THINKing

Know Your Media – TV

Media Relations Installment 6

Just as no two banks or HMOs are exactly alike, neither are any two media alike. They each have certain features that make them unique. Knowing and understanding these features can help you “sell” stories (make media placements) and increase visibility fopr our clients.

No medium has enough space for proper coverage of any subject, so the competition for space and time is intense. This means we have to be selective in who we approach about stories, how we approach them, when we approach them and — most of all — why we approach them. Every story is not necessarily appropriate for use by radio, television and newspaper alike. Some work better in the electronic media. Some are better told in print.

Television

When you think about what television actually is — sound and pictures — you can pretty easily decide what kind of news stories or feature ideas will appeal to a television station department. For television coverage, reports can be filmed in the field with a reporter going on location to produce a report. Or the report can be a “reader” with pictures; that is, a camera crew or a single “videographer” goes out and shoots videotape based on his editor’s instructions. Then the footage is aired while the announcer reads a scripted report of the event. When the item doesn’t lend itself well to pictures, the report is frequently just a “reader.”

The average television news report used to last from 30 to 90 seconds, but that is decreasing. Allowing for commercials, sports and weather, the average one-hour newscast contains only about 20 – 27 stories.

When you consider all that can happen in a 24-hour period, assignment editors (who send reporters into the field for stories and decide what the newscast will include) and the reporters themselves have a tough job. They must try to present a balanced picture of the day’s happenings, updated hour-by-hour as necessary, and package it so that there are no long pauses or awkward gaps. And it all has to be ready to go on the air by 6 p.m. — every day!

To prepare yourself to offer a story to a television station you should:

• Check the local TV listings to find out what programming is available — talk shows, news programs, etc. If you aren’t sure about what you see there, just call the station’s programming or public affairs department and ask them for the names of the public affairs shows which would cover the topics you or your client can speak on.

• Get the name of the producer or that show and a telephone where s/he can be reached.Watch the news and public affairs shows in your area and get a feel for the kind of stories they seem to prefer. To gauge this effectively, you will need to watch the show more than once. It will take some time, but if it results in your making some effective placements that can increase knowledge about your industry, then it is well worth it. (If you can’t watch the show at the time it airs, perhaps you can arrange to have it videotaped either on your own equipment or through a local videotape monitoring company.)

• Call the producer of the show and introduce yourself. Tell the producer a bit about yourself/the client. Offer to serve as a resource for the show’s staff as they prepare stories about your area of expertise. Send background information to the producer.

• Talk shows book guests three to six weeks ahead, so talk show producers are interested in story ideas that have at least that long a “shelf life.”

• News shows should be called a week or so ahead of the event or announcement as well as the day before or the day of the event. Assignment editors frequently cannot make decisions about what will be covered until they come in to work that morning, based on what else is going on in the community.

• Regardless of the type of show you call, have the points you want to cover written down so you are comfortable talking about the subject and so that you don’t forget anything.
  

• Have in mind some ideas for visuals. Television producers like slides, charts, graphs; they show up well on the screen and eliminate the “talking head” syndrome that is deadly to a telecast.

• Be conscious of at least three key points, your “must says” which you plan to air during the interview. For example, in most interviews you will want to be sure to convey some information about yourself/the client in general and about how what you are discussing can affect the local economy or the individual.

• Once your idea is accepted, be sure to follow up with a letter confirming the date, time, etc.

Other Posts Of Interest

• Top 10 Posts To Improve Your Writing
• Web 2.0 Evolution
• Creativity 2011 – Week #19
• Email Media Pitching Secrets – Part 1
• Pump Up Your Brain