tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post5190055413424895180..comments2024-03-07T02:00:01.582-05:00Comments on NEI Nuclear Notes: Once More into the Frozen Breach with Energy DiversityUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-46789853198660217712014-04-08T10:00:49.767-04:002014-04-08T10:00:49.767-04:00This is not a killing the messenger issue. It'...This is not a killing the messenger issue. It's one of organizations and groups who have taken on the mantle of reporting and delving issues in the nuclear community taking up the banner and sword and correcting public nuclear misconceptions and countering outright FUD slander. The offices of 60 Minutes should've had phones ringing off the hook from such groups railing them about how willful obtuse they were regarding the facts of radiation and what happened at Fukushima and the image they portrayed of reactors as a whole. A phone call costs a dime. Light-years less most coffee budgets. I'm not even talking about full blown mass media nuclear public education which should've started long yesterday, just a lousy phone call to the media to say hey, you all misled people (because it was NO "mistake" or "ignorance") regarding nuclear mentions on your show! We got real nuclear pros on tap to use as consultants if you wish (instead of their regular token flunkies). If these nuclear advocacy groups indeed made such a call at least, we'd all be elated to hear of it!<br /><br />James Greenidge<br />Queens NY<br />jimwghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06964988758509076556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-69833993678121111502014-04-07T14:11:01.155-04:002014-04-07T14:11:01.155-04:00I'll charitably assume Rod Adams is not delibe...I'll charitably assume Rod Adams is not deliberately misleading about how journalism works, but maybe just doesn't know. <br /><br />Reporters don't sell ads, editors don't sell ads, and they don't base their stories on what does sell ads. Those things are handled by different departments in any real news organization. <br /><br />A lot of time is spent on this blog killing the messenger. It's not the media's fault the industry is facing many challenges. I don't see the New York Times, MSNBC, etc. setting up fracking operations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-42262818394940961212014-04-06T10:01:56.468-04:002014-04-06T10:01:56.468-04:00>> We have media guys who track this stuff f...>> We have media guys who track this stuff for us and for the month of March the campaign has made nearly six million impressions. <<<br /><br />Not knocking anyone or how to spend money but if you ask anyone off the street in the U.S. if they heard or saw anything good about nukes, some people aren't going to like the answer. Sure those six million aren't in Pango-Pango?Mitchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-3539988978424088982014-04-05T09:14:32.705-04:002014-04-05T09:14:32.705-04:00If people like Jim and I, who look carefully for p...<i>If people like Jim and I, who look carefully for positive messages about nuclear energy, are not aware of an ad campaign, that should be an indication that the campaign is a bit too quiet.</i><br /><br />Or maybe that it's not targeted to you guys which it isn't. We have media guys who track this stuff for us and for the month of March the campaign has made nearly six million impressions. Ads are placed in E&E News, WSJ, Washington Post, Facebook, Google search, Twitter, LinkedIn and Politico, to name a few. <br /><br /><i>wouldn't your effort be more successful if the large corporations that you represent would pony up a little more money to spread the word?</i><br /><br />You guys seem to think we have an unlimited budget and resources. If it were only that easy.David Bradishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02439638522932781068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-34138324650767913682014-04-05T02:32:05.067-04:002014-04-05T02:32:05.067-04:00@David
You wrote:
NEI has an ad campaign going o...@David<br /><br />You wrote:<br /><br /><i>NEI has an ad campaign going on that he may not be aware of and Exelon has one as well.</i><br /><br />There is some irony in that comment. If people like Jim and I, who look carefully for positive messages about nuclear energy, are not aware of an ad campaign, that should be an indication that the campaign is a bit too quiet.<br /><br />Nukes have a well deserved reputation for being self-critical, learning from best practices, and having strong knowledge management programs. I recognize that NEI rank and file employees are hard working people, but why do you get defensive when we point out that your leaders need to provide you with more resources? <br /><br />You create great content, but wouldn't your effort be more successful if the large corporations that you represent would pony up a little more money to spread the word?<br /><br />Mark Flanagan made the following statement: <br /><br /><i>Government support, editorial backing, think tank and agency reports (like FERC's)have a far more consequential impact than advertising alone can do.</i><br /><br />Sure, but how do you think you are going to get the attention of the editors and the think tanks if you don't do your part and tell your story as loudly as you can, using the "bullhorn" of paid advertising. <br /><br />Here's a little secret for you - the mainstream (aka commercial) media makes its money by selling ads. If you expect them to support your business, you need to support theirs. I know that most engineers believe the myth that journalists work hard to find stories and always tell the truth, but that is not really the way the world works.<br /><br />By the way, you were a little gentle on FERC about its complete avoidance of the 'N' word.<br /><br />Rod Adams<br />Publisher, Atomic InsightsRod Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03652375336090790205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-46273589812031583052014-04-04T06:21:16.169-04:002014-04-04T06:21:16.169-04:00>> The bottom line is, a lot of what NEI (an...