wer, as do big publishers (like John Wiley & sons, Prentice Hall, etc) and large advertising groups and PR/media communications firms. These companies spend a TON of money wining and dining the “powers that be” in the national media like TV executives, producers and hosts. I can’t prove what INow that we have generally discussed how to get newspaper, radio and TV publicity in (parts 1-4) of this mini series, we will conclude this series with a little insight into managing a public relations media communications roll out plan. This article is based on several years of personal experience.

When thinking about communicating with the public people tend to think of a “national rollout” and hitting the big time with the media, appearing on national TV networks and newspapers and radio stations across the U.S. While this is possible, it’s not probable if you are not a major newsmaker. There is a saying in the media ”if it bleeds, it leads” and what it means is that the more horrific and gruesome an event, the more likely it is to be covered. So if you are not a politician or a crazed axe murderer, you will be up against stiff competition to get national TV coverage. It seems that something more important than your cause will either arise (like a tsunami) or exist (like politics) that stand in your way for publicity.

What a lot of people don’t understand is the politics of national media. Major businesses (like IBM, Microsoft, etc) have dollar power, as do big publishers (like John Wiley & sons, Prentice Hall, etc) and large advertising groups and PR/media communications firms. These companies spend a TON of money wining and dining the “powers that be” in the national media like TV executives, producers and hosts. I can’t prove what I

ence.

When thinking about communicating with the public people tend to think of a “national rollout” and hitting the big time with the media, appearing on national TV networks and newspapers and radio stations across the U.S. While this is possible, it’s not probable if you are not a major newsmaker. There is a saying in the media ”if it bleeds, it leads” and what it means is that the more horrific and gruesome an event, the more likely it is to be covered. So if you are not a politician or a crazed axe murderer, you will be up against stiff competition to get national TV coverage. It seems that something more important than your cause will either arise (like a tsunami) or exist (like politics) that stand in your way for publicity.

What a lot of people don’t understand is the politics of national media. Major businesses (like IBM, Microsoft, etc) have dollar power, as do big publishers (like John Wiley & sons, Prentice Hall, etc) and large advertising groups and PR/media communications firms. These companies spend a TON of money wining and dining the “powers that be” in the national media like TV executives, producers and hosts. I can’t prove what I

newsmaker. There is a saying in the media ”if it bleeds, it leads” and what it means is that the more horrific and gruesome an event, the more likely it is to be covered. So if you are not a politician or a crazed axe murderer, you will be up against stiff competition to get national TV coverage. It seems that something more important than your cause will either arise (like a tsunami) or exist (like politics) that stand in your way for publicity.

What a lot of people don’t understand is the politics of national media. Major businesses (like IBM, Microsoft, etc) have dollar power, as do big publishers (like John Wiley & sons, Prentice Hall, etc) and large advertising groups and PR/media communications firms. These companies spend a TON of money wining and dining the “powers that be” in the national media like TV executives, producers and hosts. I can’t prove what I

ge. It seems that something more important than your cause will either arise (like a tsunami) or exist (like politics) that stand in your way for publicity.

What a lot of people don’t understand is the politics of national media. Major businesses (like IBM, Microsoft, etc) have dollar power, as do big publishers (like John Wiley & sons, Prentice Hall, etc) and large advertising groups and PR/media communications firms. These companies spend a TON of money wining and dining the “powers that be” in the national media like TV executives, producers and hosts. I can’t prove what I

wer, as do big publishers (like John Wiley & sons, Prentice Hall, etc) and large advertising groups and PR/media communications firms. These companies spend a TON of money wining and dining the “powers that be” in the national media like TV executives, producers and hosts. I can’t prove what I am about to say but you should accept it anyway: There is payola money to the big media in the form of “trips, tickets, gifts and, I am sure cash under the table that is used to build relationships with people in the media. These money gifts help establish relationships and create inside channels for publicity. Imagine for a moment that you have a great story idea for national TV. Who do you think is going to get booked for a gig, you or a major advertising/public relations firm who has a client needing the same air time? Consider that this particular firm drops $100,000.00 a year on wining and dining the players in the media… If you said them and not you, you are right.

For this reason most people should concentrate on reasonable and achievable media communications goals and target very specific geographical areas composed of the TOP-30 media markets (still political but not as much) and better yet, smaller cities with population centers ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 people. A good way to identify these markets is by using a road atlas. Using an atlas will help you put into perspective where, why and how you will be communicating with the media. It wi