Telling Your Story Through the Media Mar 24

Telling Your Story Through the Media Mar. 24, 2011

Traditional media • • TV Print Media Radio Web

Mn/DOT and the media “On an average day 7 minutes of news happens. Yet there are currently three full-time, 24 -hour news networks. Jon Stewart - Media-Map – The Internet PR

The media • The media is an important interest group and vehicle in getting our messages to the public • News is competitive – reporters, editors and producers have an incredible need for information

What influences leaders • Congressmen and women are influenced more by what is reported in their hometown media than any other form of communications. Peter Hart Research Associates Communicating with Congress

What Americans say about the media and the news • Access media for average of one hour per day • Useful in their everyday lives • Believe media are more influenced by powerful interests than good of society • Trust local news outlets more

Newsmakers • Unique, unusual situation • Focus is impact on people – how many? • Prominence – who or what is involved?

Newsmakers • Timeliness • Proximity • Opposing views

What is news?

Here’s what makes news Compelling C’s Conflict Confusion Catastrophe Close to home Contradiction Competition Controversy

Mn/DOT makes news • Snowplowing • Road construction • Traffic management • Potholes • Road blows • Litter • Speed limits • • Funding Investments Sprawl Contracting Eminent domain Environment HOT lanes

Mn/DOT Media Relations • Provide ongoing communication with print, television, radio and Webbased news media to ensure that accurate and timely agency information is provided to a broad public audience

Media contact • Phone call from a reporter about your project • Reporter asks questions at a public meeting or open house • Report is searching for information or spokesperson on a particular issue or during a crisis • Special interest on the particular function you perform at Mn/DOT

Media Relations tasks • Responding to media requests for information and interviews • Issuing news releases and media packets • Providing public statements and commentary for the agency • Holding news conferences and media events

Media Packets • • • News Release Maps Project /subject Information Resource material Agency information Contact information

Mn/DOT spokespersons • The people assigned by management and communications staff to represent the agency in a media interview

Mn/DOT PACs

Major TV Media • • • KTCA WCCO KSTP FOX 9 KARE 11

Cable TV • Local cable TV is important to the community • Good source of free media coverage • Provides in-depth coverage of topics • A natural for transportation and transit projects

Cable TV in Minnesota • Great opportunity for agencies to connect with community • Check out http: //www. acmmidwest. org/minnesotacommunitytel evision/ for cable access closest to your community

Mn/DOT and print media • Print media generally serves an audience with more advanced education than other types of media. • Print media provide identity to communities and lends a certain weight to content. Source: i. Media Advisory, 2009

Daily Print Media in Metro Area • Star & Tribune • St. Paul Pioneer Press • Minnesota Daily

Outstate Daily Print Media

Outstate Weekly Print Media

Radio • Arbitron research shows that 84. 8 percent of people, 12 years or older, listen to radio every day • On average, people listen to six radio stations each week, and they tune in for shorter bursts of time than previously documented

Radio Stations and Mn/DOT • • WCCO KSTP MPR Clear Channel

Minnesota Radio Stations • To find radio outlets in your project area visit: http: //www. ontheradio. net/states/min nesota. aspx

Mn media serving ethnic populations • Asian American Press • Asian Pages • Bois Forte News Nett Lake, American Indian • Circle Minneapolis, American Indian community newspaper

o a n d T V Mn ethnic media continued • One Nation News, Native American newspaper • Nash Dom Minnesota Russian community newspaper • Somali TV news show through CTV 15 in Roseville • African News Journal • Insight News, African American Newspaper

Mn ethnic media continued • Spokesman Recorder, African American Newspaper • Hmong Times • Latino Communications Network, newspaper, radio & TV • Mshale, Online African-American media • Hmong Today, newspaper

Mn ethnic media continued • Vietnamese Broadcasting of Minnesota, radio and TV • KFAI Radio provides several ethnic radio shows

Ethnic media and projects • Develop relationships with editors at ethnic media outlets • Work with ethnic community leaders to promote involvement at public meetings

Media interviews Before During After

Before agreeing to an interview Contact your public affairs/information coordinator • They may have background information on the reporter or media outlet • They will find out: • Scope of interview • Who else has been interviewed • Deadline

Focus the interview Who is your audience? Why are you conducting the interview? Why does your audience care? How will information affect them? Are you the appropriate spokesperson?

Messages Speak in pyramids Talk about benefits, not features Keep it simple - 3 points Be brief – 7 seconds, 140 characters Sum it up

How do we provide info to media? • Phone calls • Emails

News releases • Useful for sharing info. with a number of media • Critical when sharing complicated info • Today, increasingly helpful in sharing info. immediately through media websites

News conferences Advantageous to work with reporters as a group Economical use of your time Involves: Pre-briefing Opening statement Rehearse presenters – limit the number Accessible location with parking Media kits that reinforce information

During the interview 1. Weave your three main points throughout your answer 2. Don’t repeat negative information 3. No personal opinions 4. Don’t go off the record 5. Don’t say “no comment”

During the interview, continued 6. If you don’t know the answer, say so 7. Keep your message simple 8. When you’ve answered the question, stop talking 9. Never comment on an issue in litigation 10. Don’t speculate

Answering questions Watch your reaction shot (especially on video) Don’t label the questions Don’t use the reporter’s name

On camera? Have your public affairs staff present Get out of your office Pay attention to the background of the camera shot Keep your feet flat on the floor

On camera? continued Sit still – don’t rock, chew gum or slouch Forget the camera-keep eyes on interviewer Use normal tone of voice Remember the photographer

After the interview Monitor • Look at the coverage in print, online, on-air • Correct inaccurate information • Thank them for a job well done

They got it wrong! If story has factual errors, call the reporter and point them out Don’t ask for a retraction

Summary Contact your PAC Know your audience Use three key messages

Questions?

Where do Social Media and Regular Media Intersect?

“Marketers feel they’re required to have a Facebook strategy. That’s unfair to the poor marketers—heck, Facebook doesn’t really have a Facebook strategy. ” --Chip Heath, forward to The Dragonfly Effect

What we do • Mn/DOT Tweets our traffic updates and news releases • Mn/DOT set up a Facebook Page • Mn/DOT set up a You. Tube channel

What MSM does with our social media • Snow plow video • Mndotnews and mndotraffic tweets • Facebook?

Questions we ask ourselves before we post • • Do we have something to say? Do we have somewhere to point them? Are we responding to questions quickly? Is our tone right?

Social Media’s two-way street You can monitor media outlets’ Tweets and their Facebook Page

Tweet. De ck

Explosion Last Week

Questions? Thank you for your time and attention. Get a copy of this presentation (without video) from webteam. dot@state. mn. us