Navigating a Changing Industry
*Anticipate the needs of multi-platform journalism
*Plan to make you Web site a TV station
*Use media trends to shape outreach
Lynn Sweet, typical print journalist, of Chicago Sun Times used technology and the Internet to cover stories of Obama in Africa in 2006. "Backpack journalism"
In 2009, all full-power TV stations switched to only broadcasting in digital format. Much faster, giving stations more potential to produce high-quality images.
Internet empowers and informs people. VT shootings traveled by a cell phone video sent to CNN and facebook pages of students missing and alive.
Bloggers are now "citizen journalist" and taken seriously by mainstream media.
Broadband & DSL makes surfing the Internet much more convenient.
TV, radio, cable and magazines are all on a protracted decline due to the Internet and Smartphones.
Local news now pays more attention to their own Web sites and daily newspapers decline circulation.
Weekly newspapers are still popular due to suburban and rural readers.
Ethnic news is increasing because the diversity of the U.S. is increasing as well.
Comedy Central covers news stories and puts a twist on them to attract different audiences that don't watch regular news.
Magazines offer separate articles on the Web to adapt to the increase in Internet use.
Subscription satellite services are now offered through radio to keep up with technology.
If blogs attract enough interest, the stories will make it into a paper.
Blogs are successful because of the first-person style, the multiple sources, the different lengths, and the two-way street.
Earning Good Media Coverage
*Cultivate personal media contacts
*Understand media cultures
*Pitch story ideas regularly
*Prepare for media interviews
*Organize press conferences and briefings
*Influence the influentials
Secure strong relationships with local reporters to get your stories out faster.
Keep good, up-to-date press lists through directories and credits.
Personal letters in the mail can be more effective for certain occasions.
The golden email rule: Don't ever send an email that you would not want to receive yourself.
Figure out the appropriate way to reach reporters depending on your organization and location.
Make basic pitch calls calls for careful research on the reporter first.
When a reporter calls and asks questions with answers you're not sure of, call back in a little after looking it up and make 3 basic points to stick to so the reporter gets the appropriate quotes.
When taking phone messages from the media, find out the reporter's name, the news organization and the deadline.
Keep the audience in mind when doing a phone and/or online interview.
Before an interview for your spokesperson, give them all the insights about the reporter you can.
Face-to-face interviews: sit in with your spokesperson, audiotape the interview, keep the background appropriate for photos and specify conditions before the interview.
TV and video interviews: do your homework, be flexible and mind the details.
Briefing the media is convenient because you are in full control of the invitation list and agenda, reporters can prepare a good story and your organization's work is open to the press.
Audio press conferences are a popular and practical alternative to regular press conferences in person because you can be in different locations.
Organizing and preparing for live press conference are complicated:
physical arrangements, location, registration, conference timing, speakers, statements, visuals, presentations, gate crashers, follow-up, no-shows, evaluations, reporters and inaccuracies.
Organizing major events:
think production, pull out all the stops, expect gate crashers and alternative media and decide in advance how you will handle them, and build in time to produce a memorable event.
Combine actual news with good visuals to get past media gatekeepers to electronic media.
Talk shows explore issues and build awareness of your organization.
Webcasts allow your organization to have a semi-TV station on their Web site.
VNRs (video news releases) need to be well planned because they have to be able to play on any TV station.
Radio offers a proactive way to reach out to targeted audiences and familiarize them with your organization and issues (talk radio, radio tours, trailers, wraparounds and sound bites).
Op-eds in newspapers are convenient because it is similar to an advertisement and often allow opinion, proactive ideas and call to arms.
Columnists write opinions and draw conclusions and are usually biased. Influencing them can be tough, so research them before contacting.
Bloggers are also influenced with info. and will write their opinions with targeted audiences following their messages, so find bloggers with interests similar to your organization.
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