ENG - Learning Unit 7 - AR by AKETH

EVENT PLANNING AND DESIGN CONTENTS ANALYSIS

RELATION WITH THE MEDIA - LEARNING UNIT 7

Learning Contents SUBUNIT 1: Media Types and Media Instruments SUBUNIT 2: Specifics and Principles of How Media Works in a Country SUBUNIT 3: Dissemination Strategies

Learning hours:

Workload:

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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Unit Objectives Actions / Achievements Establish a plan for the relation with Media Create the materials for the dissemination of a specific event Knowledge

Skills

Competencies

Act independently with Identify media main production technologies of characteristics and select the solutions suited to different Comprehensive on Media most suitable one for a specific objectives and supports (print, structure, its main formats, and event according to its audio, video, digital) operation dynamics models characteristics Autonomously select a model Fundamental on media Establish the necessary steps to be applied in the relationship regulations, legislation, codes required for developing a with the media and standards communication plan Check for solutions for a Fundamental on Media tools Respond to media according to successful cooperation with and instruments circumstances (press Media conferences, telephone interviews, discussions) Create and shape a powerful recognisability and image of an event

SUMMARY The unit aims to provide an understanding on how the relationship with media can be established and sustained, what media tools and channels can be used in order to be featured on a media tool for the upcoming event. Since this type of communication is mostly attributable to the field of public relations, most theory for this module comes from this sphere. The first subunit takes a look at media types, they are also called as communication channels, (television, radio, writing media) and instruments (press release, press conference, e‐newsletter) with which relations with journalists can be established and possible coverage may be settled. The second subunit covers topics of media regulations and the selection process of the most suitable media channels according to its target auditory. The third subunit provides an understanding of possible activities to be implemented that have to be thought of when creating a communication plan, including the timetable. KEYWORDS Media relations, public relations, communication, press release, press conference, news, interview, target audience, journalists, press kit, communication channels

SUBUNIT 1: MEDIA TYPES AND MEDIA INSTRUMENTS Media communication has always been one of the most valuable tools for event organizers when trying to promote awareness about an event by using minimal financial recourses. (Parry & Shone, 2001) These types of activities are most often associated with the field of public relations, although, nowadays, promoting an event is referred to integrated marketing communication which is an approach to achieving the objectives of a marketing campaign, through a well‐coordinated use of different promotional methods that are intended to reinforce each other that is most likely to be used, since all the campaigns for making awareness most often are created as a whole entity, merging together advertising, marketing, and public relations, in order to create a single image. (Dictionary, 2017) The work of a public relations specialist is based on the implementation of clearly planned communication programs, whether they are planned to create an image for a company or to introduce public to a new event. (Breckenridge, 2008) For the last decades, thanks to the advanced opportunities provided by the internet and social media, communication programs have changed a great deal – although traditional mass media (television, radio, press) are still very relevant, direct communication tools (social networks, blogs etc.) with possible visitors to the event acquires much greater importance. The positive aspect in using new media is the opportunity of a two‐way communication – event organizers no longer have to try to guess questions raised by the undecided attendees e.g. prices of tickets, where to park, how to get there etc. as they can easily be answered if they pop up online. Although internet also complicates the task of maintaining a single image for the event, everybody can take part in the communication process. (Breckenridge, 2008) The Internet is a good tool to create sustainable communication with journalists whose job requires mobility and speed as much as ever. It means that it is very important to know with which media to speak about what themes not to waste time. It is also important to create an online platform where journalists can easily find information about the event and its organizers – most likely it could be a web page or a facebook page. (Breckenridge, 2008)

