PLAYING THE PRESS A ByrnesMedia Guest Article Steve Jones How often have you complained that the newspaper or TV station didn't cover your station event?
How many times has the TV station or newspaper referred to you anonymously with their famous "a local radio station" line?
There is no question that media coverage of your radio station is crucial. It can help increase recall and decrease phantom cume, it heightens awareness of your brand, and it can provide goodwill and generate priceless word of mouth about your station. But more often than not, radio stations fail to play the media game!
In 1999, K-Rock in Edmonton hosted the "Rockfest '99" concert billed as "K-Rock's 20th Anniversary Party". The four day outdoor classic rock concert fell apart after 3 days, when the promoter ran out of cash to pay the bands. Police stepped in behind the scenes, and requested that Day Three headliners Def Leppard and Sammy Hagar play essentially for free to prevent a riot. Day Four of the concert never happened.
As title sponsor, K-Rock was in a potentially explosive situation. Angry concert-goers would likely blame the fiasco on the radio station, as we were the most visible sponsor of the event. This disaster was ready to wreak havoc on our brand.
In the end, K-Rock came out of this event looking very positive in the public eye. The reason is simple: K-Rock played the press. Here's what happened:
Since the promoter had skipped town, and K-Rock was immediately available for comment, K-Rock's position went undisputed in the local press. Concert-goers who heard our position took a "me too" attitude toward the station, calling us to voice their anger at this shady promoter. The TV stations and newspapers that picked up the story gave the radio station endless press, the vast majority of it positive, and rightly so, since the radio station wasn't at fault.
Within weeks, K-Rock had set up a free concert featuring Nazareth for all original ticket holders in an effort to make good on the failed concert. Listeners were grateful, and tickets to this free concert became among the hottest tickets in town! The post-concert publicity left a glow on the radio station.
Hopefully most of your dealings with the media are about more positive radio station ventures. Charity work, concerts, stunts, and contest giveaways are all potentially interesting to other media. The problem is that we often fail to recognize what other media are looking for when they search for stories.
TV stations, and to a large degree newspapers, are looking for a visual. On the radio, we can create visuals with words, and often we can turn an unimpressive visual into something magical using talented announcers and writers. However, TV and newspapers cannot fake it. If there isn't a good visual hook, it is almost worthless for the TV reporter or newspaper photographer to attend.
Events like the "Entombed in Concrete" or "Underwater Ordeal" are great visuals. These types of major stunts combine the visual with a charity to create a must-cover event for other media. You can view samples of these events at www.silkini.com. If your morning show is broadcasting from an unusual location (on a billboard, in a tree, in a hot tub, etc), you can provide other media with the visual hook they need to put you on the front page.
While TV reporters and newspaper photographers are looking for a visual, a great deal of publicity and coverage can be gained through newspaper or magazine columnists. These writers are not under the pressure of the newsroom and often don't run photographs with their columns. Often they are assigned community events and gossip coverage, and some do editorial or opinion columns. To gain their attention, the story has to have some "sizzle", as Graham Hicks of the Edmonton Sun puts it. While a warm 'n fuzzy charity event is nice, the paper gets hundreds of requests to cover charity events every year. What will get you coverage in a gossip column like Graham's is a story or quote that raises eyebrows or makes people think twice. It doesn't have to be a visual, but it has to be something unique in terms of approach that gets people talking, or a quote that generates some laughter or other emotion.
Regardless of the type of media involved, relationships count. If you want other media to cover your events and give you credit where credit is due, you need to develop personal relationships with the people making decisions. If you don't, when you get coverage you will just be "a local radio station".
Work on getting to know the columnists, editors, assignment editors, news directors, and reporters in other media. K-Rock mid-day host Melissa Wright is personal friends with local TV anchor Gord Steinke. As a result of that friendship (and her own immense talent), Gord pitched a story to his team about Melissa being the only female announcer in a major daypart in the city. The result was an incredible 4 minute feature story on our mid-day host that ran during the 6 o'clock news! You can't buy that kind of positive press.
Relationships don't always need to be friendly! Having your on-air hosts establish rivalries can be incredibly helpful. You can be absolutely confident that if your morning hosts pokes good-natured fun at the hairstyle of the weather guy on channel 6 regularly, the weather guy will hear about it. He may even react to it on air, giving your morning host more recognition! The key, of course, is keeping it friendly and good-natured.
K-Rock morning co-host Bill Cowen took this approach with local TV reporter Loraine Mansbridge. Frequently, Bill would make remarks about what a "hot cougar" she was and how much he fantasized about her! After many months of these off-handed comments, Loraine acknowledged Bill on the air, joking with him about a restraining order and sharing a laugh.
Another key is being flexible. When gas prices shot through the roof, we tossed together a stunt called "Gas Man", a superhero covered in station logos who dropped in unexpectedly and paid for people's gas. A TV reporter heard about this, and called asking to cover it. Although "Gas Man" had already done his job for the day, we quickly assembled a crew and sent "Gas Man" back on the street. The result was national coverage on that night's newscast. It wouldn't have happened if we had said "come back tomorrow."
Finally, be prepared to be turned down. Graham Hicks often refers to me as a "fisherman", because I am always putting my hook in the water to see if I can get a bite from him. Don't give up! Deadlines, breaking stories, and timing often work against you, even when you have the perfect story for other media to cover. Don't sweat it. Don't let it discourage you next time.
Remember, 99% of the time, any press is good press, as long as they spell your name right. The worst thing any media can say about you is that you were "unavailable / unwilling to comment". To a reader or viewer, this sets of all kinds of subconscious alarms and they'll perceive you to be a liar! Be prepared, be as honest as possible, and face the music when it isn't positive.
All of the above may become mute in the event that someone has broken a law, a personal or professional life is at stake, or you have been directed not to speak on the topic. There are circumstances that require a "no comment", but I believe they are extremely rare. Please consult your legal counsel or corporate advisor if there is ever doubt.
Checklist To "Play the Press"
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