Full Frame Entertainment Media Roadmap for Texas Counseling Association Page 1

Full Frame Entertainment Media Roadmap for Texas Counseling Association
Page 1

Media Roadmap

Prepared for Texas Counseling Association
by Full Frame Entertainment

Presented by Dianne Downey

888-201-5998

Introduction

The following document has been prepared to help guide TCA Chapters and Members in the utilization of the electronic media outlets in their markets. It includes information on identifying the media outlets, communicating with them, and crafting a message in the most effective manner. The ultimate goal is to positively promote the agenda of TCA and its members.

Current Media Climate

Both the electronic media (radio and television) and the print media are going through tremendous financial stress. Positions are being eliminated, outsourcing is common, and focus on the bottom line is king. In short, the media outlets are charged with doing more with less. Their staffs are dwindling yet they still have both the obligation and the need to serve the local community.TCA can help them achieve their goals in key ways: by supplying them with story ideas of a local nature and offering bona fide expertise and information which is additive to their efforts at no cost to the media outlet. It is your local media outlets that will be most likely to showcase your message. Your initial efforts to identify those outlets and the people who run them is a critical step in the process.

What are the local media sources that are available to you?

Television

Broadcast stations in your market that produce local newscasts
Cable stations that produce local news
Public access cable stations which air primarily local content; on these stations there may be the opportunity to be a guest on a local program

Radio

Broadcast radio stations that produce local newscasts or community events;some of these stations will be “talk” in format, others will be “music” formats that include news updates—some may even be dedicated to covering only local events

Newspapers/Magazines

Local or regional newspapers that print news about the local community; some of these may be localized to specific community (suburban papers)

In-School Networks

Many schools and Universities have in-house video or radio programming. This is an excellent source for airing a PSA announcing events, a recruiting message or “call to action.”

Internet

There are limitless ways to use the internet for dissemination of your message: emailing, blogs, search engines listing, home pages, etc.

Who are the key points of contact within the local media outlets?

Find out who owns and manages your local media outlets. This is key! The internet is a great place to get the information. Linkedin.com is an excellent source of information on various professionals. Check owners and managers’bios for school alumni, religious, sports, and political affiliations as well as board membership and philanthropic pursuits. You may find that your chapter members have much in common with the owners or managers. Making a personal connection will enhance your ability to showcase your message.

At television and radio stations, you want to be connected to the News Department. The news director is the manager of that department and would be a good person to meet. However, you may have more immediate results with the assignment editor, who actually sends people out on stories. The assignment editor is also the keeper of the “rolodex.”

With newspapers, the editor or managing editor are the top positions but the “section” editor may be a better contact. The name and contact information of the section editor is often listed at the top of the section page.

How should you communicate with the media contact?

Ask them the best way to communicate with them: email, phone, fax, etc.
Find out what their deadlines are;if you are submitting materials to them (like a press release or story idea), it needs to be received in a timely manner—don’t send it too early or it will get lost in the shuffle

If sending them audio or video materials, find out what format they want them in (Beta, DVD, CD)

How can you establish and work the relationship?

Get in the rolodex
Through email communication and phone calls let them know who you are and what your qualifications are to be considered a “credible source” or “expert” in a particular area
Let them know how to reach you and take their calls! The news cycle has a very short turn around and you may be asked to participate at a moment’s notice—try to comply
Media outlets often need a local expert in the field: make sure at least one of your members is that expert (it should be someone who is at ease speaking in front of the camera, on radio, or giving an interview for print) and that the member is “on point” with the message of the organization—this is not an opportunity to “freelance”
Agree to go to the station or provide the material as opposed to having a reporter come to the member

What are the usual forms of communication?

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the editor or a reporter, news director, or general manager in response to a report are an effective way to both become known as the “expert” on a subject and to make TCA’s position known. A word of caution, however: coming off as a “crackpot” or “over the top” will not help the cause. The key to advancing issues is a thoughtful, concise, and respectful approach.

Press Release

A traditional press release is used to inform the media of an upcoming event or to provide information about a recently completed event. A press release should include who, what, where, when, and contact information. It should include a succinct title that reflects the content of the release. It should be no more that one page. It can be mailed, faxed, emailed, or hand-delivered.

Story Idea

Unlike a press release, a story idea does not usually lend itself to being communicated in a short form. The most effective way to communicate a story idea is to contact a reporter or editor whose responsibilities or “beat” relates to the subject of the story. For example, if your story has an education angle you will want to communicate with the educations reporter. If it involves crime then you will want to contact a reporter or editor that deals with crime stories. A follow up in writing is always warranted.

Public Service Announcement (PSA)

A PSA is a recorded or scripted announcement that highlights a particular benefit to the community. Media outlets are not obligated to print or air PSAs—they are usually only aired when an outlet does not have high demand on their inventory (have extra time or space).

How should you frame your message to the media?

Whether a press release, interview, or recorded material it must be:

Easy to use:Require little to no effort from the outlet; electronic formats are usually preferred

Compelling: Take a “ripped from the headlines” story and bring it down to a local level—for instance, in a story about troubled veterans, take a local approach by providing statistics relating to veterans in your local community

Valuable: Give the story a twist with a WIFM (what’s in it for me)—for example, “School Counselors Save Families Millions in College Tuition” advocates steering high school graduates into the right majors, making them less likely to switch mid-stream and resulting in a quicker completion of degree requirements and a tuition savings to families

Exclusive: There is tremendous competition between media outlets, which brings pluses and minuses; don’t limit your exposure—find the media partner that will really get behind the cause

Additive: Produce a PSA that can be sponsored (you may even solicit sponsorships and bring that sponsor to the media outlet);once you have established a relationship with the News Department it will be much more likely that the station will air the PSA

TCA Policy Makers Messages

Help them Heal

After all they havesacrificed are we denying our Veterans the help they need when they come home? Thousands of Veterans are going without the mental health treatment they need because of antiquated insurance laws. Help our Veterans Heal; support the inclusion of Professional Counselors in Veterans Services.

For many of our returning Veterans coming home can be a puzzle. How do they reunite with their familiesshould they go back to schoolwhat are their career choices? Professional Counselors specialize in helping people find answers to these questions. It’s the least they deserve, Help ourVeterans Heal,and supportauthorization of Professional Counselor benefits for Veterans.

Who will ever forget the disturbing images of school and campus shootings? Certainly not the students and their families who were directly impacted. But over these many terrible occurrences, Professional Counselors have been some of the first professionals on scene to Help our Families Heal. Support Professional Counselors in our schools.

Natural Disasters don’t feel very natural to their victims. They are supernatural events that change everything for even the strongest individuals and families. Grief, Depression, Financial and Career challenges are just a few of the outcomes. Professional Counselors are capable of helping victims heal the many different wounds resulting from a natural disaster. Support authorization of Professional Counselor benefits for our most devastated families. Help our Families Heal

Support Wellness, Support Professional Counselors

If employing additional Counselors at our schools and Universities could stop even one tragic event like Columbine, would it be worth the cost? Professional Counselors may be the best defense we have. Support Wellness,Support Professional Counselors in our schools.

If you could catch your child before he fell would you do it? If you knew your spouse was about to suffer severe trauma would you intervene? Professional Counselors are trained to recognize trends to help your family avoid adversity. Support Wellness, Support Professional Counselors.

Can we afford to give up? If we give up a child, what kind of adult will they be? When it takes more than a family to solve the puzzle of adolescence, a Professional Counselor could be just the answer. Insist on Professional Counselors in our schools. Support Wellness, Support Professional Counselors.