LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - Nov. 20, 2009) - Search and PR agency Punch Communications has chosen the media highs and lows of 2009 as part of a round up of the year.

Several of the team have each chosen a different issue which cover the breadth of media, from digital technology to motoring and fashion.

Pete Goold, Managing Director of Punch, indicated the Google Wave publicity to be one of the more interesting of 2009, not least because the product itself has yet to realise its potential. Moreover, immediately following the initial interest by the web community, conversation faded away through social media channels relatively quickly, doubtless to be resurrected again in early 2010 with enhancements to features and functionality.

Philip Keightley, Account Director, identified the whispers about the closure of The Observer as a print publication and shelving of the Guardian Technology print supplement as further evidence of the problems within the industry and determination by pioneering publishers such as Guardian Media to embrace digital as the future of news production.

Philip said: "Whilst clearly the potential loss of Britain's oldest Sunday newspaper is a major nostalgic blow, it's clear that the Guardian Media Group is pinning its colours to the digital mast". Philip also identified the comments from Rupert Murdoch on charging for online content as a significant step for the industry. Philip said "Murdoch's comments are an admission of sorts that the gamble of offering free content and assuming that advertising revenue would follow has not paid off. It will be interesting to see whether the concept of free content is so ingrained in consumer experience now that paying for content is too great a hurdle".

Alex Smith, Account Executive and specialist in digital PR, has been closely monitoring the ongoing story surrounding the role of the free paper this year, which has taken several turns, from the Evening Standard's announcement to be made available free to the closing of several daily London freesheets.

Account Executive Holly Henstock found the media story revealing the nursery abuse cases across England as one of the most resounding of the year, indicating that the media really enforced the fact better education and greater protection for our children is needed and that the failure to do so could lead to further incidents going undetected in the future.

Commenting on the year to date, Pete said: "2009 has been a year when social media has impacted massively on the brand marketing landscape with particular effect on PR agencies. During the first stages of using Twitter it was impossible to predict the impact that it would have on communication but yet we still integrated it within the Punch site as a means of conveying our collective personalities. Ironically Twitter comes up in the majority of new business meetings and we now transparently manage many Twitter accounts for clients, along with other social activities which sit alongside both traditional PR and our SEO agency services.