When thinking about messages meant to be delivered to the media, it is important to remember to create them as compact and precise as possible. The fact that a great stress should be put to for example correctly write press releases writing principles of which will be able shown at the end of this unit. It is very well shown in a research carried out in the United Kingdom where thirty‐six press releases about Cheltenham Festivals of Music and Literature published. The study took into account the way they were written and the way they appeared in the media – all of the 36 releases were published up to 99% in the same form as they were sent out, looking at the amount of the published words and deleted or corrected text. (Connell & Page, 2015) Considering today's saturated information space, one of the key elements of a successful public relations campaign is to reach your audience, avoiding mass communication. That’s why it is important to conduct research before communication is launched – it would help to find out which media channels to use. (Breckenridge, 2008) For example, nowadays in Latvia lots of young people do not watch and do not even own a TV, so if the target group of your event is young people, it would probably be useless to try to arrange a television interview, nevertheless that it is the medium with which it is possible to reach the biggest audience – if it is not your target audience, it does not matter. The event organizer may conduct their own research. For example, assume that the event is carried out annually, and it is not organized for the first time and the organizer owns a database of the people who have visited in previous years. Therefore, the researched can be conducted by asking the previous‐years visitors through which information channels they first learned about the event. WRITING MEDIA It is very common to divide journalism in general into four different genres: news, reportage (long and analytical news article), comment and interview. The most important genre for most media and public relations specialists is news as it is the most common one. News refer to everything that is new, unusual, special and topical, and this topicality is the first criteria for journalists for choosing whether to publish something or not. (Dimants, 2009)

The structure of the news (also valid for press releases) is created after the upside‐down pyramid principle. First comes the “W” questions (What, Who, When, Where, Why), then it is followed by the most important details, who are backed up by the background information leaving the less important details at the end. News is carried out short and precise language, without making any personal comments.

The bolded paragraph, also known as the lead, consists of the most important information and answers to five “W” questions, mentioned above. In this sentence (or two) the same thought that is already in the title must be repeated, but if possible using different words. (Dimants, 2009) If the event is a kind of performance like theatre, film or music the review that includes the critic of the performance can be evaluated as reportage or comment according to its content. (Dimants, 2009) In Latvia information about events in the writing media usually appears in the form of news (many newspapers/internet portals even have a section which consists of upcoming events, like a calendar for the week/month), or in reviews after the event. Sometimes it can also appear in a form of an interview with some of the organizers or lead figures who will take part in the event. TELEVISION Although it often seems that nowadays every news can be captured online and the internet is the most popular media, in most countries television, is still considered to be the mass media number one, meant for the widest audience. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Of course, when speaking about television, it has to be taken into account, that it is above all a visual media. (Dimants, 2009) More than 55% up to 85% impression of the appearance in television results from the body language, picture setting, and drama, so it is always important to consider how much visual material the event can offer so that it is seen as attractive and interesting to the viewers. Also, when participating in a television interview, it is very important for the guest to control their behaviour in front of the camera – gestures, mimics, a way of speaking. (Singleton, 2014) Prerequisites that should be taken into account, when doing a television interview. Unless it is a telephone/Skype video interview and the reporter is right beside the guest– the guest should always look at the reporter and not to look at the camera, which must be ignored because the cameraman will do their job. By looking at the camera the interview will simply look very unnatural. When being one on one with the camera on the other case, one should always try to look in the camera, and should not look at the other screen, where they can see their face, to try to check how they look, because these eye movements are easily noticeable and make them look uncertain. (Singleton, 2014) It is also worth trying to lean closer to the camera, or at least not getting back from it – it will show that they are deep into the conversation. It is also good to smile a little because it will not only make a positive impression but also improve the sound of their voice. Also, as mentioned above, it is a visual media and one should always try to keep in mind that gesture language is very important – so they should not only reply to the interviewer with words but also with gestures – a head nod, a smile or whatever seems appropriate in the concrete moment. (Singleton, 2014) Information about events in television usually appears as a story in the news (in Latvia, for example, they most often appear on the evening news or cultural news) or in the form of an interview in breakfast shows or talk shows. Most popular (though very large scale) examples are “Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”, “Conan” etc. For some very big scale events, there are sometimes also other custom solutions, like for example live stream translations from festivals (BBC television coverage on Glastonbury 2017 music festival). RADIO

