______Buzzfeed News
7. Robin Roberts                                    _______The Wall Street Journal
8. Maria Bartiromo                                 _______ABC News
9. John Carreyrou                                  _______CNBC
10. Margaret Sullivan                             _______Washington Post

Q4) Complete this sentence: Cheddar is the first ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

Q5) What do the following acronyms stand for?

OTT __________________________________________

D2C__________________________________________

MAU_________________________________________

AI ___________________________________________

AR __________________________________________

VR __________________________________________

VPN _________________________________________

DMA ________________________________________

DM _________________________________________

VOD _________________________________________

SEO _________________________________________

DSP _________________________________________

PPV _________________________________________

PRSA ________________________________________

AWS ________________________________________

Q6) In which cities can one catch the following stations?

WBZ-TV __________________

WBBM-TV _________________

KUSA-TV __________________

KGO-TV ______________________

WFAA-TV ______________________

KOMO-TV _____________________

WPLG-TV ______________________

KDKA-TV ______________________

Q8) What is ROKU and why all the buzz?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Q9) What does it mean to be “ratioed” on Twitter?

__________________________________________________________________________

Q10) True or False?

____Amazon is an advertising company

____Amazon is a retailer

____Amazon is a cloud service company

____Amazon owns the Washington Post

____Jeff Bezos is happily married

____Amazon owns Costco

Q11) Rank the following by the number of their Twitter followers (from highest to lowest):

____Katy Perry

____Barack Obama

____Kim Kardashian

____Donald Trump

____Lady Gaga

Q12) On a typical weekday, CNBC’s TV ratings are closest to:
___ 150,000 viewers
___ 500,000 viewers
___ 1.5 million viewers
___ 4 million viewers

Q13) The publications of Condé Nast have certainly experienced challenges from their heyday – with several folding altogether. What did the company just announce to try to ensure their sustenance?

____________________________________________________________________________

Q14) When offering a journalist the opportunity to report a story on an embargoed basis, what shouldn’t you do? Check all that apply.

___ Include the news release and other supporting assets in your initial contact with the reporter.

___ Provide the names of the other reporters/outlets receiving the offer to report the embargoed story.

___ Ask the reporter to sign an NDA to ensure that he/she does not break the embargo.

___ Request that the reporter publish the story on a specific date and time.

___ Ask the reporter to share his/her story with you before it posts to ensure accuracy.

Q15) Who owns TIME Magazine?

____Meredith Corp.

____WarnerMedia

____Salesforce

____Marc & Lynne Benioff

Q16) What is NBC News Signal?

_____________________________________________________________________________

Q17) What distinction do Jake Paul, Pewdie Pie and Logan Paul share?

_____________________________________________________________________________

Q18) In 2018, we witnessed the rise of “micro” and “nano” influencers? What are they and why can they be more cost-effective for brands seeking consumer engagement?

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Q19) What factors pose the greatest threat to production of quality journalism in 2019? (Rank 1-5 with 5 posing the greatest threat.)

____ The rise of fake news.

____ Shorter shelf lives of important news stories.

____ The downsizing of news rooms for financial reasons.

____ An increase in the number of media owners with political or social agendas.

____ The rise of social media as the primary source of (often dubious) news.

____ The ease with which malleable consumers share unverified “news”

Q20) What do Buzzfeed, Vice News, Huffington Post and Yahoo News have in common?

________________________________________________________________________

Q21) Can Snapchat survive in the age of Instagram Stories and Facebook Live?

____Yes

____No

Q22) What is the difference between public affairs and public relations?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q23) In the face of adversity, many executives and politicians are choosing to “double down” as opposed to offering heartfelt apologies. Is this a viable strategy? Why/Why not?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Q24) Which corporate executive suffered the greatest loss in reputation in 2018? Rank 1-5 with 1 being the biggest loser.

____ Elon Musk

____ John “Papa John” Schnatter

____ Mark Zuckerberg

____ Sheryl Sandberg

____ Carlos Ghosn

____ Les Moonves

Q25) True or False:

_____For every journalist on staff at a U.S. news organization, there are an estimated six (6) PR professionals

Q26) Bonus question: How is “Fyre” a parable for our day and age? (See photo above.)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

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