#1112-3 Miracle Man of Miami Beach – Hank Meyer 1967v
MAY 2 3 1967
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PUBLIC LIBRARY
Reference Department
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He put a loud shirt on President
Truman, brought big-time television down to
stay, arranged f or a Presidential
plug during the Cuban missile crisis, and even
named a street f or Arthur Godfrey
^ Irr NOVEMBER 1948 President
Harry S Truman was vacationing at
Key West. At the same time a Miami
public relations man had among his
accounts a manufacturer who had a
line of sport shirts that were so loud
they could be seen clearly on the fog-
giest day in London town. To the
P.R. man, it seemed only right that
Mr. Truman and the shirts should
meet-preferably in front of news
cameras.
He arranged to have four of the
shirts sent to the President's press
secretary as a gift for Mr. Truman.
The President, relaxing from his
smashing victory over Thomas E.
Dewey, was apparently in a sportive
mood. He wore one of the shirts.
Within 48 hours almost every
newspaper in the country carried
front-page pictures of the President
of the United States in what one
columnist called "his pavonine (pea-
cock) splendor." Newsreels also
filmed the event, and major maga-
zines ran pictures on their covers.
Sales of the shirts boomed.
The ingenious public relations
man who cooked up this stunt is
Harold David (Hank) Meyer. The
only trouble was, Hank says today,
"the cost of just the clipping service
was more than what I was being
paid. And the manufacturer had so
little confidence in the whole idea
that he-had given me four imperfect
shirts-what they call `seconds.' I
guess Mr. Truman doesn't know to
this day his shirts were seconds!"
Hank Meyer first came to Miami
after a boyhood in New York City (he
may have invented the package deal;
as a kid, he sold the old Liberty mag-
azine in the city's subways along
with a "special offer" of four second-
hand magazines), a brief stay at
New York University, and a trou-
bling attack of hay fever.
Hearing that South Florida was a
good place for allergy sufferers, he
enrolled at the University of Miami
and worked his way through as an
assistant in the publicity depart-
ment. He was graduated in 1942,
went into the Navy (enlisted man to
Chief Petty Officer), and was dis-
charged in 1946. Then he started
his own public relations and adver-
tising firm in Miami Beach.
In the fall of 1949 Hank went to
work for the City of Miami Beach as
public relations director. His salary
was $7500-no great prize, since he
83
PAGEANT FEBRUARY 1966
had been making far more working
for his private clients-but the job
offered a challenge. The Beach com-
munity, it was said, was suffering
from a bad "image" at the time.
Steve Hannagan, who died in 1953
while visiting Africa, had quit as
Miami Beach publicist in 1945, after
the city council had thumbed down
a salary request for $25,000. Hanna-
gan, aflamboyant genius in the P. T.
Barnum tradition, had identified the
Beach with bathing beauty pictures
and wild promotion stunts.
Hank initiated straightforward,
no-nonsense public relations efforts
punctuated, occasionally, by im-
aginative and legitimate stunts. He
also felt that Miami Beach should be
exposed to the vast new television
audience through established shows
beamed from the area.
Opportunity for television beam-
ing from Miami Beach arose in 1951
when Hank met Arthur Godfrey and
learned that he wanted to do shows
from the Beach. The main difficulty
was the lack of a coaxial television
cable.
In a tour de force that would be-
come typical of his activities, Hank
persuaded AT&T to put in a cable.
Godfrey responded quickly by mov-
ing in with Talent Scouts, Arthur
Godfrey and His Friends, and his
other shows.
WHILE THE REST Of the nation WaS
freezing, millions of television
viewers watched Godfrey emerge
from the ocean, sit on the beach, or
sprawl happily near the Kenilworth
Hotel pool. Police surrounded the
hotel to keep Godfrey fans in order.
Godfrey and Hank became close
friends. The "old redhead" is god-
father of one of Hank's daughters,
and Hank was instrumental in hav-
ing a Miami Beach street named
after Godfrey.
Godfrey had broken the ice-a
word not greatly admired in Miami.
84
Hank, in turn, brought a parade of
other network shows to the Beach,
among them Red Skelton's show;
Perry Como; the Tonight Show, first
with Steve Allen and later with Jack
Paar; and the Ed Sullivan show.
Hank was also instrumental in
bringing Dave Garroway's old Today
Show to Miami. Some years ago, the
story goes, the children of a nice
little old lady persuaded her to enjoy
a good rest and vacation alone at an
oceanfront hotel in Miami Beach. On
her first morning there she decided
to have a swim before breakfast.
When she reached the beach the
glare from the sun was blinding. But
after her eyes had adjusted, she
glanced around, gulped, and hastily
pulled her robe back on. Two Semi-
nole Indians in full costume were
prodding a large, ill-tempered alli-
gator. Something that looked like a
tiger was snarling at a man in a
pith helmet. Monkeys were tossing
seashells at each other, and a huge
bird was trying to impale a bosomy
girl with its beak. The beach looked
like a zoo.
