Best at immediacy Breaking news in minutes. Most pervasiv

1
Getting it Write

• The media, the message and you

June 2007
2
Introduction

• This is a Guide to Media Relations
• Youll learn what the media can and cannot do
• Well explore what is/is not NEWS
• Well share tips on relating to the media
• Well devise a media campaign

3
Media Relations can help you

• Increase awareness in the local community
• Facilitate access to activities / initiatives /
  services
• Increase local public understanding of the facts
  and figures
• Maintain and improve a positive image
• Generate income

4
In Brief

• What are the characteristics of each medium?
• What is the News?
• How do media people think?
• How to develop a media plan

5
The media

• Do not govern peoples behaviour
• Cant tell people what to think but what to think
  about
• Are better at creating impressions than imparting
  raw data
• Have no Silver Bullet

6
Types of Mass Media

• Print
• Radio
• Television
• News Services
• Multimedia

Sources
Spots
News
Radio
Text
Releases
TV
Print
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Print Media

• Poor at immediacy todays news tomorrow
• Best at permanence. Once a publication is
  printed, it becomes part of the permanent record.
  
• Best for retaining information
• Best for figures, in-depth data
• Least sexy medium (few pictures, no music/talk)
• Can be subjective (editorials, news agenda)
• Forms of print media include newspapers,
  magazines, newsletters and books

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Challenges of Print

• Space (column inches)
• Time (todays news tomorrow)
• Cost (content is cheap, advertising costs vary)
• Distribution (urban/suburban, hotels)
• Circulation (readership)
• Frequency (daily/ weekly/monthly?)
• Level of literacy (do people read papers?)
• Portable and very personal medium

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Radio

• Best at immediacy Breaking news in minutes
• Most pervasive medium
• Worst at permanence. In one ear out the other.
• Not good for retaining detailed information
• Worst for figures, in-depth data
• Somewhat sexy medium esp. with sound, music, talk
• Tries harder to be more objective
• Radio stations are distinguished by formats which
  gear programmes for specific target audiences.

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Challenges of Radio

• Space (three words equal one second)
• Time (seconds and minutes)
• Cost (cheap to produce content, advertise)
• Distribution (urban/rural)
• Audience (listenership)
• Frequency (daily, weekly, hourly,
  up-to-the-minute)
• Repeats info to aid retention

11
Television

• Second-best at immediacy Breaking news in hours
• Least pervasive medium
• Better at making an impression.
• Better at graphically representing detailed
  information
• Slightly better at figures, in-depth data (on
  screen).
• Sexiest medium esp. with pictures, sound, music,
  talk
• May be objective/subjective, depending on content
• The most watched television programme in
  Caribbean societies is the national evening news.

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Challenges of Television

• Airtime (seconds and minutes)
• Cost (expensive to produce content, advertise)
• Distribution (wherever there is electricity)
• Audience (listenership)
• Frequency (daily, weekly, hourly,
  up-to-the-minute)
• Repitition to aid retention

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News Services

• Second-best at immediacy Breaking news in
  minutes
• Closed-circuit medium
• Similar characteristics to print only if
  published.
• Distribution (international, national, regional)
• News services face stiff competition from
  Internet
• Objective in news, may be subjective in features
• The void created by end of CANA Wire service,
  owned by CMC, replaced by newspapers on the web.

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Challenges of News Services

• Space (word count, 300-700 words)
• Time (seconds and minutes)
• Cost (no advertising. Media pays subs)
• Distribution (wherever there are
  media-subscribers)
• Audience (media houses)
• Frequency (up-to-the-minute)
• Highly competitive for space

15
Multimedia

• Unites media, telecommunications and computing
• Are the least portable but have semi-permanence
• Are available still to those who can afford a
  computer and an internet connection
• Good for closed-circuit information
  storage/retrieval
• As personal a medium as the audience

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Challenges of Multimedia

• Space (megabytes)
• Time (always now)
• Cost (domain names, web design and maintenance)
• Frequency (determined by user, measured by hits)
• Distribution (potentially global)
• Ongoing cost to produce, update content may have
  to be recouped

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The Media

• Deal in stories in words, pictures, sound
• Have deadlines
• Are industries they need to make money
• Exist by stimulating, creating interest and
  entertaining among their audiences they dont
  only just inform or educate and some media are in
  business to do neither

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The Media want audiences

• Newspapers and magazines want readers
• TV needs viewers
• Radio depends on listeners

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The media appeal to the senses

• Justice, Fair play
• Right and Wrong
• Irony
• Humour
• Pride, Shame
• Commonsense and Nonsense
• Timing

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How journalists work/think

• A journalist must produce a story that is
  newsworthy
• A journalist is NOT a stenographer
• Does not have the final say - the decision to
  publish rests with the editor.
• A story may not be published/carried, or only
  partially.
• Journalists dont write headlines a sub-editor
  does.

