How's Your PR?

Do you have regular contact with all of the media people who tend to write about radio?

If not, put together a group meeting with as many of your talent and management team as possible and "meet the press" as a group.  They are reporters.  All it will take is for you to pay for the nibbles and beverages.

Don't do it until you have "news" for them.  Write a press release with the who, what, where, when, why and how.  Include your contact name and number.  Plan on starting with a "statement" about what you're doing that you hope they cover.  Take questions.

If some people you had hoped would cover your event didn't show, recognize that news is fluid and what one day may be a huge story for them may get eclipsed on another.  Reach out to them personally and make sure they have your press release and know that you're available to questions at any time.

If you need "judges" for the event you're doing, invite well-known media people to serve in that capacity or guest on your show to talk about their events.  Build a positive relationship.

Look for a fresh angle on older items.  It's not "news" if it's not fresh and current.

TV needs a visual.  If there's no visual aspect to your story, don't be surprised that TV skips it.  Plan for "video-friendly" events.  Give your television station friends first crack at it, but if they don't go with it, post it to your own website and You Tube.  Send them a link to that so they know what they missed and understand that you wanted them to have it before your posted it.

Follow-up on your promotions.  Do a "wrap-up" meeting that includes as many of your staff as possible.  Ask them to think about anything that seemed to go especially well or fell through the cracks, including how your press coverage went.  Take exhaustive notes for review before you do anything next time.

Treat the press as if you know they are very important.  Never lie to them.  If something goes wrong, you'll increase your cred for future events if you quickly get the facts out to them.  They have the power to embarrass you, to say the very least.

If you're not sure how to handle something, hire a respected local press agent to guide you.  Study how they do things and learn.

Can You Spot The One Who "Get's It"?

Some people have a way of making themselves the center of events and others seem more comfortable playing the background.

Take a fast look at this photo from Country Aircheck weekly. Where do your eyes go?  Which personalities do you want to identify?

Small wonder the ACM judges liked Bobby Bones' entry in spite of how new the team is to country radio.  Clearly what they learned doing CHR in Austin is paying off in their new format home.

Some people stand in front of the remote booth engaging listeners directly, while others prefer to hide behind the station banner.

Most of us try to hide from the camera when a lens is pointed our way.

That's not the business we're in.

These are learned skills and if your team doesn't seem to understand that appearances, stunts and awards are an opportunity to be maximized, it's time ot teach them.

We are in a very competitive business.

Do your personalities act like they don't realize this?

If you need help with teaching the facts of show biz, we can help.

Planning A Stunt? Start By Learning PR

I love perusing radio trades and seeing that an A&O&B client is doing something clever.

Communicating via the trades is very a nice thing to do, sharing your idea withe rest of us in your business (and perhaps it also serves to demoralize your competition when they see your name accomplishing something you know they wish they had thought of first).

Of course, the real folks you want to impact with your stunt - potential new cume and also your current core audience - don't read the radio trades, so it's even more important that your great idea creates word of mouth advertising among your local target.

What TV news, if any, do they watch?  What else do they read?  Which social networks are best at touching them?

Each of those things has a gatekeeper.  Do you know who that is?  More importantly, do they know who you are?

Before you start your stunt planning on the air, create a series of press releases for each stage of it.  Then, reach out to the local people who are most likely to cover things local radio stations do.  Even with these individuals, they are more likely to give you the coverage you want if they feel like they are scooping their competition, so you'll want to decide in advance which people to "leak" your story to and which ones will use it if they simply get the same press release everyone else does.

That's publicity 101, and if your stunt is something that you want maximum exposure for, you may want to hire a pro, a local press agent with a track record of getting things lots of ink and buzz.  If you don't know who that is, you're not ready to distribute your first release yet.

Talk to a ad agency your trust.  Do some homework.  Find out how other radio-oriented stories getting the kind of coverage you covet were delivered and by whom.

Once you know that and have decided whether you need to hire someone or just want to try doing it yourself, you're ready to hit the send button on that initial PR email to your list.

After the release goes out, it's time to really study who picks it up, which angle they use and how well your story did.  That way, when it's time to send out your next press release you will have the tools to kick it up a notch.

Take the people who used your story to lunch.  Sure, this will give you a chance to do some more personal PR and give them an inside view at your show and station, but  it is also time to listen to them and find out what they would do differently next time so that your story gets more prominent coverage in their medium.

Make a list of people who didn't use your story but who do sometimes cover other radio station events and stories.  Take them to lunch next.  Listen more than talk.  How do they perceive you?  What can you do to get them to cover your story next time?

This is an ongoing process, a part of daily show prep.  It's what the radio stations and people whose names you see in print have learned and do better than you do.  Get your competitive juices flowing and just as you do with every break on radio, strive to make the content you create as well as the PR you do to support it the very best.

