MEDIA RELATION

MEDIA RELATION

One of the critical areas within any corporate communication function is the media relations department. The media are both a constituency and a medium through which investors, suppliers, retailer, and consumers receive information about and develop images of a company.

The News Media

The news media are ubiquitous in our society. Referred to as “the press” in earlier times, the expanded media is a powerful part of society. The media have helped shape attitudes in this country on issues as diverse as gun control and hemlines, abortion and corporate pay. But the business has always had a more antagonistic relationship with the press. Increased public and media interest had a profound effect on business and its dealings with the media. Sometime in the 1970s, business coverage started to change. Since then, the private sector has become much more public.

The Growth of Business Coverage in the Media

Before the 1970s, business news was relegated to a few pages toward the back of the newspaper (consisting mostly of stock quotations) and to a handful of business magazines.
Today, so many magazines and web sites are devoted to business news that it is nearly impossible to find a topic not thoroughly covered by one media outlet or another. With the 24-hour networks and all-day business coverage that one can find on FOX, CNBC and CNN, corporate news is virtually impossible to ignore.

Building Better Relations with the Media

To build better relationships with members of the media, organizations must take the time to cultivate relationships with the right people in the media. This might be handled by employees within the company’s media relations department (if one exists) or given to a public relations firm to handle. According to Ron Alridge, former publisher and editorial director of Electronic Media, to have “Good Media Relations” one should “understand the news organization” he is dealing with.

Conducting Research for Targeting Media

Each time a journalist covers a firm in the industry, corporate communication professional need to determine what angle the reporter has taken. Suppose a look at the records shows that the reporter who covered the company’s beat has recently written a piece about a competitor firm moving into a different market as part of its new global strategy. Chances are, this reporter will not be interested in writing the same story again about another company. Thus, the competitor should not pitch its story to this reporter.

Responding to Media Calls

Responding to media requests carefully can make a powerful difference in how the company appears in the story. To begin with, calls should come into a central office that deals with all requests for information from important national media. Next, the person who takes the call should try to find out what angle the reporter is taking on the story. The person responsible for that telephone call should try to get as much information as possible while being careful not to give in return any information that is not already public knowledge.

Preparing for Media Interviews

Once the research and analysis are complete, the executive who will be interviewed needs to be prepared fro the actual meeting with the reporter. First, the executive should be given a short briefing on the reporter or producer’s prior work. Once the executive has been briefed on the reporter’s background and likely angle, he or she should be given a set of questions that the reporter is likely to ask. In addition to thinking about what to say, the executive needs to think about the most interesting approach to expressing these messages. Using statistics and anecdotes can help bring ideas alive in an interview. Finally, the executive needs to be prepared to state key ideas as clearly as possible at the beginning of the interview.

Gauging success

Looking at not only where the ink has landed but also how well the company’s key messages are communicated is the proper way to gauge the success after a media encounter. This is what has been doing. Part of elevating Verizon’s media score is finding out where the media hits have landed (with what constituencies), not just determining that the media carried a story on the company. contracted research and consulting firm Yankelovich Partners to conduct an annual survey of business journalists to gauge perceptions of AT&T and its media relations staff.

Developing an Online Media Strategy

v Extend Your Media Relations Strategy to the Blogosphere – Blogs are publicly accessible personal Websites that serve as sources of commentary, opinion, and information on a variety of topics.

v Handle Negative News Effectively – The communications department should quickly assess the potential damage that the news might cause.

References:-

· Corporate Communication by Paul A. Argenti (page )
· http://www.wsj.com/
· http://www.verizon.com/
· http://www.att.com/
· http://images.google.co.in/images