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Volume 9, Issue 1
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Are You Buying PR Services or Advertising?
by Susan Matthews Apgood
“Guaranteed placement,” a form of advertising, is increasingly coming out of the PR budget, often spent with public relations services firms. In order to ensure media coverage for clients, astonishingly, five out of five PR broadcast services firms we surveyed on the web are paying for the placement of stories on television and radio outlets. But what does a guaranteed placement sound or look like and more importantly, does it provide the same value as a true earned media placement?
Some of the buzz words public relations services firms are using for this practice, include ‘guaranteed placements,’ or claiming to have a ‘mutual understanding,’ or a ‘formal agreement’ with media outlets. These terms all mean one thing: they buy time. Information from “guaranteed placements” doesn’t air in the program itself, but is separate from the content of the talk show or newscast, as it should be, since it’s an ad. We are frequently surprised when potential clients come to us saying other firms offer guarantees on usage. Even more disturbing is the practice of reporting the “guaranteed placement” alongside earned media, blurring the distinction between the two and giving the impression that both earned and guaranteed media placements are equal in value. As we all know, there are no guarantees for earned media since no money is being exchanged for play.
When service companies buy time on media outlets, the stories end up airing in what sounds like a commercial break in a newscast, not the newscast itself. This placement is a breakaway from the anchor, like any other commercial break the network might do, therefore devaluing the message as earned media. When a story is accepted based on its merit, the story will air within the newscast, making the message more credible, since it was evaluated by a reporter that saw the news value.
What is happening in our industry is that weak stories are being accepted by PR services firms. In turn, they are buying time to make up for the fact that weak stories cannot get placed. It’s hurting all in the practice of public relations when this happens.
In 2005, the FCC and the PR industry demanded that broadcast companies be transparent about who they represent. PR services companies also need to be transparent with their clients. We ask that firms offering services that “guarantee placements” not hide their practices as if it is PR, but be honest about their ad buys.
We want to assure all of our clients and colleagues, we operate under the ethics and values of the public relations profession as spelled out by the PRSA code of ethics, committing to preserving the integrity of the process of communication. All reporters and producers are individually pitched, and they determine whether to use a story in their newscasts or talk shows based on its newsworthiness.
“Guaranteed placements” are a slippery slope, and present a challenge to all of us in the industry as the lines continue to blur. There are many stories that have the potential to receive a lot of earned media coverage, but are simply rolled into commercial breaks.
Emerging Technologies in Broadcasting
by Lynn Harris Medcalf
A recent survey we conducted of 100 news and talk stations in the top-75 markets finds that 25% of stations are currently producing podcasts, with an additional 3% saying the technology is coming soon to their station. Of those currently podcasting, 89% said that the primary function is to keep listeners listening, while an additional 10% cite the importance of getting new listeners.
Podcasting is the distribution of audio or video files, like radio programs or music videos, over the Internet for listeners to download and listen to via their mobile devices and personal computers. While the adoption of this technology has until recently focused primarily on music, content producers, like public relations firms, are finding this medium a way to directly reach the listening and viewing public.
RSS, or Real Simple Syndication, provides the support mechanism for podcasting in that it alerts users of new podcasts and updated content on websites and weblogs. This technology allows users to subscribe to websites that have RSS feeds, which are typically sites that change or add content regularly, by alerting subscribers of the latest content without the subscriber having to go to a site and gather that information. Unlike subscriptions to many printed newspapers and magazines, most RSS subscriptions are free. See chart below outlining how RSS feeds can help PR practitioners.
While our survey found that no stations are currently using podcasts or RSS feeds to gather their news, both technologies are increasingly being used by consumers. In fact, according to Pew Internet, there are more than 22 million American adults who own iPods or MP3 players and 29% of them have downloaded podcasts from the Web.
Given the growth of podcasting and RSS among consumers, News Generation has launched both an RSS feed and podcast service as a way to reach this “new” radio listener. Radio has traditionally been the most customized form of broadcasting available, where people who want headline news can get it 24 hours-a-day or if you like new rock, you can listen to a station especially formatted to your tastes. But now, podcasting offers even more customization for the listener. Not only can you get exactly the type of formatted station you want, but you can get the exact song, radio show or report, making each iPod or MP3 user, his or her own radio programmer.
How Can RSS Help Public Relations Practitioners?
- RSS allows consumers to get the news they want without having to go out and gather it. If you provide your stories via RSS, subscribers can receive customized news directly on their desktop.
- When using RSS, remember to register your RSS feed with directories of RSS feeds to get the most bang for your feed in terms of awareness and traffic. These directories are a one-stop-shop for users, where they can review news feeds on a wide variety of topics.
- Examples of RSS directories include:
- Large broadcasters see the advantages of offering RSS feeds. These include:
Morning Talk Shows Limiting Their Content Scope
by Curtis H. Gill
Morning drive talk shows are beginning to limit their topic focus. Recent contact with producers across the country has revealed a tendency to be more conscious of content as it relates to the listening audience. News and talk stations are refining their content to include primarily breaking news and headline stories, leaving the entertainment and more evergreen pieces to their FM dial brethren.