Stunting For Fun And Profit

Horror of horrors!

• Ellen’s Oscar Selfie Was Part of a $20 Million Samsung Ad Buy With ABC!
• Clear Channel owns the outdoor company putting up those "go away Bobby Bones" posters!
• If you're going to claim you had nothing to do with the write-in campaign that elected you (!), I hope you make us proud and serve your term honorably 
• Pharrell Williams is "Happy" about his ten new tracks in iTunes, the ten million YouTube views of it and the ad Google runs before you get to watch it! (thanks Don Anthony for the links)
• Seems like even the venerable BBC is getting into the stunting for publicity game!

... and, like Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked!  Imagine that!  Broadcasters and entertainers making plans to profit from stunting!

Jaye's axiom of stunting:  the more you play with and deceive us, the more often you had better really entertain us too.

Ellen’s Oscar Selfie Was Part of a $20 Million Samsung Ad Buy With ABC

Read More: Ellen’s Oscar Selfie Was Part of a $20 Million Samsung Ad Buy With ABC | http://screencrush.com/ellens-oscar-selfie-product-placement/?trackback=tsmclip

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A Lesson In Smart PR

.. from the folks at Bonneville/Cincinnati:

Jessie Tack created production magic, listeners responded and tonight's American Idol performance provided the perfect opportunity to get some great ink.

What Makes It All Worthwhile

Brent Lane of WYCT (Cat Country 98.7), Pensacola's got decked up in a turkey suit yesterday, (click to watch it) and the heck what for?

"All Cat Country tonight on every newscast...," he brags.

Nice to see a guy whose priorities are in order! (smile)

Kudos To WYCD, Doing What Radio Does Best

99.5 WYCD/Detroit is throwing a birthday party for injured Capac Police Chief Raymond Hawks. The Capac Chief was involved in a widely publicized gun shooting incident and was in critical condition in a Detroit Hospital.

Last Friday morning on WYCD’s Dr Don Morning Show, Dr Don, Rachael Hunter and Steve Grunwald played the 911 call from Chief Hawks and discussed the events that led to his shooting. They sadly noted that Chief Hawks spent his 61st birthday in a drug-induced coma in Port Huron Hospital and started getting a strong reaction from the audience. Dr. Don said, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could throw him the birthday party he missed once he gets out of the hospital?” And, with that, an idea was born.

Over the course of the rest of the program, Michigan businesses and citizens tied up the phone lines volunteering goods and services to make the coming home/birthday party for Chief Hawks a reality. After donating his establishment as a venue for the event, Coyote Joe’s owner Joe Hellebuyck said, “I’m a member of the Fraternal Order of Police and it bothered me greatly to hear what had happened to Chief Hawks. My family and I are praying for his speedy recovery.” Coyote Joe’s is located in Shelby Township.

“The outpouring of support for this brave and beloved man is absolutely outstanding,” said WYCD’s Dr Don Carpenter. “Motor City residents are anxious to show this man their gratitude for putting his life on the line.”

WYCD has already contacted numerous country music stars in an attempt to find one who will perform at Chief Hawks’ birthday party. At the moment, there’s no date for the event. That will be decided once Hawks’ condition improves.

Acts Of Courage Are All Around Us

.. like this one, which not only made me smile, but also made me very proud.

"I understand that I am not the only one in transition as I move from Mike to Christine. Everyone who knows me and my work will be transitioning as well. That will take time. And that's all right. To borrow a piece of well-worn sports parlance, we will take it one day at a time. Painfully and reluctantly, I began the coming-out process a few months ago. To my everlasting amazement, friends and colleagues almost universally have been supportive and encouraging, often breaking the tension with good-natured doses of humor. When I told my boss Randy Harvey, he leaned back in his chair, looked through his office window to scan the newsroom and mused, 'Well, no one can ever say we don't have diversity on this staff.'"

- LA Times sports writer Christine Daniels (the former Mike Penner)

I hope it goes as well for Christine as is has for me.

This, I have learned: the vast majority of people are so wonderfully supportive and generous, but of course there are no guarantees.

Coming out about anything personal is always a huge risk.

Reading this revelation made me remember that maybe it's been too long since I have said THANKS to you .. and so many others in the music, country and radio businesses who have simply been amazingly kind to me.

I am confident that Christine will find the same level of acceptance from her readers and industry I have from mine (making me a poster child for carpe diem)!

Public Relations News & Tips

Speak Slowly and Carry a Big Stick (click to read the article)

These days, most contact between the media and sources takes place over the phone. Here are ten simple rules that can help you refine your phone skills, keep you from being misquoted and maybe even have you coming off sounding smart.

-- Ben Silverman