>> The bottom line is, a lot of what NEI (and other similar organizations) does is invisible - not secret per se, just not directly seeable by advocates. <<<br /><br />Well it sure is invisible because people on the street all say nuclear is evil for over 40 years! Did the BP Oil Gulf get their name and mojo back this way?Mitchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-12263785527181691642014-04-03T16:50:38.785-04:002014-04-03T16:50:38.785-04:00What Arnie and Helen know and nuclear industry peo...What Arnie and Helen know and nuclear industry people don't (or don't appreciate) is that emotional arguments "sell" better than logical or scientific ones. Arnie and Helen have no logic or science on their side. Theirs is strictly an emotional appeal, and irrational fear is among the strongest of emotional responses. It is also extremely difficult to rebut an emotional appeal based on fear with a logical one based on reason and science, because Arnie and Helen will use that against us (i.e., you're "cold", or "don't care about the children"). What we need is a compassionate message that appeals both to logic and emotion, one that shows that nuclear energy can fill a crucial need that will provide comfort, security, environmental benefits, economic stability, and growth. It must be delivered not only with conviction but with passion. Engineers and scientists generally don't possess the morphe to pull that off easily. We need an articulate, charismatic advocate who can rebut the Fuddites in the public mind in an effective manner. Unfortunately, that ain't me. I try in my own way, but I can only reach a limited audience without the mass media appeal of the Gundersens and Caldicotts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-37620216424321069272014-04-03T16:20:34.045-04:002014-04-03T16:20:34.045-04:00I'll insert myself into this tussle to note th...I'll insert myself into this tussle to note that FERC reports are not something that are going to penetrate the minds of anyone outside the energy-interested. But as I point out in the post, respondents to a poll are highly in favor of energy diversity, which benefits nuclear energy. You can say that the FERC report, however indirectly it percolates into the public consciousness, does get there. <br /><br />Jim would like to see NEI take to the hustings to trumpet the wonders of nuclear energy. But frankly, while advertising campaigns can be useful (and NEI's Nuclear Matters campaign is pretty nicely thought out), they won't get you where you want to go by themselves. Government support, editorial backing, think tank and agency reports (like FERC's)have a far more consequential impact than advertising alone can do. Our blog posts pointing up the nuclear doings around us can be used to help make the case to our friends and acquaintances (and bring attention to non-obvious pro-nuclear documents like the FERC report).<br /><br />The bottom line is, a lot of what NEI (and other similar organizations) does is invisible - not secret per se, just not directly seeable by advocates. But it's happening anyway and is often quite effective in sending the pro-nuclear message to those most able to do something useful with it. Mark Flanaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15261889547342452468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-30955929372103927942014-04-03T15:24:20.433-04:002014-04-03T15:24:20.433-04:00Nothing "backhanded" about this. The rea...Nothing "backhanded" about this. The reality is less than .001% of Americans will ever know such an informative article exists regarding one major national survival issue. PR techniques matter. GM and Kellogg and even Greenpeace didn't get renown in the public by staying niche or doing Tupperware parties. That Arnie and Helen get far more media notice and regard than this far more deserving article tells something about marketing nuclear and getting one's word and facts across the masses where it counts. Hawking one's agency and product isn't all that hard these days when you have the ready resources and name and the manpower at hand. Stuffing my checks in my mouth wouldn't be enough to do the job, but I'd happily produce and launch lots informative nuclear education ads and promos in a heartbeat if I'd the chair for a week. Nuclear is hemorrhaging in the U.S. and it better wise up to the obvious but quick. Give the devils their due, but just what is it that Greenpeace and Arnie and Helen know and do about wooing the public trust that's beyond the nuclear community's keen to compete?<br /><br />James Greenidge<br />Queens NYjimwghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06964988758509076556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-40188120144973531512014-04-03T13:20:46.411-04:002014-04-03T13:20:46.411-04:00The cold and high winds actually killed a number o...The cold and high winds actually killed a number of wind turbines in my area. One got ruined by high winds. Evidently the gearbox and related transmission parts were destroyed by over speed on the windmill. The braking system must have failed or itself burned out. The cold killed some turbines because their lube oil heaters failed and the oil froze up. Meanwhile, the two nuclear plants in the area kept chugging out the megawatts with nary a problem (or word of appreciation in the media).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-17436142976174537362014-04-03T11:18:37.563-04:002014-04-03T11:18:37.563-04:00Yes, Jim continuously makes that point in nearly e...Yes, Jim continuously makes that point in nearly every one of our posts. <a href="http://www.nei.org/News-Media/Multimedia/Advertising" rel="nofollow">NEI has an ad campaign</a> going on that he may not be aware of and Exelon has one as well. Press conferences for both of these were also held and ads have been frequently placed in periodicals and newspapers for years. Ads, impressions and reaching the masses don't solve nuclear's problems though and complaining about NEI's outreach tactics certainly doesn't help.<br /><br />What could help is having him start his own campaign <a href="http://popatomic.org/" rel="nofollow">like others have</a>.David Bradishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02439638522932781068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-82846413266712615572014-04-03T10:58:44.649-04:002014-04-03T10:58:44.649-04:00I'm sure Jim's point it that you're pr...I'm sure Jim's point it that you're preaching to the choir here. This blog doesn't seem to generate much contention or attract the unconverted. Perhaps you should be more visible to the public....holding press conferences and taking out full page ads in key periodicals and newspapers. Dan Williamsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-1449685610271982922014-04-03T10:37:04.132-04:002014-04-03T10:37:04.132-04:00Thanks for the backhanded comment Jim. Always appr...Thanks for the backhanded comment Jim. Always appreciate you telling us how much our posts don't matter.David Bradishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02439638522932781068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-92207924735229718802014-04-02T19:40:59.779-04:002014-04-02T19:40:59.779-04:00This is one excellent piece!!!
Single flaw is tha...This is one excellent piece!!!<br /><br />Single flaw is that it'll never break out into the voting mass lay public for its enlightenment to do any good!<br /><br />Keep up the good work!<br /><br />James Greenidge<br />Queens NY<br /><br /><br />jimwghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06964988758509076556noreply@blogger.com