Likewise, those morning zoo crews are less likely to tackle the heavier topics no matter how relevant the subject matter might be to their listening audience. They would rather talk to the latest cast off from “American Idol” than the leading expert on breast cancer. Since radio is known for its fine targeting abilities, stations are often content with retaining their core listenership rather than expanding their repertoires to draw in a broader audience.
The advent of talk shows on XM and Sirius Radio has done little to alter this phenomenon. There too, news and talk stations are covering the heavier topics leaving the leisure features to the entertainment morning shows. The rare case when this cycle is broken occurs when celebrities takes on a cause themselves and uses their fame to spread the word.
While it may seem prudent to line up the clinical expert to discuss a serious topic, the issue might find a greater audience speaking through the lips of a famous person impacted by the issue. When the star of the popular sit-com talks about his father’s fight with Alzheimer’s disease, that human element rings more true than the more clinical approach that often comes from a foundation spokesperson. And it might find a greater audience as well.
What is Hurban and Who is This Format Reaching?
Hurban, short for Hispanic urban, is the latest hot format of the Hispanic radio world. This new format encompasses rap and hip-hop in Spanish, as well as various derivations of hip-hop mixed with traditional Caribbean music like Reggaeton, a combination of rhythms of Reggae, Salsa, Bachata and Merengue.
This format is the latest attempt to tap into the Latino youth market. These unique music stations are aggressively competing to capture Hispanics between the ages of 18 and 34 with jocks tossing both English and Spanish music into the mix. This listening group is predominately male, although that varies from market to market, and is usually second generation Hispanic, more than likely bilingual, but prefers English. The audience that tends to follow this kind of music tends not to be the same as those that listen to “Regional Mexican” programming.
Multiple Spanish-language stations are adopting this format. Radio stations like WCAA-FM in New York, from the communication power house Univision, has adopted this format under the brand of “La Kalle.” Others like Clear Channel have their brand of this format named “Mega-Latino & Proud” in markets like Houston under the call letters KLOL-FM. Various networks and stations in other markets like Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas and Chicago have taken an interest to the hurban format as well.
Pitching to these and any kind of Spanish-language stations requires knowledge of the nuances that go with the format. As a public relations professional, it is crucial to understand the cultural composition of the audience tuning in to these stations to make an effective pitch. The success of this format varies from market to market, even though this genre of music is dominating the airwaves, topping the charts and breaking record sales today. Even with the music being widely accepted, it remains to be seen if this radio format is here to stay. But, meanwhile, if PR professionals are looking to reach the Latino, mostly male, youth market, the hurban format is the place to pitch stories today.
Weather Channel Uses The Power of Radio to Set New Series in Motion
by Martha Sharan
What if a Category Three Hurricane hit New York City? Could a history-making, catastrophic weather event happen in or near the same place years later?
On January 15, 2006, these and other questions were explored in the premiere of a new series, IT COULD HAPPEN TOMORROW on The Weather Channel. The series showcases science-based predictions of natural disasters, taking a close look at unbelievable acts of nature that, if they occur, could spell disaster in cities across America. Most importantly, with the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the show looks at what is being done to prepare and protect the public, against these destructive possibilities.
To draw viewers to its premiere episode, “The Long Island Express,” The Weather Channel turned to us to book radio interviews with national networks and top stations across the country. Meteorologist Jim Cantore talked to a variety of radio reporters and talk-show hosts about the possible recurrence of the hurricane that hit Long Island, NY on September 21, 1938, the Category Three storm that left 700 dead and 63,000 homeless.
If the same type of storm hit tomorrow, Cantore foresaw a far more tragic impact, and that is one example of many scientific predictions The Weather Channel has complied for future episodes on possible weather disasters.
On Thursday, January 12, three days before the premiere episode, the news about The Weather Channel’s new series got out to more than eight million listeners through 14 radio interviews. There were a total of 1,788 airings on 1,779 stations and network affiliates across the United States, with interviews completed nationally on Metro Source, Westwood One and USA Radio Network; on the statewide network in Florida; and on #1 news-talk radio stations in top radio markets, among them Dallas, Miami, Orlando, and St. Louis.
Radio was one element in a comprehensive promotional campaign to support the launch of the new series. As a result of the overall campaign, the ratings achieved during the 9:30 p.m. premiere of IT COULD HAPPEN TOMORROW showed a 60 percent increase over the Sunday night household average for Quarter One 2005. For the 25 to 54-year age group, the program showed an 84 percent increase in tune-in, compared to the viewership average for that audience in Quarter One 2005.
Tuning In newsletter is produced and distributed bi-annually. The goal of the newsletter is to educate clients on radio trends and industry tips, as well as highlight case studies and release survey information.
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