Posts Tagged ‘reporter’
Thursday, May 16th, 2013
Finding magazines in a hotel drawer that were published years earlier
Sleeping on the floor of a satellite truck
Finding someone else’s hair in the hotel’s bed sheets
Sleeping in a news vehicle because a co-worker in your room snores loudly
Realizing a small town has no good restaurants
Seeing that the same person who checked you in also cleans your room
Doing morning live shots hours after doing live shots for the night shift
Arguing in the lobby with the hotel clerk after she was rude to your wife on the phone
Not having access to a shower
Wearing a goofy hat on air because you did not shower
Sleeping in the station vehicle next to a co-worker who covers her head with a blanket because she is afraid of what lurks outside
Tags: AZ, reporter, satellite truck, tv reporter
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Wednesday, May 15th, 2013
I took this picture prior to landing in Victoria, British Columbia, where I spoke at a conference to businesses about handling the media. A problem forced us to deplane our initial flight from Seattle to Victoria. Alaskan Airlines/Horizon Air took several steps to propel this negative into a positive.
- After deplaning, someone on an overhead speaker announced we should stay near our gate for updated information on a new flight. Lesson for businesses: When customers have problems, always keep them updated even if you have little to report. Otherwise customers may wonder if you forgot about them or aren’t working to solve the problem. As a TV reporter, I tried to keep sources regularly updated on the progress of an investigation.
- The airline found a second plane for us, if I recall correctly, within an hour. When the airline at first announced we needed to deplane, I saw passengers immediately pick up their cell phone to make calls. Some passengers may have posted status updates on social media. In fact for fun, the person I was traveling with asked me to return to my reporting days and provide a fake live shot for his iPhone on this “developing story.” But when we boarded the second plane, he mentioned he never experienced an airline finding a second plane so quickly. Other passengers may have shared similar, positive thoughts on cell phones or on social media. Lesson for businesses: If you caused a problem for a customer, the best way to win back the customer’s trust is going above and beyond to find a fast solution.
- After boarding the second plane, a flight attendant showed some personality on the overhead speaker when apologizing for the delay or acknowledging how the experience was not ideal. Lesson for businesses: When something goes wrong, don’t simply feed customers facts and information as if you’re a robot. Show some concern and compassion. Be human.
- After we boarded the plane, a flight attendant announced the crew would be serving us free beer or wine due to the delay. The announcement put people in a good mood. Lesson for businesses: When your business has a problem, offer something extra: a discount, a coupon, a gift card. Free stuff helps people forgive problems.
- After we landed in Victoria, another flight attendant repeated the apology for the delay. Lesson for businesses: You probably can’t say you’re sorry enough. People can accept mistakes or unforeseen problems. But they often can’t accept those who don’t say I’m sorry. Saying you’re sorry pays off in a big way.
Tags: airline, alaskan airlines, flight attendant, horizon air, media, PR, reporter, Social Media, tv reporter, victoria british columbia
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Monday, May 6th, 2013
While speaking about the media to managers at a conference in Victoria, British Columbia, a woman asked me why TV news stations use the word “exclusive” or point out they are airing a story viewers will only see on their broadcasts.
I sometimes asked that question to colleagues while working as a TV reporter. I argued few people watch five newscasts and compare their content in detail. I don’t recall viewers ever telling me they preferred a station because it aired more exclusive stories. And when TV news stations point out an upcoming story is an exclusive, they are acknowledging that viewers can find most of the same stories on most days on other newscasts. (It’s not like we hear the word exclusive that often.)
I told the woman in the audience I don’t know why news stations declare stories as “exclusive.” When I raised these questions as a TV reporter, co-workers shook their heads in acknowledgement and moved on to other business.
My guess is that TV news stations, like businesses in other industries, do things simply because that’s how it’s always been done. Using an “exclusive” graphic for a story also is an opportunity to kick a little sand in the competition’s face. But no one has presented me with information that labeling a story “exclusive” as often as possible leads to some return on investment.
The woman in the audience didn’t like all this exclusive business. I inferred she considered it all a bit silly. News stations do many things I don’t understand. Just watch some of their promos which appear to be produced by the staff of Saturday Night Live.
You’ll only find this blog on this website.
Tags: media, Media Relations, news station, news stations, newscast, newscasts, PR, reporter, saturday night live, tv news, tv news stations, tv reporter, victoria british columbia
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Monday, April 1st, 2013
The Chicago Bulls break the Miami Heat’s winning streak. LeBron James raises questions about how the Bulls played. The Boston Celtics’ President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge criticizes LeBron for his comments. Heat President Pat Riley then issues the following statement:
“Danny Ainge needs to shut the f— up and manage his own team. He was the biggest whiner going when he was playing and I know that because I coached against him.”
