Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Pavlik. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Simply put, award-winning news reporter and open government advocate Linda Pavlik has always been a journalist. As news editor of her junior high paper and editor of her high school paper, she argued with her father often. He wanted her to be a nurse or teacher—not a journalist. He could not fathom her calling even though she had her first paying news job at age 16 for the Ponca City News in Oklahoma. Prior to graduating from the University of Oklahoma School of Journalism and Mass Communications in 1970, for two years, she worked as a general news reporter for the Daily Oklahoman and Times. Her senior year in college was spent in Washington D.C. as a Sears Congressional Intern, working in media relations for a member of Congress and mentoring under several of the great Washington journalists at the time.
In June 1970, Pavlik moved to Texas to work for Scripps Howard’s Fort Worth Press, an afternoon daily that competed heads-up with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s evening and morning editions. Her constant City Hall scoops caused her to be hired by the Star-Telegram in 1971, where, within a year, she became the paper’s investigative reporter, a prime position during this post-Watergate period. Her national awards are numerous, and in fact, a journalism textbook back in the day wrote about her in a chapter, “Up and Coming Young Tigers.” Spotlighted was what became her international expose of procedures at the Veterans Administration mental hospital in Waco, TX. Also, Pavlik was the youngest reporter at 28 covering the 1976 presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and George Wallace. Her editors nominated her for two consecutive years for the Pulitzer Prize.
Focused and committed to the practice of journalism, Pavlik began feeling conflicted when Star-Telegram editors pulled a story from page 1 mid-print cycle because of advertising pressure from American Airlines (who had admitted to its questionable practices, so there was no doubt as to its accuracy). So, in 1977, she took a new position opening the Tarrant County News Bureau of the Dallas Times Herald, then owned by Times-Mirror. Her opportunities with that assignment were limited. Subsequently, another publication encouraged her to join its political team in Los Angeles; however, personal reasons kept her in Fort Worth, and she joined a small public relations firm.
Her approach to PR was not based on textbook approaches and what was then referred to as “three-martini lunches.” Her news releases were fact-driven; her clients were made comfortable with being honest with the media. In 1983, she established Pavlik and Associates and has continued to work with media at all levels over the decades.
In 1985, given her love for newspapers, Linda and her husband purchased the 25-year-old Fort Worth News Tribune, relied on as the “establishment’s alternative” paper. Area advertising mediums resented the weekly’s reputation and lowered their rates. That with the poor Texas economy at the time forced the doors to close in 1989.
Pavlik continues to be recognized for her professional and volunteer contributions to Fort Worth. She has been Honored as a Distinguished Alumna of the University of Oklahoma’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications and named Outstanding Woman in the Workplace by Fort Worth’s Commission on the Status of Women; one of Fort Worth’s Top Influencers by Fort Worth Magazine five consecutive years; and recipient of the prestigious Juneteenth Freedom Seeker’s Award.
A former, long-time board member and president of the local Society of Professional Journalists chapter, Pavlik always advocates for open and transparent government. A former president of the Tarrant County League of Women Voters, she continues to hold the state league’s portfolio of information and advocacy around open records and open meetings issues at the state legislative level. She is out front of the Texas Freedom of Information Foundation.
By serving in many capacities in the nonprofit sector, Pavlik has gained invaluable experience in relating to the greater communities where she works. Pavlik serves as Board President of the Women in the Environment (a regional advocacy group of professionals) and board member emeritus of Stage Productions. As vice president of the Tarrant County Hospital District’s board of managers, Pavlik led a successful effort to establish the county’s first satellite pediatric clinic.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Standing at a murder site in the middle of the night in Fort Worth in 1971, wearing a dress and heels, I looked at all the surrounding police officers and quickly realized I was the only woman. And my news editors were all men! Yes, I told myself, my dad said I really should not be a reporter—but a schoolteacher or nurse—certainly not a doctor. Journalism, and later public relations, proved to be steep pyramids for climbing, but then my father (one-time pro baseball player) also taught me to never give up, and always pursue your dreams.
Yes, I have attained many “firsts,” but in doing so, I always worked hard to bring integrity into the news and public relations worlds.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Pavlik and Associates?
From developers to entrepreneurs to small business owners to public policy shapers to citizens in their greater communities, Pavlik and Associates guides and supports its clients in virtually all walks of life. We build both consensus in diverse communities as well as crowds for our entertainment clients. Transportation, healthcare, water, land use, waste management and recycling, aviation and airports, public policy matters, public affairs, western sports such as bull riding, and music—these are the areas in which we have significant expertise and experience. The Pavlik team specializes in building and executing communications and outreach plans for public, nonprofit, and private entities, including large publicly held and international companies, state agencies and statewide advocacy groups, metropolitan planning organizations, municipalities, counties, and independent school districts.
Linda Pavlik, founder and president, is experienced in working in the public sector under public disclosure regulations and with all socio-economic groups in the community. For decades, she has spearheaded outreach programs in the Native American, Hispanic, African American, and Asian communities.
With Linda at the helm, the Pavlik team provides much more than the traditional advertising/public relations company. With firsthand knowledge of how different the opinions and perceptions can be among various stakeholders of a community, we are communications strategists above all else, making certain that our clients are positioned where they aspire to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pavlikandassociates.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pavlikandassociates/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PavlikandAssociates/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pavlik-and-associates/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PavlikandAssoc
Image Credits
Linda
Kay Bailey Hutchison
