1. The Interpublic Group unit that holds its PR firms reported third-quarter revenue of $376.5 million on Wednesday morning, up 9.9% on an organic basis compared with last year. The holding company owns and operates Weber Shandwick, Golin, DeVries, and others. Including all marketing disciplines, Interpublic revenue hit $1.8 billion, up 6.3% organically from Q3 2013.
2. Cision gobbled up another communications services provider early Wednesday, acquiring Gorkana for an undisclosed sum. Last week, Cision officially merged with former rival Vocus under the Cision brand.
The Cision-Gorkana deal is the second major acquisition in the PR industry this week. On Tuesday afternoon, Washington, DC-based ICF International said it plans to buy Minneapolis-headquartered ad agency Olson, including its Olson Engage PR unit.
3. Ben Bradlee, the editor who led The Washington Post through its Watergate coverage and was immortalized in the film All the President’s Men, died Tuesday of natural causes at age 93. Journalists and politicians saluted Bradlee yesterday evening.
4. The Republican Party, long considered the runner-up to the Democrats in terms of online campaigning, has stepped up its efforts to target voters on the Web after hiring former Facebook engineer Andy Barkett last year.
5. McDonald’s is detailing how it plans to turn around its business after slumping sales — a 30% decline in net income — in the third quarter. It is shaking up its management structure and adding more staff to restaurants during busy periods.
6. Yahoo reported improved financials when it unveiled its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, including a $6.3 billion take from Alibaba Group’s IPO, perhaps even earning CEO Marissa Mayer a grace period from critics. However, Yahoo did not explain what it plans to do with $43 billion in stock holdings in Yahoo Japan and Alibaba.
7. Canon USA has put its PR account up for grabs as the camera market continues to face stiff and quickly evolving competition from smartphones. The company works with Grey Activation and PR on integrated communications.
8. Prolific Business Insider executive editor Joseph Wiesenthal, known to write up to 15 stories a day, will join Bloomberg News next month with plans to launch a website and TV show.
After 5 amazing years, tomorrow will be my last day at Business Insider
— Joseph Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) October 21, 2014
