"Why do I bring this up.....I notice some differences between before JP Morgan signed on and after they signed on...in particular, a certain level of excitement....personal interviews, more regular updates, and so on......so what is their mandate..."

I was thinking back to the point when you could call the office and ask about upcoming N.R.s. At times they would say that they have an announcement in the works and that it should be today or tomorrow that it comes out. This no longer seems to happen, at least to my knowledge. On Friday I asked Elaine at the NOT office if she had recently been schooled about being "hush hush". She said not at all and that she just knows from her years of experience what is appropriate and what is not. This is the story from her perspective/position. It is also likely that there was a time when the general staff knew more information than they do today. As to whom is largely responsible for putting the cork so tightly in the bottle, this is still up for debate.