Effective Media Management

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Effective Media Management
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Television the Engine of Media Culture

• TV is the most powerful of all media.
• It encompasses and influences news, music,
  movies, magazines, radio, newspapers, videos, the
  Internet.
• The average Canadian watches over 20 hours of TV
  per week!

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TV Viewing in Canada
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TVs per Household
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What TV Stations Really Sell

• TV stations sell an audience.
• The bigger the audience, the more clients will
  pay for advertising time.
• Prime time viewing hours and major events attract
  the largest audiences, thus advertising time is
  more expensive.
• In 2010 a 30 second Super Bowl ad will cost USD
  3 million or 100,000 per second!

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Rating and Rates

• Ratings measure the size of the audience.
• The bigger the audience the higher the ratings.
• Advertising rates are set according to ratings
  points.
• TV programs live and die by their ratings
• TV.com lists Lost as the all-time top rated TV
  show.

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Established Buying Patterns

• Most advertising is aimed at people under the age
  of 55.
• Older people are more likely to shop in familiar
  places and buy the same goods and services year
  after year.
• Younger people dont have these Established
  Buying Patterns.
• This makes them more susceptible to an
  advertisers suggestion.

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Lowest Common Denominator

• TV caters to the majority demand for sensational
  programming.
• TV news and most programs are intentionally
  written at a grade six level.
• TV exploits base human motivators fear, greed,
  lust.
• Tests show the human brain is more active when
  sleeping than watching television.

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The One Thing You Rarely See on TV

• TV programs often portray characters in real life
  settings doing real life things.
• This helps you identify with the people you are
  watching.
• Whats the one everyday thing you rarely see
  people on TV doing?
• Watching TV!

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The Changing Nature of Television

• Independent TV stations are disappearing as large
  media corporations buy and merge stations,
  facilities and networks.
• As such, the tremendous influence of modern
  television has become highly concentrated.
• Working together, a small number of major media
  corporations exert enormous influence over
  cultural, commercial, social, and political
  institutions around the world.

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The Changing Nature of Television

• In Canada these major American and Canadian
  networks are most popular and commonly
  accessible. Their owners, and other major
  international conglomerates, include

National Amusements, Viacom, CBS Corporation,
Time Warner, News Corp, Sony, General Electric,
Vivendi SA, Hearst Corporation, Bertelsmann AG,
Organizações Globo Lagardère Group
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The Changing Nature of TV News

• TV news has become more entertainment oriented.
• Sensational video takes precedence.
• Image has become as important as substance.
• News items are carefully selected and/or omitted
  to satisfy the largest audience.
• They are also vetted to ensure adherence to
  legal, cultural and political considerations.

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Why Big Networks Like Local News

• A network is a chain of TV stations.
• Affiliate stations share programs and commercials
  but local news is unique to each.
• Local stations encourage audiences to identify
  closely with their top news personalities
  anchors and hosts.
• This hi neighbor relationship helps bind
  viewers to the network.

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How News Stories Get Selected

• Assignment editors develop lists of topical story
  ideas from a variety of sources.
• Managers, editors, producers, anchors and
  reporters meet to establish potential stories and
  priorities.
• Subsequent line-up meetings review the progress
  of each story and where it fits in as the daily
  news run evolves.
• Frequent last minute changes for breaking news
  are a leading cause of early retirement from the
  control room.

