Media relation

Media relations is a cumbersome subject to “get your arms around”, in public relations. The media rather may help to create and sustain the image of your corporation. Media relations are the relationship between practitioners in public relations and those in the media. A big part of this rapport is the recognition that you have a job to do as Public relations personnel and so do they the media personnel. Normally the press is neither friendly nor hostile. The media personnel are there to get juicy news to inform and attract readers. Those who work well with the media can get their clients billions of dollars of free publicity. The media is not a simple uniform tool; there are multiple types of media very different from one another. The electronic media has never been less respected, yet it has never been so powerful. The media is as powerful as the government and have power to build and sustain an organisation or person and at the same time destroy a person. Knowing what reporters and producers want involves experience and that experience is continuous. Keep up with who’s who in the media both print and electronic and figure out what turns them on and off. Communication experts from various organisations use press conference and press release. A press conference unlike press release is that it enables ACTUALITY-video clip or audio-for the electronic media. For print media the conference gives reporters an orderly environment for face to face interrogation. A press kit should contain relevant items for the media personnel like announcement, appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and biography of the new executive.

Vox pop and clarity in radio broadcasting

Vox pop (populi) is a Latin abbreviation that means “the voice of the people”. In radio broadcasting the term “vox pop” means various people’s voices, expressing few reactions to the news. In broadcasting one of the golden rules is that vox pop must be relevant, and not done to simple fill air time Radio broadcasting focusing on the key local issues can use vox pop in their news item to reflect peoples feeling over an issue that affects them in the community. The reporter should pose a single question to various individuals in the street. It is important to ensure that local accents are represented in a vox pop. As a reporter you should be open to what you are doing and tell people that their views are important. If people are not willing to talk do not force them, but rather respect their will. Sometimes the response one get from people may not be polite and against the reporters expectations. The reporter should always smile and avoid arguing. Those who are not willing to participate should be respected. Recording of a vox pop should be done in a less noisy place to avoid an uncomfortable background as this may distract people’s utterances to be captured. Clarity in radio broadcasting is important as listeners cannot go back over to listen. The presenter must be clear and avoid rushing. Pronunciation and voice projection should be correctly adjusted without rushing. Simple short sentences translate to short statement filled with nickel and dime words should be used. The presenter should not be afraid to repeat words or phrases. Oral communication needs reinforcement. Simple words, use of real names and surnames should always be used instead of pronouns. The subject should be kept close to the verb to close the gap between the doer and the activity. Vox pop occupies only a minute of the airtime and the reporter should balance the selection after reaching out to many people.

Radio broadcasting

Radio broadcasting is the form of journalism that is exciting as it enables one to appreciate the voice recording and airtime use. If there is one interesting thing in life that is exciting is to listen to you voice in the air space . Broadcasting news either for radio or television is different from print media as it emphasise on TIMELINESS, which alters the news writing style. In broadcasting, particularly radio, breaking story receives top priority, which makes IMMEDIACY to be valued than any other news values in broadcasting in contrast with print media. Radio broadcasting, from the experience gained, slightly differs in style compared to print media. Conversational style merged with tightly writing and clarity is over emphasized in radio broadcasting. Current happenings often functions as determinant factor in radio broadcasting as it can be used as a newscast. This lead broadcasting media to be termed “now” media compared to print media. Timeliness as one of the greatest new value becomes a determinant factor for WHY a news item is to be broadcasted. Time or lack of it, determines HOW an issue can be reported or broadcasted. Air time is precious in broadcasting as it emphasized more on the WHAT and the WHERE more than the WHY or HOW. Broadcasting is concerned with INFORMATION that with EXPLANATION. And most stories must be told in 20 to 30 seconds and no story can run for more than two minutes. Unlike print media, broadcasting is different particularly considering the technology involved. News items are selected for radio because a reporter has recorded an on-the scene audio report. Some news items are selected for television broadcasting because it is visually appealing. ACTUALITY that are direct recorded words from the sources who would have saw the happening, affected or participated in the happening make radio broadcasting unique compared to print media. Radios broadcasting depend on SOUND BITES. SOUND BITES are recorded voices of people directly talked to by the reporter; those involved or saw the happening. The reporter can capture SOUND BITE by talking to people who saw or visited the area where an event occurred using telephone, mobile phone, Skype technology from the studio. People involved in SOUND BITE may also include government officials, politicians with local interest, eye witnesses and those who arrived at the scene. In radio broadcasting reporters are encouraged to “write the way they talk”, and this lead to CONVERSATIONAL STYLE which is simple and informal. What is key in broadcasting is to know that you are talking to people so tell them WHAT happened. Tell the WHAT you just saw. In radio broadcasting reporting we use simple, short sentences, with “transitive” verbs in the active voice. These are some of the nitty-gritty of radio broadcasting that I enjoyed following during my days in the field. Writing in conversation style in radio broadcasting reporting does not mean one can use slang or colloquialism or chose to be ungrammatically. Conversational style permits the use of sentence fragments and of truncated sentences, that are sometimes strung together loosely and can begin with conjecture such as “and” or “because”.

Community relations

THE term “community” should be in the plural and there are many communities in which firms have interests. Communities to be taken seriously include those where the firm’s headquarters are located, where they actually manufacture, where they distribute and sell, where they are considering doing business, where they do business that could create a crisis, and where they no longer do business because there was a crisis. In the twenty-first century, one of the central issues facing corporations will be how they identify and define their relationship to their communities. Corporations take a strategic approach and consider which stakeholders they must need to influence. Key stakeholders may be residents of the community who had little or no power but, who are vocal and know how to use media. Key stakeholders could be the most respected people in the community who exercise power behind the scene on members of certain ethnic, racial, or age group. Corporations may resort to three-pronged strategy like sponsoring community events such as sporting activities or arts festivals, which can assist in giving “face” to regional or local brand. Secondly, a company can give financial assistance to groups to promote social issues such as literacy. Social Investment Initiative or Social Performance Initiative redefines the interest in corporate relations from simple being a good corporate citizen and global competition to become an agent for sustainability through private-public partnerships or inclusivity stakeholder relationship to benefit the future generation. The community relations representatives may advice the company where the money would make them look caring and how it would affect the bottom line. Companies effective in their community relations uses the human touch strategy