I’m not checking my notes, but that statement likely breaks several rules we teach during media training. However, it is possible we’ve never told someone to specifically not include the word “f—“ in a sound bite. That was an oversight.
Despite conventional wisdom, I liked what Riley said. I actually loved it. First, I’m a Heat fan, so I’ve spent several days receiving texts from a Bulls fan telling me everything wrong with the Heat. I never responded by saying, “Shut the f— up.” But I reminded him he sounded like a jilted boyfriend or girlfriend and that he roots for a baseball team which hasn’t won the World Series since 1908.
Second, I liked what Riley said because it blows back with such harshness the rules of corporate speak. Long ago, I tired of the B.S. language some corner office executives employ when speaking to their underlings. I learned when some managers complimented me, their strategy was simply to soften me up for a request they figured I wouldn’t like. Managers often meant to say, “Shut the f— up,” but they used carefully chosen language that anyone could easily misinterpret as, “Those are very pretty flowers on your dress.”
Few people say what they mean. And we certainly can’t start teaching executives, when confronted by a hard-charging reporter, to respond with, “Shut the f— up you whiny member of the media.”
But in a world in which people are so scared to say “no” that they instead tell us they’ll keep our information on file, I appreciate when someone, every once in a while, breaks the rules in such a blatant way. It sometimes just feels so good to hear. You feel like you are dancing, exhaling freedom, like Steve Carell at the end of “The 40 Year-Old Virgin.”
Don’t like it. Then you can … I appreciate your opinion and respectfully disagree.
Tags: boston celtics, Chicago, chicago bulls, corporate speak, danny ainge, executives, heat fan, lebron james, media, media training, miami heat, pat riley, PR, reporter, steve carell, world series
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Wednesday, March 13th, 2013
A TV producer contacts us before 6am, asking if one of our clients could appear in studio for a live interview to discuss a topic in the news. When? The following morning.
It’s early but we text our client to notify him of this opportunity. As a TV reporter, when I needed to interview an expert, I contacted one person after another. Time was of the essence and I didn’t have time to waste. I wouldn’t wait hours for experts to confirm their availability. In this situation, we want to tell the producer “yes” as soon as possible.
We receive an unexpected text. The client says he can not make the appearance. He is booked solid the next morning with patients.
We’ve never had a client turn down such as opportunity. Turning down a producer’s request is risky. She may simply find someone else to interview and the next time she needs someone on short notice, she might not call us.
We explain to our client he can not turn down this opportunity. We explain the risks. He understands but rescheduling about 25 patients the day before would negatively impact his business. That’s also a risk he can not take.
Can we find a compromise? We offer the producer two options knowing she may turn them both down: 1) Can our client appear in studio much earlier in the morning, allowing him time to return to his practice for his appointments? 2) Instead of our client appearing in studio, can the station send a live truck to his practice for a live interview? This would allow our client to momentarily step away from patients for a live interview instead of spending much more time driving to and from the TV station, which is not close to his practice.
The producer agrees to send a live truck, warning she might cancel the interview if breaking news pops up. But the next morning, the interview happens. We didn’t miss an important opportunity. Our client was flexible, having no issue with a TV crew visiting his practice on short notice during a busy morning. And the TV producer was flexible, willing to go to the story instead of it coming to her.
Tags: breaking news, live interview, media, Media Relations, patient, PR, producer, reporter, tv crew, tv producer, tv reporter, TV station
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Thursday, March 7th, 2013
I know instantly when I’m talking to a man and his eyes begin to drift to the side like a vehicle starts to drift when its driver is on a cell phone. Often, the man is processing the attractiveness of a woman passing by. This phenomenon takes place even if I’ve engaged this person in a conversation about business, sports or world peace. It doesn’t take much to get distracted.
News stories are eye candy for journalists. For example, someone at a media outlet sent me a message about my pitch: ”They like your idea, should I give them your number?” But no one called.
Another reporter wrote me, “Hi Keith! We’d like to talk to your expert about —–. Could you please provide a name & number? Thanks!”
When the reporter didn’t call that day, the client said, “FYI, no word yet from —-.”
A reporter actually called the next day, but the point is clients often don’t get the media’s mentality. For example, it was not uncommon for a TV station to give me a story and then re-assign me two more times within an hour. This is especially exasperating when I started calling people for interviews, hung up the phone and learned someone changed my story.
So consider some media like that man who finally gave you time for an important discussion. Just when you think you’ve sealed the deal, something else walks in and distracts him. The media like sexy stories and your hot idea is just one nice pair of legs away from being yesterday’s news.