An audio text is much harder to perceive than written text because the characters presented in it are less effective than spatial ones: it is easier to read text than listen to it. (Kruks, 2005) That is why it is very important to speak directly and specifically using more nouns and verbs, moderately using adjectives and conditional words, avoiding long, decorative descriptions. Intonation is also a matter of great importance in a radio interview, especially if it is a telephone interview. (Kruks, 2005) The length of the interview depends on the length of the broadcast, but approximately news reporters interview their guests from 5 to 8 minutes for a 30 to 90 seconds interview excerpt. (Kruks, 2005) But taking part into a radio interview should be relatively easier since it is possible to take a notepaper with the main speaking points (although quite many radio stations also provide video live streaming which can be seen on their webpage). But on the other hand, radio as a communication channel also requires additional preparation, since the conversation can be quite long depending on the type of the broadcast. Furthermore, if it was a telephone interview, one should think about the place, where to carry it out, for the radio that of making the environment quiet and ensuring nobody can walk in and interrupt is enough. MEDIA INSTRUMENTS PRESS RELEASES A press release is a formal, official statement to the press about something new or significant. (Dictionary, 2017) In order for the press release to reach its target audience e.g. get published, it must follow a specific standard in its construction. As mentioned, it must contain information that is new and topical, as well as it must be given to the right person at the right time. There are two ways how to try to get journalists to publish the release – send it to all in a row and make it as general as possible or to create it for specific publications, which possibly gives a greater guarantee that it will be published. (Nolte & Wilcox, 1990) Structure of the release must be made based on the overturned pyramid principle – in the title and the first paragraph the most important information is mentioned (What? Who? Where? When? Why?), then comes the background information and at the end comes information about the organization. Three most important elements of the press release are:

Title ‐ sometimes it is considered the most important feature of the press release because if the title won’t be attractive, nobody will open the e‐mail or the press release. The title should include information what the release is about, why this event is important and why it is important exactly now. The headline can be thought of as a tweet, where with a limited number of characters, the message has to be delivered in a binding manner, including the important facts. (Wynne, 2016) But the title should not be confusing, because journalists get a lot of press releases every day, and if they won’t be able to quickly figure out, what it is about, they probably will not open the e‐mail and the release (titles for the e‐mail and the release should be the same). (Murray, 2014)

Figure 1 (Technologies, 2017)

The first paragraph or the lead is a summary of the most important information, answering 5 «W» questions. This is the next most important part of the title. Well written – it is the instrument with which you can get journalists to read the release till the end. The lead shouldn’t be longer than 15 – 20 words. (Murray, 2014) There are two types of leads – one is the «summary» type, which includes the basic information, the other one is a creative pitch type, wherein the lead appears the most interesting and topical information about the event, but it also has to include all the basic information. (Nolte & Wilcox, 1990)

The text (background information) part – the ideal length of a press release is approximately one A4 sheet (300 – 400 words). It should be 3 – 4 short paragraphs in the text part including background information, statistics, if there is any, quotations etc., it should be delivered in a simple language, that is easy to read. At the end of the press release, there should be informed about the organization, that is responsible for the event, as well as the contact information of the person, who prepared the release, so in case of any questions, the receiver of the release could contact the person by whom it was prepared. (Armenia, 2017) Moreover, when preparing a release, it should be taken into account, that a standard color choice and fonts (Times New Roman, Arial 12) will make it look more professional. In the header (upper side of the paper – in the right or left corner) logo can be placed, which will immediately show the address where the release is from. The contact information of the organization and the date on which the release was prepared. The publishing date of the release may be added, but in most cases, releases are sent out on the same day when they are meant to be published. The release can be made easier to view by using bullet points and subheadings, in particular, if it includes numbers. (Murray, 2014) If the release is sent by e‐mail (which is most likely), many organisations may practice copying the whole release or the lead in the message of the e‐mail, considering that the journalists would like to gather more information and check if there is anything interesting for them. It is very important to double‐check the release before sending because typing errors look very unprofessional. If any photos are added to the press release, it is important that they are qualitative (ones that can be shown on the news). Photos must illustrate or add something extra to the release. Also, if they are very qualitative, they are also often quite heavy, so it is a good practice to upload them to the webpage and add a link where they can be downloaded in the e‐mail. (Singleton, 2014) PRESS CONFERENCE A press conference is a media event organized in order to make a public statement, after which journalists will be able to ask questions. (Dictionary, 2017) Press conferences are

