Learn about radio by listening, study the programs of each station, learn the format of regular programs, like Woman's Hour, identify where your story might slot in. Radio people are keen professionals so find out who makes the decisions and seize opportunities as they arise.
Local radio
Here is your golden media opportunity for local radio is an expanding market place for public relations. Local radio has been called 'the voice of the local community'. These stations must be constantly fed with information. They employ few people and their budgets are limited.
Over recent years new specialist services have developed to help public relations to serve local radio. Information is supplied by the consultancy to companies such as United News Service (UNS). They, in turn make a tape of an interview or discussion which is then distributed to most local radio stations.
These prepared public relations tapes work wonders and are widely used. The technique is often to introduce a speaker who represents a product in this way: the local radio announcer says live, 'Many housewives today use bleach to disinfect kitchen surfaces and to protect the health of their families. More and more housewives are using such a product. We have with us today Mary Slater from the Wonder Bleach Company who will explain what modern housewives see in this old fashioned but effective product, Mrs. Slater...'. Here the PR tape of Mrs. Slater talking is picked up. This gives the client a mention or two of his product name and, to the listener, it sounds as if it is a live interview at the local radio station. Clever public relations work, convenient for the station, and, as you guessed, Mrs. Slater is really a public relations consultant.
Television
The role of television is to report, analyze, and interpret national and international news and issues and to inform and entertain. The television industry is very structured and operators carefully monitored. It is the most powerful medium for mass communication so far devised. So powerful in fact that the medium of television itself can be as persuasive as the message it sends. As far back as the 1950s it was proclaimed that 'the medium was the message'. This complex statement need not be analyzed here but just think how often we see a certain politician, well though he may be, declared as 'never coming across on the TV. The power of the medium may overwhelm a person and his message. Some people are media stars and the camera loves them. How film is edited is vital too. All this makes television an exciting and immense force in society and it is approached with dogged zeal by those ambitious for money and fame.
Outside of a real news event of national importance (and your clients are unlikely ever to have such announcements) you are probably not going to get national TV coverage during most of your working year. But regional TV coverage is often possible when the story is locally important like a factory opening. You will love and hate television and always long for success with it. The first time your little bit of news gets on the Six o'clock News or your client is a member of a panel discussion, you will have arrived professionally. For a fleeting moment that is. Again, if you want to understand television then watches it and not just the evening programs. Start in the morning and go through the whole day. Personal disinterest in a program's content will help your objectivity in assessing its potential for your public relations purposes.
Developing your own Media expertise
Read the publications which are your target. Start with the national newspapers and then your local ones. You can do that now, your library will have copies. Ask yourself: What is the difference between their formats? What are the distinct styles of reporting? What angles or special interests does each seem to have?
An exercise that is always valuable is to rewrite a few articles that you have read. Take one from Women's Weekly and rewrite the first three paragraphs for Playboy. Not easy is it? Yet, you may well be doing just that when you write one press release for the former magazine and another on the same subject for the latter because both publications are on your public relations media schedule as targets.
Resources: a golden key
The smart operator knows where to go to get information. If it is in a data or reference book, remember where, but forget the details until you need them. Have BRAD and other directories up to date and close at hand. When you learn how to search out and retrieve information you are in possession of a golden key to doing successful public relations.
