Going beyond News: Making the most of broadcast media

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Going beyond News Making the most of
broadcast media

• Sarah Epstein
• Senior media officer
• UNICEF UK

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Introduction
News is the bread and butter of charity media
work.... .... But are there more opportunities
out there? Docu-dramas Documentaries Travel
shows Have new audiences and longevity
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What I will briefly talk about today

• A couple of examples of UNICEF UKs experience
  with non-news media opportunities
• Show the benefit of this type of non-news media
• Give some of key tips and learning from the
  experience so that others could look into doing
  the same

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UNICEF UK has engaged with

• Sex Traffic Channel 4 docudrama, 2004
• Long Way Round Travel Documentary, 2004
• The Missing Face Documentary about HIV/AIDS,
  Sky, 2006
• Socceraid - 2006
• Michael Palin, New Europe Travel Documentary,
  2007
• Long Way Down, Travel Documentary, 2008

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SEX TRAFFICChannel 4 docu- drama, Oct. 2004
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SEX TRAFFIC seeing the potential

• Channel 4 fictional dramatisation
• Coincided with UNICEF campaign
• We were opportunistic but realistic
• Channel 4 were keen to make this go
• beyond entertainment

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How it worked

• Joint PR strategy worked for all parties
• Charities helped secure extra PR
• for the programme
• We had strong media hook for
• talking about trafficking
• Challenges

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The results for UNICEF and the other NGOS
On the day of transmission, well branded, well
messaged coverage in The TimesThe
IndependentThe ExpressThe Mirror Website on day
of transmission received large number of hits
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Results beyond media

• Council of Europe convention on trafficking
• Channel 4 hosted policy round table
• Long lasting coalition built up with Amnesty,
  Anti slavery and Eaves

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SEX traffic was just one example that
suited UNICEF. Other Docudramas...

• BOY A Feature-length drama about a 24-year-old
  who assumed a new identity after being released
  from prison
• GHOSTS (coming out soon) Nick Broomfields
  docudrama about illegal immigrants in UK
• BELLA AND THE BOYS Drama about a group of
  children growing up in residential care home in
  south London

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....and factual documentaries

• Our big Fair Trade adventure Documentary
  following 4 British school children on a trip
  looking into fair trade (C4)
• Runaway About a teenage girl in a childrens
  home, running away from home. (BBC 1)
• Slaughterhouse On the process of meat
  production (BBC 2)

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Some obvious tips

• Be opportunistic Scan TV listings /watch for
  new things
• But pick appropriate dramas/docs watch them
  first
• Contact the main production companies
• Make it beneficial to them what do you have to
  offer?
• Suggested places to start
• Channel 4 film foundation www.britdoc.org
• Century films http//www.centuryfilmsltd.com
• Nick Broomfield http//www.nickbroomfield.com

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Long Way Round seeing the potential....

• 6 part, prime time series on BBC 2 (Pre Top Gear)
• Potential relationship with Ewan and Charley
• Broadcast on National Geographic
• Global DVD
• Global Book
• Lots of surrounding publicity
• New and large audience 25-45 year old male/
  females
• Fundraising potential

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What we hoped to do

• Use the opportunity to show UNICEFs work in the
  field
• Use the media profile of LWR/LWD to enhance
  UNICEFs brand and gain media coverage with new
  and large audiences
• Direct public to the UNICEF and LWD websites to
  donate money.

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Getting the pitch right...

• Found unusual, visual, media worthy UNICEF
  projects
• LWR
• KIEV a project helping children effected by
  Chernobyl
• KAZAKHSTAN climbing walls in schools
• MONGOLIA children living under the street.
• LWD
• ETHIOPIA Mine awareness clubs in schools
• UGANDA Reintegrating former child soldiers
• MALAWI supporting children affected by
  HIV/AIDS.
• Engage the viewer.

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What did it look like?

• Three well messaged and branded sections of
  coverage in each series
• Tens of millions of opportunities to see and read
• The clips....(can be seen on www.unicef.org.uk/lon
  gwaydown )

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Media Coverage of LWD (so far) includes

• 100 positive coverage for UNICEF
• Marie Claire, HELLO!, Independent, Times,
• Jonathan Ross, BBC Breakfast, Radio 1, GMTV

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Long way Round /Down THE OUTCOME

• TV Audience of hundreds of millions (UK global)
• Media coverage
• Books millions sold worldwide
• DVD Sales
• New donors and supporters
• Ewan became an Ambassador

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More travels MICHAEL PALIN
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The opportunities are out there (depending on
your organisation)

• Round the world in 80 Gardens (BBC)
• Equator (BBC)
• Tribe (BBC)
• Bear Grylls (Channel 4)
• Coast (BBC)
• The Hairy Bikers (BBC)
• Cookery programmes abroad or in UK (many!)
• ..It just takes a degree of flexibility

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But its not in the plans

• Keep plans flexible
• Allow your media office to be opportunistic
• Convince the organisation that these projects
  have huge added value

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Overcome other challenges

• Calling people up cold
• do you have any ins?
• Ending up on cutting room floor
• meet the editor, explain the message and
  footage
• make sure you think about the final product
  from the start
• discuss broadcast limitations early on
• .

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Make the approach

• Remember
• Dont expect it to be a TV programme about your
  charity
• Remember you have something to offer them they
  may not have thought about (good TV content/real
  life case studies/ideas)

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Thank you.