organized only if there is something really important and topical to be announced because journalists have to make time to physically get there. The purpose could be a chance to interview a person they otherwise couldn’t get to, see a place that has been closed to other people or something else interesting. Anyhow, there has to be something that is extra and cannot be given through a press release. (Singleton, 2014) Few days before the conference journalists are informed about the theme, place and time of the conference by a press release or an invitation (still, a «save the date» e‐mail may be sent earlier). It is also important to create a «press kit», which includes names and positions of the speakers who will attend the conference, also it should include a press release, where is the main information discussed in the conference, also photos (or a link to them) can be included. The best time to organize a press conference is from Tuesday to Thursday, from 11:00 to 16:00, because on Mondays journalists work more passively and in order to gather all the information that has emerged on the weekend, they probably would not like to leave the office. On the contrary on Friday, all the materials for the weekend are prepared, which means a lot of work, so the journalists would not be happy to leave the office. The middle of the day is the best time for the conference because the representatives of the electronic media will be able to make references to the event a few times till the evening and the representatives of the printed media will be able to prepare the message for the next day’s edition. The length of a press conference should not exceed an hour. At the entrance of the conference, journalists should be asked to register (at a previously made form), so afterward the conference holder can track who made it join the conference out of all the invited journalists. After the press conference, it is a positive practice to send a post‐press conference release, which is replenished with photos from the conference and the event organizer can also send it to the media to let them know whose representatives did not attend the conference. E‐NEWSLETTER This media instrument is intended to educate knowing how much spam mail people get every day, that’s why it is important to include only the most essential and important

information. The easiest way to create a newsletter is to create a template, but it is important to take into account that the communication will be held on regular basis. There are various systems (e.g. MailChimp) templates of which can be used to send newsletters, but it is also possible to create them manually without the help of these template‐provider sites. The newsletter is a good way to inform both the target audience and the media about what is new and important. (Breckenridge, 2008)

Media communications are usually related to the field of public relations. It is important to think about the type of the event, the media channels, and journalists that could be interested in it and what media the target audience use before starting to build a way to communicate. Although lots of different media are present these days, the most popular mass media channel is still television. Despite the radio and writing press are still evaluated as quite popular, channels such e‐newsletter promise much more growth than that of the traditional ones.

SUBUNIT 2: SPECIFICS AND PRINCIPLES OF HOW MEDIA WORKS IN A COUNTRY Media is not an easily definable concept, so it is possible to view it from various angles. However, thinking about mass media, the closest is the technical understanding of this concept. According to it, the matter of technical multiplication is very important, because only after it is possible to transmit the message to the biggest possible audience. It can be done in various formats – textual, audio, visual or audio‐visual. Moreover, when one mentions mass media s/he probably refers to newspapers, journals, TV, radio, web pages or other large‐scale interactive platforms intended for public communication. (Anon., 2016‐2020) Mass communication is defined as a form of communication by which a message is communicated to receivers through media. (Anon., 2016‐2020) Likewise, media convergence is becoming increasingly popular nowadays, meaning the gradual merging of traditional media and the internet. This aspect is important because it changes the behaviour of consumers, causing the media to look for new ways to attract and keep audience’s attention. (Anon., 2016‐2020) In Latvia, mass media field is regulated by the law “on the press and other mass media”, which state that mass media are newspapers, journals, newsletters and other periodicals (if they are published in a frequency of not less than one every three months with the limitation that one‐time circulation exceeds 100 copies. Furthermore, electronic mass media, cinema chronologies, announcements by information agencies and audio‐visual recordings for public dissemination are also regulated by the electronic mass media law. In general, mass media activities in Latvia are governed by the above‐mentioned national laws, as well as international and EU laws. In Latvia, electronic media is divided in public media which are state capital companies and commercial media. Public media in Latvia are television channels LTV1 and LTV7, as well as the radio: Latvian Radio 1; 2; 3; 4; 5 and 6. For the July‐2017 month, the most watched TV channel in Latvia has been LTV1 (TNS), which for a long time competes with popular media channel TV3, which mostly provides entertainment shows. This most likely points to the improvement of the quality of the LTV1.

