Using the Media to Tell Your Story

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Using the Media to Tell Your Story

• Brian Barker

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Who is The Media?

• Overworked
• 60 hours/week, holidays, weekends
• High divorce rate
• Underpaid
• Print 25,000 - 50,000
• TV - 35,000 - 60,000
• Feeding the Beast
• Afraid for their job

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Schedule of the average TV reporter

• 200 p.m. Arrive at work begin searching for
  story ideas
• 230 p.m. Evening editorial meeting present
  story ideas
• 300 Reporter leaves meeting with assignment
  for 400, 500 and 600 newscasts
• 330 Reporter and live broadcast truck arrive
  at scene of assigned story, begin shooting video
• 345 Reporter begins writing script for 400
  newscast
• 350 Reporter hands script to photographer, who
  begins editing story.
• 355 Photographer feeds video, plugs camera
  into truck prepares for live shot
• 400 Live report for newscast

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TV reporter schedule

• 405 Reporter/photographer leave truck to begin
  shooting more video and interviews for 500
  newscast.
• 420 Breaking news occurs nearby
  Reporter/photographer told to abandon story and
  head to new location across town.
• 500 Reporter/photographer arrive at breaking
  news scene and begin doing live reports.
• 630 After 1.5 hours of live reports, newscasts
  are over, crew is asked for story ideas for
  11p.m. newscast.
• 635 Reporter begins making phone calls to
  sources or PIOs to set up story for 11p.m.

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TV reporter schedule

• 700 Crew arrives at new location to begin
  shooting 11p.m. story.
• 830 Crew heads to restaurant to eat and write
  story.
• 930 Crew parks live truck at live location,
  photographer begins editing.
• 1000 Breaking news occurs, story is scrapped,
  crew races to new location for 11 p.m. newscast.
• 1130-Midnight Return to station
• Lay awake, worrying about job

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Layoffs

• TV Staffing drops 20 since 2005
• Newspapers Staffing drops 33 since 2001

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Why is it so bad?

• Old days
• 3 Broadcast networks
• Major newspapers
• New Era Audience is scattered
• Internet
• On-line news websites
• Social Media
• Multiple broadcast/cable outlets

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Change in Ad Revenue by Medium, 2008 to 2009
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Daily Newspaper Advertising Revenue, 1985-2009
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Evening News Viewership Over Time
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Total Average Audiences for Local TV News, 2009
2008 2009 Late News 27.9 26.2 -6.4
Early Evening News 24.1 22.8 -5.5 Morning
News 11.9 11.3 -6.1
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Mainstream Media Still Matters!

• American legacy outlets like newspapers and
  broadcast networks accounted for 80 of all items
  linked to stories on blogs.
• International legacy outlets like the BBC and The
  Guardian in Britain accounted for 20.

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Theyre Counting on You

• Newsrooms produce more content with smaller
  staffs
• Print
• On-Line
• Broadcast
• Hungry for content

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What Theyre Looking For (TV)

• Controversy
• Visuals
• Holding the powerful accountable
• Easy/Not complicated
• Live
• What can you do for me?
• Save me time
• Save me money
• Make me safe
• Take me somewhere Ive never been
• Deadline NOW

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What Theyre Looking For (Print)

• Controversy
• Government savings/waste
• Stories with broad appeal/impact
• Stories that make me care about someone
• Deadline NOW

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Major Newspapers
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Community Newspapers
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TV Stations
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Hyper-Local Websites
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Giving You Control
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Press Releases Still Work

• 1 Source of stories from government agencies
• Broad reach
• Be careful they may be a jumping off point for
  critics

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Social Media

• Reporters are obsessed with Twitter

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Pitching Stories

• Why should I care?
• Who does it affect?
• It had better happen now, or soon.

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They Dont Care If

• Someone got promoted/retired
• Your pitch isnt local
• Nothing is new
• They probably dont care if
• The story is about a process, not an event
• Its not visual
• They dont have anyone to interview

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Ideas

• Make friends in the media
• Call them!
• Theyre nice people
• Use press releases they work
• Engage in Social Media
• Remember, theyre hungry for content