You'll have to fill me in on when journalists started following directions provided to them by PR people. I own a PR agency and that sure as hell isn't the case with the media folks we work with. He doesn't have an obligation to call us Ohio; he does have an obligation to use the proper name. Ohio University is the proper name. And if I'm not mistaken, the media guide asks them not to use Ohio U, which I don't recall him using in some time.
University officials asking for us to be referred to as "Ohio" hardly strikes me as PR.
It's rather rude not to refer to someone or something as they wish to be called, so long as the request is not otherwise prejudicial.
What harm could it do for the guy to refer to us as "Ohio?"
Isn't the proper name Ohio Statue University (add 'The' if it please you). Does he always refer to them that way? Or does he say 'Ohio State.' If the latter, he should grant us "Ohio."