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janetmiles at 05:22pm on 20/04/2009
janetmiles at 05:22pm on 20/04/2009Helpful Media Tips, LaSaundra Brown, WBIR anchor/reporter
- If it's time-sensitive, contact the assignment editor (ideally before 1 p.m.)
- Otherwise, call your local contact or the assignment editor
- Better yet, e-mail or fax
- Get the various producers' e-mail addresses and know what sorts of stories they work on
- If you e-mail news releases, they must be well-written
- Who, what, when, where, why, how
- Short is better than long
- It will be used to write the story
- Be aware of reporter deadlines / air times
- Aim correctly: if you want TV, do something visual; otherwise go with radio or print
- Be forthcoming and honest
- Return phone calls quickly
- You don't want to hear "a source tells us" if you could have told them and phrased it to your advantage (or anyway better)
- Be proactive with internal communication -- you don't want your people to hear it on the news before they hear it from you
- Use the media as a beneficial community awareness tool
- Don't say anything you don't want to hear on TV
- Keep your soundbites to 10-12 seconds
- Find the news hook
- Try for events on weekdays, not weekends when the stations are short-staffed
- Don't ever say anything like
- That isn't a story
- Come down here and do a commercial on us!
- Thanks for the free advertising!
- Build relationships
- Think in terms of stories, not just events