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How journalists work/think

• The journalist looks for an angle
• An angle is something that will make the story
  distinctive to the audiences and distinctive from
  those of the competition.

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Spot News and Feature Reporting

• News reporters work to very tight deadlines and
  need quick responses to their inquiries. The
  journalism is very tightly controlled
• Feature writers need more time to craft a story
  but the journalism can be reflect a
  point-of-view.

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What is News?

• Things people do or have done to them
• Different, unusual, unique, extreme Man Bites
  Dog
• Controversial / What people dont want you to
  know
• Relevant to the audience - large groups,
  communities, nations.
• Conflict Vendors are hopping mad
• News is NOW

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Working with journalists

• They have deadlines to meet
• High-pressure job, long hours
• Bombarded by other press releases, assignments,
  sudden/major events
• Face increased workloads with shrinking staff
  numbers
• Work best with those who develop working
  relationships with them

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Working with journalists

• They have deadlines to meet
• High-pressure job, long hours
• Bombarded by other press releases, assignments,
  sudden/major events
• Face increased workloads with shrinking staff
  numbers
• Work best with those who develop working
  relationships with them

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Relating with journalists

• You cant make an honest journalist cover a story
• An influential journalist is known by his/her
  work.
• Keep track of the sorts of topics they cover and
  what they have covered recently
• Remember the needs of the journalist.
• Respect their deadlines dont call when theyre
  on deadline.

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Relating with journalists

• Make a note of specialist journalists
• Watch the TV programmes and listen to the radio
  programmes you would like to appear on.
• Journalists dont like to cover the same story
  that appears in a short period. Find a fresh
  angle.
• Plan in advance. Deadlines range from weeks to
  hours

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Media Activities

• Proactive media relations involves ongoing media
  contact. This approach will keep you at the
  forefront of the journalists mind as an
  approachable, reliable source of information.
• Reactive media relations is when you wait for
  journalist to make inquiries. This is a reactive
  approach and can put you at a disadvantage.

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BE Proactive Maintain and sustain relationships

• Provide them with sound information of all
  related kinds, not only your brochure
• Invite them for a coffee/tea or a visit just to
  maintain contact, especially when you arent
  selling an event/organisation.
• Keep them aware of upcoming meetings or events
• Call them on inaccuracies

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TWELVE THINGS TO REMEMBER

• Journalists are people, too.
• They are not educators but storytellers
• Its a market youre selling, theyre buying
• Deadlines are real
• Theyd prefer a good story to a good lunch
• Remember the pressures they face
• From Introduction to Media Relations provided by
  Glaxo Wellcome HIV Care to support the World AIDS
  Day 2000 Press Centre

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TWELVE THINGS TO REMEMBER

• Get to know their medium (radio/print etc.)
• Have key messages/info ready
• Dont waffle get to the point.
• Nothing is off the record
• Dont lie. Ever.
• Be relaxed, but stay sharp!
• From Introduction to Media Relations provided by
  Glaxo Wellcome HIV Care to support the World AIDS
  Day 2000 Press Centre

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FOUR-Step approach to Media Relations

• Identify Key Media
• Prepare to Communicate
• Communicate! Before, During After
• Follow-up communication efforts

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Step ONE - Identify Key Media

• Keep an accurate, up-to-date database
• Determine media of importance to you
• Identify interested journalists
• Develop a media list.
• Update your list on an on-going basis and review
  it regularly.
• Add details of any journalists who call.
• Consider keeping a media log.

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Step TWO Prepare to Communicate

• Press release
• Fact sheet
• Backgrounder including org. history
• Whos Who
• Photo with caption stuck to it
• Tools can be used together or separately,
  depending on the strategy

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Media Relations Tools The Press Release is to

• Make an announcement
• Alert people to something newsworthy
• Respond to questions, concerns

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Step THREE Communicate!

• Send out Media Kits/releases to targets
• Accompany Press Packs by a brief covering letter
• Be proactive follow-up whether the pack was read

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Step FOUR - Follow-up!

• Dont call to complain about non-coverage
• Do call to offer assistance, information, sources
• Be actively aware of what the journalist has
  worked on
• Call to correct inaccuracies
• Offer to keep journalist in-the-know

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And finally Be Realistic!

• Your story competes with several others every day
  
• Be mindful of busy periods Budget, Christmas,
  Festivals.
• Do not expect a message to be treated exactly as
  you wanted it treated.
• Dont boycott journalists
• Remember that you are not always the sole source
  of a story