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| THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES GOPHER NEWS SERVICE |
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March 2022
How the Hellenic Community Center of Montreal failed in having good
Public Relations with the community
(GIF) article photo
(this article was originally published in Greek [here][809])
Those who listened to last Saturday's Greek broadcast on CFMB 1280 AM
with guest the former Public Relations BoD Member of the Hellenic
Community of Greater Montreal ("HCGM"), better known as the
_**Department of Divisive Relations**_ , confirmed that now, after his
mysterious resignation, the man carries the exact same baggage of the
current problematic HCGM BoD and is willing to continue the exact same
power-trip with Greek Community Media in the new team he is about to
join - either the Doctor's or the Syrros's! (It's not improbable that
the two will merge to make up the required 51 people to form a full team
for the upcoming community elections).
When asked by Michael Tellides if he would solve the long standing issue
that the HCGM has created with the media and particularly the
"Papadopoulos issue" - he was extremely hesitant and called me
"inflammatory" - in short, problematic. In other words, we will have
exactly the same problems with the media.
But because he has an incredible eloquence of speech,
outstanding talent for emotional storytelling, charm, and a
remarkable way of demagoguing with nonsense and emotions that
caress the ears, the essence went unnoticed.
He implicitly stated that where he is going he will continue the exact
same line of the current problematic BoD. On the other hand he claims to
"disagree" with the communications policy of the HCGM. But he didn't say
anything specific. He simply stated that the temporary closure of the
membership registration website was the "excuse" he resigned from the
current BoD, not the cause! He did not say the cause.
But at least he's honest, and he made it clear from the get-go: He will
be more of the same as far as Public Relations is concerned!
God help us!
The HCGM needs people capable of doing GOOD public relations, not
deliberately putting the media, local community bodies and members
against them - because that's the way they want it - resulting in
pissing contests from all sides, and thus discrediting the organization.
Since they removed the late Foti Komborozo as the organization's public
relations officer a few years ago, the Hellenic Community of Montreal
has ceased to have a functioning public relations department. And in the
last 4 years that department has completely ceased to function as a PR
department. Since then, not only does it not do good PR, but both the
employee of this dysfunctional office and the two BoD Members in charge
of PR and marketing, have only managed to ruin their relations
disastrously with all the Greek Community Media in Montreal, and by
closing access for media coverage !
Also, the Community Bosses have banned media from access to the
organization and Board meetings on the rationale of sending out
ready "tailored" news releases of what is going on in the
organization for the media to republish !
Because the media reacted strongly in the light of the unacceptable
operation and incompetence of the PR office, and more so the weekly
newspapers - even taking away one of the two community pages that
are provided pro bono to the HCGM to publish it's weekly
newsletter, the bosses of the PR department responded by publishing
their own 16-page bi-weekly tabloid HCGM newspaper, at an
unjustifiably huge operational cost.
In this HCGM newspaper, the community bosses **believe** they are
exclusively promoting the activities of the Greek Community of Montreal.
But in reality, as it turned out, this HCGM newspaper is not popular and
has no influence on public opinion, on the visibility of the
organization or on the promotion of activities. Also, because the
activities of the organization are not open to the media because of the
exclusivity that enjoys HCGM's Newspaper, this makes it impossible for
journalists to know what's happening in the HCGM and nothing positive is
being reported. All that is heard from the media is harsh criticism of
the incompetence of the Board of Directors and the Public Relations
Department of the Hellenic Community of Montreal.
And unfortunately, public opinion and the overall image is very negative
towards the organization, with consequences for the schools as well.
This constant harsh criticism against the Board by the media has
resulted in the BoD members taking a defensive and hostile attitude
towards the media, and the situation has reached the point of
discrediting the organization.
**They are power-tripping - and continue as 'planned'!**
The HCGM Bosses with their appalling behavior have pushed away Mike-FM
reporter Adoni Houdala, discouraged CFMB reporter Soula Tellides,
challenged ALL the editors of the community newspapers, and kicked me
out of the community - worst of all, the HCGM Rulers don't have any
intention whatsoever of restoring public relations with anyone!
After all, the Community, and especially the PR Office, considers the
media to be in direct competition with their HCGM newspaper, and they
see no reason why they should have good relations with the media.
