What's My Motivation for This Scene?
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Nick Hadjinikos reveals why the secret to stardom lies in the world of Broadcast PR
Looking for a better job? Or do you want a hand up the corporate ladder? Well here's a tip. Get the CEO on air, do it right in the bad times and the good, and your future will be secured.
Conversely, if you are the boss, ask yourself when your PRs last handed out cassettes and videos with the morning press summaries. Does your company ever set your industry's news agenda or is it just a follower. And when did you last hear a competitor making a point on the radio that could have, that should have come from you?
The fact remains that too many PRs still break news without keeping the broadcast media in mind. We are fixated by the written word and blind to a revolution that is recreating the way the media works. Because while the parochial press has not changed significantly over the last 100 years, TV and radio have blossomed into a vibrant, interactive technology accessible on line and on the move wherever you are whenever you want.
If this seems futuristic, compare the stats available right now and you will see that you ignore broadcasters at your loss. In the UK, the broadsheet Times has a circulation of some 2 million while the BBC's flagship news programme Today is eagerly digested by an more influential audience of some 3 million. The BBC's 24 hour talk station Radio 5 reaches another five million - surpassing the mighty Daily Mail. The Daily Telegraph sits at 2.7 million while a BBC or ITN TV news broadcast at 6 or 10 p.m. is seen by an average audience of 6 million. And did I hear you say CNN or BBC World Service? Well, try counting your audience in the tens of millions and you get the idea.
A live on air interview is the only way to gain editorial without having it re-interpreted by a subjective journalist. Furthermore, unlike the written press, there are no deadlines on air and a good PR can hold a story in play until his or her case is made. And broadcast tends to lead a story on the same day, while the written media have to report it on the next, offering huge opportunities to shape the story.