"Who needs it?" the little old lady
said firmly. She marched back to the
hotel, checked out, and phoned hex
children. "You call this a rest?" she
protested. "They're all crazy down
here. I'm coming home!"
The good lady left unaware that
she had stumbled into the first Dave
Garroway television show to be
beamed from Miami Beach. For rea-
sons best known to the leprechauns
of TV, Mr. Garroway had elected to
open his Today Show with an assort-
ment of animals supposedly native
to Florida. He had been abetted if
not directly aided by Hank Meyer.
Meyer did all this in order to at-
tract attention and visitors to the
Beach. Hank, asoft-spoken, gregari-
ous 45-year-old, is very probably the
most competent publicist of the cen-
tury. Exact statistics are difficult to
compile, but it is likely that during
his 16 years as Miami Beach publi-
cist Meyer has garnered considerably
more than half a billion dollars'
- worth of free press, radio, and tele-
vision exposure for eight miles of
sand and sunshine.
In 1956 Hank resigned from his
city job as publicity-public relations
director and went on to build a large
public relations firm, Hank Meyer
Associates, Inc., serving the interests
of more than two dozen business
organizations all over the nation.
The city fathers, however, viewed
Hank's resignation with a distress
usually reserved for hurricanes or
Florida cold snaps. So they rehired
him personally as consultant for pub-
licity at a fee of $12,000 a year. Then
they engaged his firm at $10,000 as a
vehicle for the efforts. This was later
raised to $20,000 a year, but Hank's
fee has never been increased, nor
has he ever asked for an increase.
A pet project of Hank's is trying to
put South Florida's occasional chilli-
ness into proper focus. One of the
darkest periods in recent Greater
Miami history was 1958, when north-
ern papers carried headines:MrnMr
FREEZES.
It was about this time that Hank
devised his system of sending out
telegrams to editors and columnists.
One read, "We understand when our
bad weather makes front page news
throughout the country. But when
the weather returns to normal, we
feel we should get equal space."
Editors were amused by the wires.
Almost 100 newspapers gave Hank's
appeal a prominent position, and
even the stately New York Herald
Tribune ran it on the front page.
Far more dangerous to the Miami
tourist economy than any cold snap
was the Cuban crisis in October
1962. Northern papers were report-
ing that a curfew had been estab-
lished in Miami Beach, that high-
ways were clogged with military
traffic, and that commercial air
travel had been suspended or re-
stricted. None of this was true, of
course, but airlines and resort people
envisioned a critical drop in tourism.
A troubled airline executive, John
Morris, vice president of National
Airlines, called Hank to suggest,
"Can you get someone to ask Presi-
dent Kennedy at his press conference
if his family will vacation in South
Florida as usual?"
Through George Beebe, managing
editor of the Miami Herald, Hank got
in touch with Dave Kraslow, Wash-
ington correspondent for the paper.
Kraslow was dubious about the
whole idea. "I'm apt to wind up with
egg on my face," he said. "How do
you know the President will point to
me when I raise my hand? How do
you know he'll answer the question?
How do you know he'll say, `Yes'?"
"I told Dave not to worry," Hank
says today. "Then I placed two phone
calls, called Dave back, and asked
him to go ahead.
"About two that afternoon-the
press conference was around four-
Dave phoned to say he had talked to
an assistant press secretary who
SS
Hanh Meyer insists on accuracy, honest
and objective communication to public.
PAGEANT FEBRUARY 1966
said he had no assurance that the
Kennedys were going to South Flor-
ida. Dave said he didn't want to stick
his neck out if a top man in the office
of the President couldn't confirm it.
"I made another call. Then I
phoned Dave again and said it was
safe ±o ask the question." (Hank does
not identify the person he called.
But it's safe to say that the individual
was not a Senate page boy. )
Hank continues: "When the press
conference came on the air, I ner-
vously sat in front of the television
set. But sure enough-after ten or
twelve questions-Dave raised his
hand. The President recognized him.
Dave asked the question, and the
rest is history. The press throughout
the country front-paged the Presi-
dent's response that the Kennedys
would go to South Florida as usual."
The story illustrates the very best
in Hank Met'er's approach to pub-
licity and public relations. Mr. Ken-
nedy could not properly have offered
gratuitous information at a highly
significant press conference. But by
creating a foundation for the Presi-
dent's comment, Hank motivated a
news story that helped to relieve ten-
sion throughout the entire world and
also secured the Florida economy.
Much of the same approach was
evident during his efforts to bring
Jackie Gleason to Miami Beach.
It all began in 1963 when Hank
read an item in Earl Wilson's column
to the effect that Gleason wanted to
play golf 365 days a year. Hank
(who doesn't play golf but probably
will if Gleason has his way) believed
the city would provide television fa-
cilities if Jackie decided to do all his
shows from Miami Beach between
golf dates.
Jackie thought it was a fine idea.
The city fathers, strongly influenced
by Hank, agreed to dig up $286,000
for studio facilities in the Miami
Beach Auditorium.
What followed is hard to believe.