**Public Relations has failed miserably to the point of betrayal**
The irony is, that the former Public Relations BoD member who resigned
in order to join a new party, intends to continue with the same
irrational thinking in the new team he plans to join, possibly because
he himself is ignorant how Public Relations work. If you ask him about
the HCGM's newspaper, he considers it as one his "achievements"! He
considers it an accomplishment to have the organization _**Circle
Jerk**_ and congratulate themselves "exclusively" in a non-existent HCGM
newsprint instead of having the activities widely promoted by all the
media! He prefers to have the HCGM to "compete" with the media and have
them shooting at them from the outside!
Lord Forbid!
**A unique opportunity to showcase the organization 's community
services has been missed**
If there had been a functional PR office, in the last two years of
draconian government restrictions and lockdowns, the community leaders
would have invited the media to conduct regular press conferences with
live links - which I could have offered the technical part myself pro
bono for all the radio and TV stations from the HCGM's Board Room,
side by side with various agencies, doctors, experts and politicians
(with physical presence - there was an exception). Our so-called
leaders would have then addressed the Greater Greek Community, on-air
live from the HCGM Headquarters, to inform the community that our
Greek Community Leadership is there for any needs with the Social
Services, and in general, they are there for everyone during this very
difficult crisis. This never happened.
> **_Effectively, they missed such a golden opportunity to become
heroes during the pandemic!_**
Instead, they continued their clowning around and during the harsh
lockdowns, they went into a long hibernation state. But they did manage
to pull a couple of millions of dollars from the COVID-19 relief fund
grants from the government for alleged services they supposedly provided
during the crisis that no one knows about. Taxpayer money - which as
they stated on the radio, _**they 've "put in the bank" and are now
doing financially better**_ to be able to _**decorate**_ the banquet
hall with inflated bills from a non-existent company.
**This COVID government relief fund is grated for operational costs to
make up for the losses incurred during the lockdowns; not to be put in
the bank and used later for unrelated "costly" improvements or extra
construction works **- which may or may not include kickbacks. (let's be
honest). **If no "loss" was incurred during the pandemic, then, there
was no reason to claim millions of taxpayer money.**
**Taking advantage of relief funds for improving one 's financial
situation with taxpayer money, as the vice-president of the HCGM said on
the radio… is unethical at best.**
Just that alone calls for a UPAC forensic investigation for misusing
public funds and hold each BoD member personally liable for reckless
spending without budget approval.
Although, I'm not sure this problematic Board of Directors wants to have
contact with the community, if they wish to contribute to the community,
or accept volunteer work. In general, I question the purpose of this
troubled board, and wonder what the real reason for its existence is.
> What the Greek community organization needs is to open the doors again
to members and the media, abolish their non-existent costly newspaper,
establish good relations with local community bodies, and invite
journalists to report on stories so that the good works and
contributions of the organization can be spread at large - instead of
hearing a divisive vine of discord and complaints from all over the
place, as they have managed to do today.
I invite you to see a Television News Report below that I made in
2001 which was aired on CFCF-12 (CTV Montreal), Odyssey-TV (Canada
Wide), Ant1 Satellite (USA) and Ant1 Pacific (Australia) Greek
Television Broadcasts on the occasion of the visit of the Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gregory Niotis, to the Greek Community
of Montreal and the schools. And as you will see in the footage, ALL
the media in the community attended the coverage of this visit, and
talked about it for a month!
If the Greek Minister had visited the Community Schools today, thanks to
the incompetence of the HGCM's Public Relations Office and it's campers,
such reporting and promotion of the schools would not have been possible
and the event would have gone unnoticed. The so-called HCGM Publicist
would have grated himself exclusivity to do "the job" on the fly by
himself, with a tiny amateur snapshot in his newsletter that no one
cares about, and instead of the media promoting the schools through new
reporting, it would be overshadowed by cacophony, harsh criticism and
whining about HCGM's "closed doors" policy, and secrecy.
With community leaders responding with attitude: _**there 's none so
deaf as those who don't want to hear!**_ or if worst comes to worst, the
chairman of the Board to shout a **" Shut up"** to anyone who does not
obey… as he recently ordered journalist Soula Tellides.
As it stands today, the HCGM Public Relations office is discrediting the
Greek Community, and needs a complete reformation. It's a total
embarrassment. Incompetence at it's best.
_The very fundamental concept of any community organization at it 's
core, is the interaction of the community and its participation together
with all its stakeholders around the community. The idea is to be run as
a Community Organization with the input of the community. Unfortunately,
the current HCGM administrators have not understood the very concept of
what a Community Organization is all about, and they take advantage of
government funds and run the community organization alone as if it is
their private business without accounting for the community._
**This evil cannot continue any longer!**
[809]: https://greektimes.ca/12047/
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