The most listened radio stations in the spring period in Latvia have been “Latvian Radio 2”, “Radio Skonto”, “Latvian Radio 1”, “Radio SWH”, “European Hit Radio” and “Star FM” (TNS). As it has been mentioned previously, it is not most important to get publicity in a media which is the most popular, it is important to get publicity in a media which is the most popular amongst your target audience. That is why, before sending out press releases or trying to contact the media in other ways, it is important to try to answer a few questions: ‐ What are the media habits of your target audience, what kind of media they use the most? ‐ How to deliver the message if they do not use any media? ‐ What are the opinion leaders they follow and trust (journalists, bloggers etc.)? One more important aspect is to understand the difference between public relations and advertising, any statement distributed for payment or other consideration, as well as any promotional program of any person related to commerce, business, profession or profession, designed to promote the offer of goods, including immovable property or services, for payment or other consideration. For example, if a journalist offers to create a publication for money – it is not an ethical practice, and it is illegal.

SUBUNIT 3: DISSEMINATION STRATEGIES Regardless of whether public relations are considered to be a part of a marketing campaign or as a separate, independent set of activities, all actions regarding communication should be carried out in a way to further create a single image. (Parry & Shone, 2001) The communication plan will help to define the communication goals and use the right media to achieve them and it is worth to remember that timing is very important. That is why, when a communication or a marketing plan for the event is built, in most cases there is also a public relation component, bear in mind that different media requires a different amount of time for planning relevant activities. For example, news broadcast or an interview on television is planned approximately one week in advance, but an article in a newspaper that is published once in a month is planned one to two months before. (Parry & Shone, 2001) There are seven aspects that should be allowed for shaping a communication plan: 1. The goal of the communication (in this case, most likely to promote the event) 2. Your target audience 3. Human, financial resources, technological expertise and technological means available to carry out communication activities 4. Key messages you want to include in your communication 5. Determining communication channels 6. Budget 7. Evaluation (impact assessment) ‐ each communication activity should be measurable Briefly outlining a timetable for the communication plan of an average event (say festival, international concert etc.), it may be worth remembering that 5 – 6 months before the event a date and a place for a press conference should be booked. Up to this time, a possible media list also should be clear. 5 – 6 months before the event preparation for the press kit should be started 4 ‐5 months before the event the first press release in which you announce the event is sent out 3 – 4 months before the event it is possible to start to arrange first interviews with media (most likely using written media published once a month) 2 – 3 months before the event – sending out invitations for registration (if a registration is planned) Month of the event – hold a press conference

Week of the event – send out a press release After the event – last media publications – photos and press release about the success of the event are sent out, as well as if the event is annual – you can announce the date of the next event. (Parry & Shone, 2001) Sometimes called dissemination plan, sometimes communication plan, other times – a marketing plan, its purpose is the strategic promotion of the event. Before starting any communication activities, including the ones related to the media, the goal of the communication, target audience, resources, key messages, communication channels and evaluation mechanisms, as well as the timetable of the activities, should be clear.

EXERCISE 1 Write a press release for an imaginary or an upcoming event organized by you/your organization.by taking positive practices mentioned in this subunit into account. EXERCISE 2 Taking into consideration questions about target audience mentioned in this sub‐unit, go to the respective website in your country and try to identify your main media channels according to their and your event`s target audience and specificity. EXERCISE 3 Considering above‐mentioned aspects while shaping a communication plan, create a timetable for the media activities including the media that you choose as the most proper mediator for your message.

EXERCISE 4 1.Which sphere media relations most often are associated with? •Project management •Marketing •Public relations 2.What is integrated marketing communication? •Approach to achieving the objectives of a marketing campaign, through well‐coordinated use of different promotional methods •Alternative term for guerrilla marketing •New definition of public relations 3.The positive aspect of using new media is the opportunity of a two‐way communication True / False 4.Messages for the media should be… •As broad as possible, going deep into the subject •Compact and precise •Abstract and unclear, so they raise interest 5.It is very common to divide journalism in general in how many (4) different genres: News, Reportage, Comment, Interview

6.First criteria for a message to be published is its… •Length •Title •Topicality 7.Which mass media is supposed to be the most popular in Latvia? •Television •Radio •Digital news portals