86
All went well until the very last day
when the City Council was scheduled
to meet on the contract. Says Hank:
"Jack Philbin, the executive pro-
ducer, called me during the morn-
ing to say the deal was off. You see,
Gleason proposed to pay for every-
thing other than the auditorium and
some rehearsal space. He planned to
use cameras owned by the CBS affili-
ate in Miami, WTVJ. But they were
not adequate for the show.
"I told Philbin I'd see if we could
get Mitch Wolfson, president of
Wometco Enterprises and WTVJ
owner, to buy the equipment. Then
I phoned Jackie in New York and
asked for atwenty-four hour delay."
TIIE 'IIEYER MYSTIQUE
Although most people associ-
ate Hank with Miami Beach
publicity, his main source of
revenue comes from dignified
representation of more than
30 nationally known organiza-
tions. For these clients he does
much more than "merchandise"
people and products. His efforts
always begin -and inevitably
end-with his advising them of
their responsibility to the pub-
lic's interest, which, is in the
long run inseparable from their
own enlightened self-interest.
In a field where exaggeration,
half-truths, and even lies are
common, he is so insistent on
accuracy that the most demand-
ing of editors respect state-
ments released by his office. He
says bluntly, "Basically, I'm
conscience-stricken that I'm in
a business that has such a poor
image. Beyond any doubt, the
future of the world depends on
our ability to communicate
honestly and accurately, with
compassion and objectivity.
The one thing I devote myself
to above all else is honest,
meaningful communication."
MIRACLE MAN OF MIAMI BEACH
Mitchell Wolfson, a conservative
but progressive businessman, met
with Hank and Philbin in the late
afternoon and conferred until 2:30
A.M. Wolfson, with an investment of
almost half a million in question,
knew that Gleason was signing only
a one-year contract. Thus the invest-
- ment would not be self-liquidating
unless Jackie returned for future
seasons.
"Mitch, Jack Philbin, and I arrived
at my office at seven-thirty the next
morning," says Hank. "A few min-
utes before noon Mitch agreed to buy
the equipment. So I phoned Jackie.
... "The conversation follows:
Hanh Meyer: "Jackie, pal, I'm
sorry to tell you this ..." Gleason:
"Look, pal, don't feel too bad." Meyer:
"But, pal, we have a deal. We're set
with the equipment." Gleason (roar-
ing): "Pal, we're coming! And away
we go!"
Gleason, now virtually a Miami
resident, is back for a second season,
so Wolfson's investment appears
secure. As for the Miami Beach in-
vestment, Gleason brought millions
of dollars' worth of publicity to the
area during the 1964 '65 season.
Hank also brought the Miss Uni-
verse contest to Miami Beach in
1961. He notes that the Miss U.S.A.
and Miss Universe Pageants in 1965
produced television exposure valued
at approximately $1 million as well
as world press and magazine space
worth about $15 million.
Although the public relations busi-
ness will always have its "stunt"
side, Hank now views stunts with
' the caution of a clergyman at a cock-
tail party. This may be due in part
to some curious recollections.
When the first Miami Beach To-
night Show, starring Steve Allen, was
scheduled to appear, an assistant
producer called Hank to say, "Sweet-
heart, I've got a real cool idea for
Steve's show. We're going to attack
the Fontainebleau Hotel. Planes
overhead. Landing barges. Boom!
Zoom! Okay with you?"
Hank said it was okay with him.
On the night of the opening he was
lying in bed with the television set
on. (He avoids attending shows be-
cause he wants to see what the audi-
ence sees. )
"The show started not with a com-
mercial announcement but with a
roar that sounded like the end of the
world. Dogs began barking, and
lights went on all over the neighbor-
hood. Icalled the police and asked if
they were getting lots of calls. They
said they sure were. I told them, `Just
let people know it's only a television
show-nothing to worry about.'
"But ever since I've been a bit shy
of characters who phone me to say,
`Sweetheart, I've got a real cool
idea ... "
There is no doubt that Hank works
in a glamor business and is friendly
with countless celebrities, but he
rarely visits a nightclub. He prefers
to spend quiet evenings at home with
his attractive wife, Lenore, and three
lovely daughters, Dorianne, Dale,
and Daryl-working, reading, and
writing way past midnight.
All of Greater Miami respects his
contribution to the area; what bene-
fits the Beach also benefits the City
of Miami and the myriad of towns in
South Florida. As a reflection of this
attitude, a testimonial dinner for
Hank was held in September 1964.
Some 600 prominent Miamians and
entertainment celebrities heard Ga-
briel Heatter, the toastmaster, read
messages of praise from columnists
Earl Wilson and Hy Gardner, FBI
chief J. Edgar Hoover, Arthur God-
frey, and the distinguished president
of the University of Miami, Dr.
Henry King Stanford. Jackie Gleason
rose to say expansively "I have never
met a man who is more dedicated to
making Miami Beach the place it
should be-the most wonderful re-
sort community in the world." ^ ^
87
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Chaplain, Central Baptist Hospital
Lexington, %entucky
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