Spooky News and Sustainability Updates: News Trends from September and October

PR Newswire distributed nearly 40,000 press releases in the U.S. and Canada in September and October – so we understand if you had trouble keeping up, even if you’re already registered for PR Newswire for Journalists. To help out, our team monitored the headlines for some of the major industries and made note of any trends they spotted.

Leading up to Halloween, the holiday took over the wire with plenty of unique announcements in the expected consumer and entertainment industries, but the spooky content also reached into other industries like tech and energy. Brands across the country also took the wire to share their campaigns and products in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. Lastly, green news continued to be a force as companies and organizations announced sustainability initiatives to make the world a better place.

Below, we dig into some of the major news trends over the past couple of months.

🏆 Popular Releases

Regardless of larger trends, some releases just draw a huge audience because they are that big or interesting of a story. These were a few of the most-read releases of September and October, which covered a wide variety of topics and industries:

• A “technological marvel”: The announcement of a new battery-powered chainsaw from Greenworks Commercial took the top spot. Readers couldn’t resist the product image and eye-grabbing phrases like “revolutionizes,” “making landscaping history,” and “pushing the boundaries.”
• Good news for peanuts: New research found that “daily consumption of peanuts and peanut butter can produce compounds in the gut that help improve memory and reduce stress response, including anxiety and depression, in healthy young adults.”
• Open Science Day: To celebrate the Allen Institute’s 20th anniversary, September 16 was declared “Open Science Day” in the city of Seattle and King County. Since its founding, hundreds of thousands of researchers have used the Allen Institute’s open science resources to help make discoveries on everything from Alzheimer’s and autism to kidney disease and cancer. 
• Top Colleges: U.S. News & World Report announced the 2024 Best Colleges. Due to several changes in the factors used in the ranking, several colleges saw significant increases in their rank.
• TV channel blackout: As a result of struggling negotiations, DISH Network announced in early September that Hearst forced a channel blackout by removing customers’ access to 37 local channels in 27 markets.

Below, we dig deeper into the larger trends spotted on the wire.

Halloween

Spooky season was in full force on the wire. During the two-month period, PR Newswire distributed more than 150 announcements tied to the October holiday.

But it wasn’t all candy and costume news. Companies and organizations across a range of industries, from food to entertainment, tech and beyond, got in the spirit of things and shared their holiday-related press releases.

Here are a few that stood out:

• Video doorbell company Ring put out a call for videos showing “unusual Extraterrestrial activity during the busiest doorbell season of the year.”
• To help children stay dry during wet weather but still enjoy the festivities, drone delivery operator Manna Drone Delivery kicked off its US operations by delivering candy to North Texas families via drone.
• Ahead of Halloween, America Haunts shared 15 reasons to visit one of its spooky sites. Whether visitors were looking for a night of fun, escapism, team building, or just wanted to face their fears, the company had the perfect attraction for their needs.
• Energy provider Ameren took advantage of the time of year and shared tips for consumers looking to decrease their energy drain and avoid “zombie mode” when it comes to energy usage.
• Treats aren’t just for humans! Spot Pet Insurance helped pets enjoy Halloween by sharing several recipes for homemade dog treats.
• Airheads blended tech, candy, and entertainment for its AI-generated Halloween-themed short film festival.

Find more: If you were indeed in zombie mode when it came to following press releases, catch up now and read the full list of Halloween-related headlines.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month was recognized from Sept. 15-Oct. 15 and our team saw an expected increase in the number of the releases tied to the Hispanic community. During the two month period, PR Newswire distributed nearly 70 releases that mentioned Hispanic Heritage Month.

Companies across industries paid tribute to the Hispanic community in a variety of ways, including scholarships and awards, new products and promotions, and special events.

In case you missed it, here are a few of them:

• Hyundai recapped its month of celebrations, which included participation in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Leadership Conference, philanthropic donations, and volunteer work in the community.
• Latino Alternative Television (LATV) announced a slate of specials for the month that featured past and current Latino artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and entrepreneurs.
• Smirnoff launched its “Rhythm is a We Thing” campaign to celebrate Latin music and dancing.
• The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children announced that two of its programs — an animated series on internet safety and a service that can help kids remove explicit images or videos of themselves online — are now available in Spanish.
• The Duke Energy Foundation committed $75,000 to the Hispanic Heritage Scholarship Fund to create educational opportunities for Hispanic students in central Florida.

Find more: Read our recaps of Hispanic Heritage Month news in our recent blog posts reviewing news trends in the people/culture and entertainment spaces.

Sustainability

Sustainability is a constant trend on the wire, but it’s one that had a standout presence among the headlines in September and October. The United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, which will take place in Dubai from Nov. 30-Dec. 12, was mentioned in a number of releases, and the team also saw a variety of stories announcing new sustainability initiatives, companies’ latest climate targets, awards, and more.

Recent research from Bain & Company shows more than 60% of businesses are off track to meet their current sustainability goals. With such a long way to go, we’ll continue seeing these types of headlines cross the wire.

In all, PR Newswire distributed nearly 7,000 releases mentioning “sustainable” and/or “sustainability.”

• BMW, Ford, and Honda announced the creation of ChargeScape, LLC, a new company that will create a single, cost-effective platform connecting electric utilities, automakers, and interested EV customers.
• The Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) approved REI’s net-zero targets, which include reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain by 2050.
• Crocs announced its retail takeback pilot program to reduce fashion waste and give old Crocs new life.
• The John Deere Foundation announced a series of grants totaling $19 million aimed at eliminating hunger by increasing access to food, uplifting resource-constrained farmers, and supporting global food systems.
• The classic Cup Noodles® polystyrene cup is being replaced with a new paper cup design, a change that “marks an important milestone for Cup Noodles and a key step in our environmental commitment,” according to Michael Price, President and CEO of Nissin Foods USA.

Find more: Catch up on recent sustainability headlines in our blog posts covering the news trends in the environment, policy/public interest, food/beverage, sports, and transportation industries.

More News Trends

Want to dive deeper into the news trends for the industry you cover? Our team has compiled the trends and top releases across more than 10 industries for September and October. Find them all on PR Newswire’s Resource Center.

Want to see more news like this? Keep up with the latest news in your coverage area with a customized newsfeed. Click here to sign up now or email us to fine-tune your existing profile.