How Do, a valuable source of media knowledge, has reported that the Manchester Evening News will be running more pages in response to Crain’s launching a weekly business magazine.

This is a positive development for all B2B PRs that do not have the bigger stage that B2C PRs enjoy.

With the new journalist joining the MEN business desk, who has an environmental background, will offer a another dimension to the stories they will be most amenable to, although the MEN has a small Green section each Tuesday.

Every now again you come across a site or you might have heard of one without ever really exploring it

When you take a closer look you find something quite unique.

I was fortunate in the last week or so to talk to Aidan O’Rourke and Brian (sorry do not have your surname; not an impressive start) from Salford Online.

I have bumped into Aidan before but not really explored his site. When he showed me his website recently you cannot be anything but impressed: founded 10 years ago; over 4 years in the present format; and if my memory serves me well I believe there are 5,000 pages. Many of the photos (primarily) and copy have a Manchester theme but there are pages devoted to locations ranging from Dubai to Berlin, which, in the case of the latter, I looked at length. A really useful resource as a photo library for travel PRs - the images are impressive - or just to enjoy the images.

Salford Online is a newer venture but one that promises a lot. Lots of interesting copy and for PRs with Salford based clients or with news of interest to that area one that presents an opportunity.

My only criticism, and an easy one I hope to fix, is that when a section loads up it appears as though it is blank until you scroll down and see the wealth of stories.

I know they are very open to ideas and refining the site so this one is one to watch.

Stephen Newton, Manchester PR specialist, has found an interesting article that shows the broadsheets dominating news readership online, while the tabloids are way in front in print.

A subject that demands some analysing to find out why that is. Perhaps as Stephen says it is evidence of the digital divide; I suspect that plays a part but it might be just one element of quite a complex question.

That venerable and no down right stupid institution the Oxford Union has given far right racists and Holocaust deniers David Irving and Nick Griffin a stage.

Tonight sees them debate the right to free speech.

The invitation has been met with protests including that of MP Julian Lewis who has resigned his membership of the Union: “I think there are people confusing this with an issue of free speech. It’s not an issue of free speech to offer someone a privileged platform from a prestige organisation.

Trevor Phillips, chair of the Commission of Equalities and Human Rights hit the mark with: “This is not a question of freedom of speech, this is a juvenile provocation.”

The debate, which is tonight, sees the two seasoned far right public speakers facing a couple of DPhil students and possibly a Liberal Democrat MP. They will show them hey. They shall not pass (with some regrettable irony).

Well, judging by the two PR disasters that are dominating the new - losing 25 million records by the government and selecting an England manager that did not achieve the minimum requirement of qualifying for the European championship - you do what any leader of any high profile organisation does: blame someone else and accept no responsibility.

The government has blamed a junior civil servant and not cuts for not having better procedures for handling sensitive material. Moreover, staff at the Tyne and Wear office involved have been warned not to talk to the press with a strict warning.

Brian Barwick CEO at the FA has decided that he and the board should not go for selecting the wrong or at least an unsuccessful manager - let’s not recount the Phil Scolari very public recruitment farce - whose fault was that Brian?.

Brian Clough once said that if the board make a mistake about a manger they should go. Sound advice.

In a blame culture solve your PR woes by making yourself blameless with your messaging and you can forget about the real problem.

After some PR lobbying (well not too much) from Nathan Smith of Smith and Smith PR I have added their agency to the list of candidates for Manchester’s most famous agency.

Smith and Smith have grown from 2 people when I first met them 18 months ago to 7 and still recruiting. Quite impressive and have amongst their clients Dragon’s Den James Caan and The Football Association’s League’s Hall of Fame.

Without wanting to replace anyone, my lists now go up to 11.

I was at the Business North West BEX exhibition yesterday and it has improved since last year. It seems a bit more energetic and upbeat compared to last year. A reason given was that it moved to the big GMEX facility in 2006 and lost a number of regular exhibitors in the process with the higher rents on the stands and was consequently a little quieter.

I made one particular contact that made it worthwhile as is often the case of analysing whether something is worthwhile.

It is on today so if you have a spare hour it is worth going along.

I am a bit of a fan I admit. Yet, I think there is real substance compared to some of the other reality business programs on television although he is not quite in this category - in fact you can learn more from him than the business reality trash that is dished out.

What do we learn from The Apprentice? Back biting, playing off contestants and politics are the only things worth knowing in business? Dragon’s Den - a bit like the early stages of the X Factor when you have the rather strange contestants being mocked by the panel mixed with some with genuine talent.

Gordon Ramsey almost without exception gives the same lessons every week, which I believe can be transferred and are key:

• Make it simple
• Be organised
• Communicate with staff and give them responsibility
• Have passion
• Give the client want they want - talk to them and find out what they want
• Use marketing - not adverse to use a few gimics: the campaign for real gravy for instance; but it worked
• hard work

Last week I placed my friend’s Pauline dog and his desire for curry in The South Manchester Reporter.

From there it was picked up in the Manchester Evening News. Now he has been featured in The Guardian, The Metro and The Scotsman as far as I know.

On a more serious note, there is no reason not to apply the same methods to B2C and B2B campaigns. There are certain media channels that almost act like a hub and point of reference for journalists.

A few years ago I did a story about broadband over the electrical network. I placed it in The Register, a leading online magazine read by techies across the globe. The story was picked up in Holland, Russia, USA, South Africa as well as other UK sites. About 10 sites in total used the story. Impressive coverage.

When I was looking for jobs you could hazard a guess many times who the company was if the recruitment company gave you the clues.

A big defence company in Lancashire would not be hard to guess if a recruitment company offered your a PR position: BAE Systems

I came across a PR exec job of Totaljobs that has me guessing.

It opens, “Manchester’s most famous PR agency is looking for an Account Executive to work on some of its prestigious public relations clients.”

Who is it?

If I had to narrow it to 10 I would choose the following (of course we could argue about famous in what circles and what locations etc):

Brazen
Communique
SKV
Citypress
Mason Williams
Connectpoint
Staniforth
Golley Slater (although they are nationwide)
Weber Shandwick (North)
Tangerine

It is a competitive list for that title. So who are they talking about?