8.When participating in a television interview and the journalist is right beside You, You should always look straight into the camera. True / False 9.If participating in a radio interview, it is very important to… •Use more nouns and verbs, moderately using adjectives and conditional words, avoiding long, decorative descriptions. •Use more adjectives and conditional words, moderately using nouns and verbs, involving long, decorative descriptions. 10.What is a press release? •Formal, official statement to the press about something new or significant •Informal message to journalists that can be given in a written or spoken form about the upcoming event •Weekly updates on what’s new and important 11.Structure of the release must be made based on the overturned pyramid principle 12.The first paragraph or the lead must answer to 5 “W” questions, giving the most important information about the event. True / False 13.When is the best time to organize a press conference? •Monday or Friday in the middle of the day •From Tuesday to Thursday in the middle of the day •From Tuesday to Thursday in the morning 14.Every journalist, who comes to the press conference should receive a pre‐prepared package press kit which includes names and positions of the speakers who will attend the conference and a press release that summarizes all the main information that will be discussed in the conference. 15.Media field in the country is regulated only by national laws. True / False

16.Which of the following statements is more recognized by the public relations scholars? •It is more important to reach your target audience than the widest possible mass audience •It is more important to reach the widest possible mass audience than your target audience 17.One of the most important questions, that you have to answer in order to define the preferable media channels, is “What are the media habits of my target audience – what kind of media they use the most?” True / False 18.If a journalist offers to create a publication for money – it is a positive practice and you should agree. True / False 19.There are 7 aspects that should be thought about when shaping a communication plan: goal, target audience, resources, key message, communication channels, budget, evaluation True / False 20.When the first press release, announcing the event, should be sent out? •7 months before the event •4 ‐5 months before the event •2 months before the event

FURTHER READING AND BIBLIOGRAPHY Anon., 2016‐2020. Mass Media Policy Guidelines of Latvia , Riga: s.n. Armenia, N. S. S. R. o., 2017. How to write a press release. [Online] Available at: http://www.armstat.am/file/doc/99487128.pdf [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Breckenridge, D., 2008. PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: FT Press. Connell, J. & Page, S., 2015. The Routledge Handbook of Events.. New York: s.n. Craig, B., 2016. Media writing: a practical introduction. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Dictionary, B., 2017. Business Dictionary. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/media.html [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Dictionary, C., 2017. Cambridge Dictionary. [Online] Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/ [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Dimants, A., 2009. Žurnālistika: Mācību un Rokasgrāmata. Rīga: s.n. Eldridge, S. A. F. A., 2017. The Routledge companion to digital journalism studies. London: Routledge. Kruks, S., 2005. Radiožurnālistika. Rīga: Valters un Rapa. Murray, J., 2014. How to write an effective press release (The Guardian). [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/small‐business‐ network/2014/jul/14/how‐to‐write‐press‐release [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Nolte, L. & Wilcox, D., 1990. Public relations writing and media techniques. New York: HarperCollins. Oğuz, A. & B., Ş. E., 2017. Research methods and techniques in public relations and advertising. New York: Peter Lang. Parry, B. & Shone, A., 2001. Successful Event Management: A Practical Handbook. London: Continiuum. Roberts, J., 2016. Writing for Strategic Communication Industries, s.l.: The Ohio State University (https://osu.pb.unizin.org/stratcommwriting). Singleton, A., 2014. The PR masterclass : how to develop a public relations strategy that works!. Chichester, West Sussex : Wiley & Sons Ltd.. Technologies, L., 2017. How to Create a Great Press Release. [Online] Available at: https://www.lianatech.com/news/liana‐technologies‐hints‐and‐ tips/tip/how‐to‐create‐a‐great‐press‐release.html) [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Tutorial, P. R., 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UGjujm9BKw, s.l.: WFDMacedonia. Weintraub, A., 2015. Strategic public relations management: planning and managing effective communication programs. New York: Routledge. Wynne, R., 2016. How To Write A Press Release (Forbes). [Online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwynne/2016/06/13/how‐to‐ write‐a‐press‐release/#6d0fdec3b932 [Accessed 1 12 2017].