ELECTRONIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Chapter Ten

10-2

Growth of News

CNN roots Opportunities abound for placement Television news 24 hrs. a day

Diverse offerings such as Food Channel, History Channel, MTV, and others

News magazinesTalk shows (The good, the bad, and the ugly)Reality TV

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Public relations practitioners must be vigilant when it comes to representing their client.

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Electronic Media Relationsinvolves preparation in the following areas:

Television interviews Video News Releases Satellite Media Tours Public Service Announcements Video Conferences Talk Radio

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Some guidelines for TV interviews

Do prepare the spokesperson, audience, and reporter

Interviewees should be relaxed Exercise openness and honesty Brevity is important Straightforward answers Dress appropriately

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Guidelines contd.

Don’t be on the defensive Everything said will not be aired Try not to let the interviewer dominate

control Never say “no comment” Do stop

10-7

Video News Release or VNR

A VNR is a news release in video format VNRs are used to handle breaking news, press

conferences, and news announcements. Frequently, they are delivered by satellite

directly to TV newsrooms when breaking news occurs. At other times evergreen VNRs are delivered by cassette, disk, and CD-Rom to broadcasters because of their timeless content.

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Question

What is B-roll? How is B-roll used by TV stations?

Hint: The cutting room floor

10-9

A Litany of Questions for VNR Use

What is the expectation of the VNR? How should a VNR be distributed? Are you out of luck if a VNR doesn’t get

picked up? How important is it to localize a VNR?

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VNR Use Litany contd.

Do all stations use VNRs? What makes a good VNR? What kinds of subjects should a VNR

treat? When is a VNR not appropriate? How much should a VNR cost?

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There are great opportunities, but there are costs involved in the preparation of a VNR.

Expensive to produce and distribute Time commitment Timely Newsworthy Appropriate and ethical

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Satellite Media ToursSMTs SMTs are used when it is not convenient

for spokespersons/interviewees to travel great distances.

SMTs simplify the logistics by having pre-set interviews, conducted via satellite between the spokesperson and TV station personalities around the world.

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The successful SMT follows these steps: Define objectives Pitch the SMT &

Inform/send materials Flexible scheduling Satellite time B-roll availability Phone line availability

Spokesperson briefing

Prepare for the unexpected

Avoid being obviously commercial

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Public Service Announcements

PSAs TV and/or radio spots, 10-60 seconds long and are set at no cost to the sponsor. Non-profit organizations use PSAs frequently.

There are three broad types of PSAs: public affairs, public relations, and marketing communications

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PSAs

Broadcasters use the following criteria in determining which PSAs go on the air:

1. Sponsorship 2. Relevance of the message to the

community 3. Message design

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Example of 20-second PSA

President Bush asked all Americans to volunteer their time for the service of others. By giving of yourself, you are helping to improve yourself and your community, and are doing your part to make a difference in the world.

The Volunteers of America need your help. Sign up today, and make someone’s life a lot more fulfilling—yours. This message is brought to you by the Advertising Council.

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Videoconferences

Scheduled meeting connected around the world by satellite. Their purpose is to connect and convey messages across the globe.

Videoconferences can be enhanced with interaction among the participants and visuals.

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Radio

11,000 radio stations across the country 400-600 TV outlets Half of all U.S. adults listen to the radio

regularly Talk radio has increased

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Opportunities in Radio for Public Relations Practitioners Product promotion On-air mentions and actualities Contests and giveaways tied to product Remote broadcasts to promote

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In order to have public relations efforts heard on the radio, consider the following:

A strong focused messageLocalizationPositive spokespersonTimeliness

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Exercise

You work for a health-related non-profit organization that has little money to spend on advertising. What types of electronic tools would you choose to get the word out there? Defend your choices.