The IPPNY/SSK communications effort for NY is finally a go!  Since I will be on a train from Philly to NYC tomorrow during the Leadership call the following is a quick summary of what's going on in NY.

IPPNY/EPSA
Gavin Donohue, Mark Stultz and myself met Tuesday for lunch and discussed each organizations' communications efforts and the need for coordination given the overlap in membership, the dual focus on NYC, and the costs involved.  

The EPSA effort is a "reassurance" campaign for states who have already begun deregulation but who might be nervous to proceed after witnessing the CA debacle.
EPSA is working with the Chamber of Commerce and is focused on four markets (Boston, NYC, Baltimore and DC).
EPSA contracted with a PR firm out of Austin, TX and they have already developed 3 broadcast advertising spots (Mark is on the steering committee and should have access to the spots) 
EPSA shared the spots with SSK and IPPNY yesterday (which SSK didn't like very much)
The ads would run on PBS and cable - the media buys have not been purchased yet.
Apparently EPSA developed the ads and are running them past focus groups as we speak
Interestingly enough, the spot which they developed for the eastern states used the word deregulation over and over (a word that is not popular here).  
AND when tested among the opinion elites - they didn't know who PJM was!! 
Lastly, the accompanying print ad isn't that impressive.
Mark will have access  to the ads and - as a steering committee member - will have the opportunity to weigh in on the ad and decide whether to move to the second phase of funding.
The good news is that EPSA has agreed to not interfere with what IPPNY is doing in NY and will work with us as our efforts evolve.

IPPNY/SSK
During our meeting on Tuesday, we finalized the initial press release, and agreed on the inserts for the press kit.  Apparently, Hillary Clinton and other members of the NY delegation are holding an energy roundtable on Monday.  IPPNY's press release will go out over the wires Monday around 11:00 am and will hopefully get dual coverage from reporters who are covering Hillary's event.  I'll forward to you the final release but it generally says that IPPNY is unveiling its Energy Solutions Program - a five point action plan to address the long and short term energy needs of NY (designed to avoid a CA-style energy crisis).  The plan includes energy conservation (which was on the top of new yorkers minds in the statewide poll), accelerated siting process, creation of an efficient, multi-state energy marketplace, upgrading the state's power transmission system and encouraging utilities to enter into contracts that protect consumers from volatile energy prices.

Gavin will be back in NYC on July 10th for media training and SSK is in the process of lining him up for meetings with press outlets and other organizations.  

We're also planning to schedule him at various events around the state which deal with energy issues.

We hope to host some sort of energy roundtable of our own at the IPPNY fall meeting in October.

As for advertising, we don't have the funds or the commitment today but after we launch this effort we're going to pull the participating companies together to have a discussion about advertising and to guage whether they want to support it with additional funds. 

I'll get you final copies of the release and press kit as soon as they are put together. 

To date, Enron is in for 50K in NY but it's been an expensive three months of research, and prep time and materials so managing the budget is going to be an issue throughout the summer.  

I will be in PJM all day Thursday to cover PJM's initial meeting for the development of their communications office and get a rundown of their plans for "messaging"