Tags: interview, journalist, journalists, media, media outlet, news stories, PR, reporter, sports, TV station
Posted in Media Relations | 1 Comment »
Thursday, February 21st, 2013
A TV station asked one of our clients to provide live analysis on the phone as soon as possible about breaking news. We didn’t know about the breaking news before the station called. And part of his analysis depended on seeing the scene. But driving to the scene was not a practical option. TV stations often want to show live video of big breaking news as much as possible. Not having much information won’t stop the live coverage. So TV stations often need witnesses and experts to provide analysis to fill airtime.
For his live phone interview, our client used the TV station as his eyes from afar. He turned on the TV station, which sent its chopper above the scene to provide live pictures. He provided analysis on the phone while staying in front of a TV and watching what the station was showing viewers. This idea seems simple. But some people, in the rush to prepare themselves to unexpectedly talk on live TV, may not immediately consider to actually turn on the TV (and turn down the volume) while speaking.
It wasn’t uncommon for TV stations to send me to breaking news and ask us to provide a live report as soon as we arrived. This allowed me little time to gather information. The stations wanted me live. They wanted live pictures. Whether or not I had concrete details to discuss wasn’t going to stop a live shot. In these situations, some reporters dig themselves into a hole by attempting to relay facts they don’t have. I would point and describe the scene. Maybe I didn’t have sufficient information, but I could describe what I was witnessing. And that was good enough to go along with live video.
You’ve heard of walk and talk. Consider this watch and talk.
Tags: breaking news, interview, live coverage, live tv, media, media training, PR, reporter, reporters, TV station, tv stations, video
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Tuesday, February 19th, 2013
When I was reporting, a communications firm emailed me a news release about an education expert available for comment. A combination of the following reasons led me to ignore the news release:
- The news release placed contact information at the very top. Place contact information at the bottom. Your lead, the first few sentences you hope grab the reporter’s attention, takes priority. Contact information at the top reinforces the feel of a news release, which is what you don’t want. Your email signature should offer sufficient contact information.
- The news release included a headline. You don’t need a headline. A news release is not a news story. Your email subject serves as a sufficient headline.
- The news release included the dateline, “New York — August 30, 2010 —.” You don’t need a dateline. Again, this is not a news story.
- The news release explained, “… is available for comment on the following topics.” If you’re sending an email about an expert, reporters already understand someone is available for comment.
- The news release listed five topics the expert could speak about to reporters. Pick one topic you’re most passionate about or one that is most timely. Don’t throw darts hoping one of many topics sticks.
- The news release included a section, “Who, what, when.” This section simply repeated previously mentioned information in the release. This section is unnecessary.
- The news release ended with “###.” You don’t need to include this to indicate the news release is over.
- The news release sent from New York did not give reporters a reason why they should interview an out of town expert. Reporters interested in the topics could likely find local education experts. Either persuade reporters to interview someone out of town or offer a local representative.
- The news release did not offer a local parent to interview about the education topics. Personalize news releases. Share stories of real people.
- The news release raises this question: Wouldn’t building relationships with reporters work better than sending out news releases somewhat randomly?
Tags: communications firm, education expert, education experts, interview, media, Media Relations, news release, news releases, news story, PR, reporter, reporters
Posted in Media Relations, Public Relations | No Comments »
Monday, February 18th, 2013
We asked reporters about the biggest mistakes people make during interviews. Here are their responses:
- “Long-winded answers.”
- “Trying to make themselves sound smart.”
- “Telling me what they think I want to hear instead of what they really think/feel.”
- “Not speaking in sound bites. Not being prepared. Um and uh throughout. Stepping on soundbites. I did an awful interview yesterday with the spokesperson for —. She committed nearly every one of them.”
- “Pet peeve with private biz is when they don’t reveal revenue numbers because they get all paranoid. They don’t want to seem small-time. However, I think that works against them.”
- “Using language that is too highbrow and over the heads of most listeners. A conversational tone is always best when trying to make a point.”
- “I think it’s different for different people – for my experts it’s when they talk over our viewers’ heads and make it really hard for me to break their interview into understandable sound bites. For “real people” it’s when they focus too much on the camera and forget that we’re just having a conversation. For PR people it’s when they try too hard to tell me how to do my job – I’m sure you experienced that when you were reporting. I of course appreciate feedback and suggestions on how to frame an interview and what questions to ask, but I’m not a fan of people who insist they know how to do my job better than I do, lol.”
- “It depends who it is. If it’s a public official – if they don’t talk in sound bites it makes it harder to make them look good or explain the story better. If it is just a normal person – saying um or like every other word. Also, I don’t like when people take long pauses.”
- “Not saying I look amazing straight out the gate.”
Tags: AZ, interview mistakes, interviews, media, media training, PR, reporter, reporters
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