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Why Stories Get Selected

• Stories are selected on the basis of their
  audience appeal, news value, good visual
  prospects, sensational elements and ease of
  access.
• Not every story has all those qualities but those
  that do are featured more prominently.
• Some stories fit into a daily franchise such as
  medical, consumer or entertainment news.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• Contacting the Media
• Dont be afraid to contact the media directly.
• Ask for the city editor if your calling a
  newspaper, or the assignment desk if youre
  calling a radio or TV station.
• Make a contacts list of your favourite editors
  and reporters.
• Make sure you get the right spelling and
  pronunciation.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• Pick Your Topic Spin
• Once youve decided the product, service or
  person you want to publicize, choose the angle or
  spin you wish to highlight.
• Media coverage requires your subject be
  consequential. What consequence does it carry
  for the average viewer?
• For example, if your company makes water
  purifiers focus on health and safety not
  selection, price or colour.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• Know These Positions
• News anchors read from behind a desk.
• Reporters photographers work in the field.
• Producers coordinate editorial and production
  elements.
• Assignment editors collect assign stories.
• Production directors work in the control room.
• A news director manages the newsroom.
• The CEO of News Current Affairs oversees policy
  budgets.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• Know These Terms
• A wrap or package is a pre-produced report by and
  with a reporter runs 130 - 200.
• A voice-over is video with a script read by the
  news anchor runs about 30.
• A voice-over-bite is an anchor script with video
  and a brief interview comment runs about 45.
• A live hit is live from the scene with a reporter
  on camera and often includes pre-recorded video
  and interview clips.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• Timing and Deadlines
• Dont announce your companys innovative new
  product on Federal Budget day.
• Newsrooms keep a day-file of upcoming events.
  Pick your date, then ask a friendly assignment
  editor if he knows of any major media events
  scheduled that day.
• Good timing requires a little luck. You never
  know when something big will blow up, burn down,
  or fall over .. and disaster always comes first.
• Schedule events and news conferences reasonably
  early to accommodate reporter deadlines. 1000
  a.m. is ideal.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• News Releases How To Get Noticed
• Keep a comprehensive contacts list of local,
  provincial, and national media.
• News releases should be no more than one page of
  who, what, where, when and why plus contact
  information.
• Provide more information with an attached fact
  sheet and a one-page backgrounder.
• Send news conference invitations a week prior and
  again the day before the event.
• Advertisements dressed up as "News Releases" get
  tossed real fast 19 times out of 20.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• Gimmicks Good or Bad?
• News editors often receive media releases or
  event invitations in clever theme packages.
• PR agencies convince their clients that trendy or
  unusual packaging captures the medias attention.
• For example, an invitation to a new restaurant
  opening was sent stapled to a paper plate and
  shrink-wrapped. Not necessarily a good idea.
• A simple, well-prepared news release will get the
  same attention and cost a lot less.
• Hot food delivered right to the newsroom,
  however, never seems to hurt.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• Conducting a Successful Newser
• Schedule news conferences between 1000 and 1100
  a.m.
• Book a meeting room with a head table large
  enough to hold a number of microphone stands.
  Provide coffee and light snacks.
• Locate the head table so TV cameras point away
  from windows.
• Leave space for TV cameras at the front or on a
  riser at the back.
• Feature large scale visuals drawings, maps,
  logos, flags, etc.
• No more than three or four people at the head
  table.
• Identify each speaker with a table card.
• Distribute a well-organized information package
  and professional quality DVD when possible.
• Allow time for reporters to scan your material.
• Introductions, speaker remarks, and reporter QA
  - in that order.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• The Number One Media Hook?
• Good visuals! The more visually oriented you make
  your presentation the better.
• If TV is there, radio and newspapers will follow.
  
• The West Edmonton Mall once invited the media to
  witness the helicopter placement of a huge new
  piece of theatre equipment. Nobody missed it!
• Instead of simply displaying a new product at a
  news conference, invite the media to your factory
  to video the manufacturing process.
• Anything that includes action is a good draw.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• What Every Reporter Is Looking For
• Every reporter is waiting for you to say
  something you hadnt intended to say.
• The oldest trick is the pregnant pause. After
  your reply, seasoned reporters may hesitate a few
  seconds waiting for you to nervously fill the
  silence.
• After youve made a definitive statement simply
  wait for the next question.
• Dont expand in any way you havent carefully
  considered.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• The 1-on-1 Interview
• Should be conducted in an environment where
  youre comfortable and in control.
• Arrange a time and place convenient to you.
• A brief conversation with the reporter before the
  interview is a good idea.
• Remember sound bites rarely run longer than 15
  seconds on air.
• During the interview speak conversationally with
  the reporter but be succinct and to the point.
• Once the reporter leaves, dont expect any
  creative control.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• Dont Take the Mike
• Dont reach for the reporters microphone. He or
  she will hold it for you.
• Reaching for the mike demonstrates a lack of
  experience as an interviewee.
• Speak in a relaxed tone and maintain eye contact
  with the reporter, not the camera.
• Keep arms down and hands away from your face.
• If you perspire easily, a little translucent face
  powder prior to the interview is an excellent
  idea.
• Maintaining good posture conveys an air of
  confidence.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• Is This Thing On?
• Whatever else you do, understand the dynamics of
  the live interview. It happens in real time.
  You only get one take.
• Dont let this happen to you a rodeo beauty
  queen got half way through a live TV interview
  when she suddenly stopped and said, Oh damn, I
  screwed up. Can we start again?
• The answer, of course, was an embarrassing No.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• The No Comment No-No
• If youre involved in a controversial issue
  expect a question youd rather not answer.
• When it comes simply say, Im sorry, theres
  nothing I can say about that right now.
• Avoid using the no comment cliché. It
  inevitably comes across as hostile.
• If the reporter asks, Why? be sure to have a
  pre-considered response. The alternative is to
  abruptly terminate the interview.
• Dont be drawn into a verbal duel or endless
  probing questions. Either way you lose.

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Media Coverage - when you want it

• Scrums - Why You Should and Shouldnt
• A scrum is one person surrounded by a large group
  of media.
• Seasoned veterans can get a lot of media
  attention quickly.
• The questions can be relentless and probing.
• The inexperienced subject often feels nervous and
  pressured.
• Scrums are mobile and can be difficult to walk
  away from.
• If youre unsure, avoid scrums completely.

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• Media Coverage
• - when you dont want it
• Coming October 2009
• Thank you!